Strawberry Chocolate Bars with Coconut
These delicious strawberry chocolate bars are tender, creamy and lightly sweetened. Layered with a crumbly oat-strawberry crust and topped with a spongy chocolate goodness, it makes for a great snack or dessert that's super satisfying, but still super healthy. Completely vegan, gluten-free and free of refined sugar.
Servings: 8 bars
Calories: 268kcal
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil room temperature
- 1 cup fresh strawberries finely diced
For the creamy chocolate filling
- 454 g silken tofu drained
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For serving (optional)
- drizzle of melted chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, whipped cream, ice cream, etc
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Cover a 8 x 8 baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the crust
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, raw oats, shredded coconut, maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir until there are no clumps of coconut oil anymore. Press with a spoon to break the chunks of oil or even use your hands. This might take a minute or two until you reach a uniform texture. Tiny lumps are fine.
- Then, add the diced strawberries and stir to combine.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and even the mixture by pressing tight on it with your hands. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
Make the creamy chocolate filling
- In a blender, combine all the chocolate filling ingredients and blend until very smooth. Scrape the walls of the blender to be sure that everything is incorporated. Keep blending for 1-2 minute or until the texture looks almost whipped.
Build the bars
- Once the crust is out of the oven, transfer the chocolate topping over the crust and evenly distribute using a spatula. Bake in the oven for another 20 minutes.
- When done cooking, let cool slightly at room temperature and then transfer in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. This is important as the bars will keep setting as they cool down. Once cooled down completely, cut in bars and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Resist the temptation to cut and eat before cooling down completely! And I mean, a real chill, all the way to the fridge until nice and firm.
- Make sure to work the crust really well before transferring to the baking dish. The room temperature coconut oil is firm and you will have to break the lumps as much as you can while combining with the other ingredients. Use a spoon to press on it or your hands, and do not melt the oil first.
- I do not recommend using frozen strawberry as they usually release more water while cooking and this could create a super soft and soggy crust.
- Make sure you choose silken/soft tofu (the kind to make pudding), and not regular firm tofu. Also, remove as much water as you can by draining it and you can use paper towel to pat dry the extra water. I used the silken tofu from Nasoya.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Nutrition
Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg