Chocolate Almond Bars

Simple and flavorful, these chocolate covered chewy almond butter bars make a wonderful quick sweet treat. If you love Mars Bars, etc. (who doesn't, right!?) I'm sure you'll love these too.

These are pretty quick to whip up. And with so few ingredients it really comes down to the goodness of the ingredients you use:

• Use your favorite vegan melting chocolate or make your own (check out this diy magic shell recipe, which I recommend making with cacao butter instead of coconut oil for this recipe; you can also make a carob instead of chocolate version if you prefer -- an easy swap to make for those who are chocolate sensitive or just looking for something different..).
• Use a good quality natural smooth almond butter -- it's what gives these bars a delicious buttery flavor.
• For the toppings, feel free to use chopped nuts instead (almonds would make great sense for these chocolate almond bars. But as an alternative, pistachios, combined with some raspberries, would add a wonderful color pop here, similar to these chocolate covered frozen bananas). Or go with my plan of adding a natural and complementary in flavor funfetti look with dried edible flowers. Or, depending on whether or not you like crunch in your chocolate, you can opt to go "naked" here with no toppings -- that's how my husband prefers these :)
• Last but not least, do not swap out the coconut flour for other flours -- the result will be quite different, unless you're willing to play around with the ingredients on your own. As an alternative, if you prefer a coconut-free chocolate coated bar, you might like some of these other bars instead:

P.S. Can you tell I love my chocolate bars? ;)

Chocolate Almond Bars

Print Recipe

Simple and flavorful, these chocolate covered chewy almond butter bars make a wonderful quick sweet treat.

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 bars
• Category: Chocolate
• Method: No-Bake
• Cuisine: Vegan, Dessert
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Almond Filling

• 8 tbsp coconut flour
• 6 tbsp natural almond butter
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Chocolate Coating

• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups melting dark chocolate chips or chunks
• optional: 1 tablespoon cacao butter shavings or wafers*
• optional toppings: mixed edible dried flowers (I used a mix of lavender, rose petals, jasmine, blue cornflower petals), cacao nibs

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Instructions

1. Process all filling ingredients in a food processor into a uniform consistency resembling a dough. Line a 6x6 " glass container (or anything of a similar size) with parchment paper. Transfer the filling into the lined container and press it down into an even flat firm layer (it helps if you put another piece of parchment on top and use a flat-bottomed object, like a glass, to smooth down the top and flatten it even more). Place in the freezer and allow at least 1 hour to freeze well. Place a small metal tray / cookie sheet in the freezer as well (for use in step 4).
2. When ready to coat the bars with chocolate, melt the melting chocolate (with optional cacao butter in it if using) using a double boiler and keep warm. Have any decorative sprinkling items (nibs, flowers, chopped nuts, etc.) handy.
3. Remove the bar filling from the freezer and out of the container onto a cutting board. Cut into 6 pieces. If you want, trim off the sides for a neater even rectangle look, or leave them rugged and rustic (that's what I did).
4. Remove the metal tray from the freezer and line it with parchment paper. Place a bar of filling onto the tines of a fork and dunk into the melted chocolate mixture to coat. When removing out of the chocolate run the bottom of the times of the fork along the edge of the bowl to get rid of excess chocolate. Set the coated bar on the lined metal tray (the chilled tray helps the chocolate not spread out too much while setting). Repeat with the remaining bars. Quickly sprinkle with toppings before the chocolate fully sets.
5. Place in the fridge for about 20 mins for the chocolate to fully firm up. Enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

*The cacao butter just helps thin the chocolate so it's easier to use as a coating, but it's not essential. It also enriches the chocolate flavor.

Keywords: Chocolate Almond Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)