Coconut Caramel Bars (no bake)

These easy coconut caramel bars, or chocolate coconut slices, are made of 5 main ingredients and prep takes 10 minutes. A budget-friendly, wholesome no bake treat with all the flavors of almond joy bars.

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These chocolate coconut caramel bars are a no-bake chocolate dessert that comes together surprisingly fast considering there are four layers. The final coconut bar is full of fiber and protein with two gooey middle layers that are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. A healthy dessert with the flavors of our favorite candy bars, like Almond Joy and Bounty, as well as old fashioned Magic Bars or Hello dolly bars.

Like many of my brownies and bars, including my layered mini baked oat cups, and my oatmeal chocolate chip bars, these coconut bars use single wholesome ingredients to create two sweet inner layers, coconut and caramel.

Why You'll Love This

• Wonderful for holidays and gatherings. This chocolate coconut bar recipe is the single most requested recipe in my house.
• Nutritious for a dessert. Each layer is full of healthy fats and fiber thanks to coconut, high in fiber and iron thanks to dates, and full of protein and micronutrients from buckwheat groats or walnuts.
• Perfect for all diets. The bars are dairy free, vegan and gluten free, so they fit everyone's dietary requirements.

Ingredients

• Flour: Almond and coconut help make this base full of fiber and protein.
• Buckwheat groats or crushed walnuts: Provide structure and many essential nutrients not found in other foods.
• Coconut, shredded: I blended shredded unsweetened coconut into coconut butter. I give directions below, but here is my How to Make Coconut Butter (vanilla & chocolate) post. This single ingredient makes a delicious coconut frosting.
• Medjool dates: Make a homemade date paste by blending dates with water for this healthy caramel layer. Or make the paste with maple syrup only.
• Supportive flavors: Vanilla, maple syrup, coconut oil.
• Chocolate top: Chips or bar, melted, for the snappy top.

See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

• Almond and coconut flour. You can use all almond flour and leave off the coconut flour.
• Buckwheat groats. These add nutrition and fiber to the cookie crust base, but grouts aren't easy to find, so you can substitute crushed walnuts instead.
• Dates. The date paste makes up the caramel inner layer, but if you can't find dates, you can skip the layer or make a healthy caramel using maple syrup by stirring together ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil, 2 tablespoon peanut butter.
• Coconut butter. You can skip making coconut butter for the inner layer, and spread out ¾ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut instead.

Steps to Make Coconut Caramel Bars

For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.

Prep. To prep for this chocolate coconut bars recipe, drop the dates in just-boiled water for 2 minutes, then pit. Rinse the buckwheat groats by putting them in a strainer, and stirring with a spoon or clean hands until the slimy coating is washed away, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 1: Add ingredients into a food processor.

Step 2: Process the crust into a crumble. Add more milk or water if needed to reach this texture.

Step 3: Spread crust into a parchment-paper-lined pan.

Step 4: Blend shredded coconut into a coconut butter (1 ingredient) or liquid and pour on top.

Step 5: Spread blended dates (1 ingredient) onto the coconut butter layer.

Step 6: Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 1 minute, mix with milk and spread on date layer.

Step 3. Put the pan in the freezer for about 1 hour, then take it out and cut into 16 slices. Use a knife you've dipped into hot water to start tip down with puncturing into the chocolate top, then piercing the harder white coconut butter layer. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy!

Storage

These bars last a long time both refrigerated and frozen. To store either way, slice into bars, wrap each individually in plastic wrap and store in a sealed container. They last a week refrigerated and three months frozen.