Paleo No-Bake Nut & Chocolate Bars

Happy Monday, Guys!

It’s still hot and summer-like here! I know this happens every October in southern California, but I mean COME ON! I couldn’t even bear the idea of turning on the oven yesterday, so the fresh batch of  Pumpkin Spice Granola I had planned to make will just have to wait!

Anyway, we had a lovely dinner on my mom’s back patio last night (no sweatshirt necessary…) and after dinner, the conversation turned to talking about our favorite holiday treats…See’s Candy to be exact. And it got me thinking…that time of the year is upon us!! The time of year when there are sweets and treats everywhere you turn. And I am ALL ABOUT that. But in order to make it through the holidays feeling healthy and happy, we’ve gotta find some balance.

Now, you better believe that at some point during the holiday season, I will come across a box of Nuts and Chews that won’t stand a chance. See’s Candy is worth the sugar rush and possible queasiness I’ll feel later. But in the meantime, I need to have healthy choices around so that every time I go to a holiday gathering or walk into the office at work, I won’t even be tempted by the sugary treats. Because in all honesty, I would 100% rather indulge in something with clean wholesome ingredients that make me feel great!

So, as soon as we got home from dinner, I grabbed my big binder of recipes I’ve saved over the years and got to work deciding on what “healthy treat” I will make for this week. Inspiration struck when I eyed some tasty looking nut and chocolate bars from Whole New Mom.

After peeking around my pantry to see what I was working with, Paleo No-Bake Nut and Chocolate Bars were born!  They are similar to my Chocolate Chip Nut Bites, but for some reason, these feel even more decadent!  I think these would be perfect to have out on Halloween…After just one bite I knew they would satisfy that desire for a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup with zero yucky ingredients.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups of nuts/seeds of your choice. (I used a mix of walnuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts, and I really liked how that combination turned out.)
• 1/2 cup of flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of almond butter (or nut butter of your choice)
• 1/4 tsp salt (all of my nuts were unsalted)
• 1/2 cup coconut manna (you could also use coconut oil, I just thought the manna would hold up better when not refrigerated as it is a little more stable)
•  1/3 cup honey (Yes, that is a GIANT jar of honey…my father in law gets it from a local honey maker in Tucson!)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 6 oz of chocolate (I used the chocolate chips pictured above)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine the 2 cups of nuts, flaxseed meal, coconut, almond butter, and salt. Process until everything is the texture of course sand, about 20-30 seconds. 
2. In a small saucepan, melt coconut manna (or oil) and honey. If it is hot in your kitchen, you might be able to skip this step! You just want everything to be soft enough to process easily. 
3. Add honey and coconut manna to the food processor, along with the vanilla. Process all ingredients until well combined, about 20 more seconds.
4. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper for super easy cleanup and removal of bars. Drop all of the ingredients into the dish and press down with your fingers until you form an even layer. 
5. Melt the chocolate chips or bar and 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a small saucepan on LOW. Stir continuously, until no chunks remain. Remove from heat immediately, and pour evenly over the nut mixture. 
6. Place in fridge or freezer for about 20 minutes to cool. Slice into squares and serve, or save in the freezer for future indulging! 

There’s about a 0% chance these will make it to Halloween, but fortunately, they are so easy to make that I have no problem replenishing the stock! 

I hope you will enjoy these perfect sweet treats/midafternoon snacks as much as I do!

Print

Paleo No-Bake Nut & Chocolate Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

These sweet treats are perfect for mid-afternoon snacking, or replacing the Halloween Candy calling your name! 

Course: Snack

Servings: 16

Author: Maggie @ Our Fine Day

Ingredients

• 2 cups nuts/seeds of your choice
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut manna Or coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 6 oz chocolate chips or bar
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine the 2 cups of nuts, flaxseed meal, coconut, almond butter, and salt. Process until everything is the texture of course sand, about 20-30 seconds.
2. In a small saucepan, melt coconut manna (or oil) and honey. If it is hot in your kitchen, you might be able to skip this step! You just want everything to be soft enough to process easily.

3. Add melted honey and coconut manna to the food processor, along with the vanilla. Process all ingredients until well combined, about 20 more seconds.

4. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper for super easy cleanup and removal of bars. Drop all of the ingredients into the dish and press down with your fingers until you form an even layer.

5. Melt the chocolate chips or bar and 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a small saucepan on LOW. Stir continuously, until no chunks remain. Remove from heat immediately, and pour evenly over the nut mixture.

6. Place in fridge or freezer for about 20 minutes to cool. Slice into squares and serve, or save in the freezer for future indulging!