Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

coconut bars

Coconut Bars

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Lightly sweetened gluten free, grain free Coconut Bars contain good fats from heart healthy coconut oil.

These rich and moist coconut bars are made of not one, but three different forms of scrumptiously healthy coconut, including shredded coconut, coconut oil and coconut milk in their ingredients list.

I have Shirley at Gluten Free Easily to thank for this recipe as it is based upon her famous gluten free Crustless Coconut Pie. I’m a big fan of Shirley’s crustless pie recipes. They’re perfect when I’m looking for a quick and easy, yet simply tasty, gluten free dessert.

I find that this this coconut bar recipe tastes a bit like a macaroon bar. If you want to jazz up your coconut bars and get really decadent, try drizzling them with dark chocolate.

Print Recipe
Coconut Bars
Serves:16bars
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Mix eggs, coconut milk, oil, honey, vanilla and stevia in a food processor
  2. Pulse in almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt
  3. Transfer ingredients into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
  4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes
  5. Cool for ½ hour, then place in refrigerator and serve when chilled

Here are some of the health benefits of coconut:

  • Naturally gluten free
  • Full of heart healthy fats that lower LDL cholesterol
  • Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic
  • Reduces inflammation and promotes healthy absorption of nutrients
  • High in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc

It is also thought that eating coconut products speeds up the body’s metabolism, helping to prevent obesity.

Finally, Dr. Mary Newport has written an article on the remarkable results she believes she has achieved using coconut oil to remediate her husband’s early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

In this video Dr. Newport shares intriguing anecdotal evidence on the impact of coconut oil on neurobiological function. Her findings will be of particular interest to those of us who are working on our brain health in dealing with diseases and disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimers, Parkinsons, autism, ADD, etc.

So grab yourself a coconut bar and a cup of delicious dandelion coffee (that’s what I’m drinking right now) and settle in to watch the video of Dr. Newport. And be sure to let us know your thoughts in a comment below.

Comments

  1. Elena,

    These are fantastic! I have to confess that I missed the coconut milk and they are still fantastic! Last batch included dark chocolate drizzle, YUMMMM!

    Thank you!!

    Reply

  2. Hi Alana! These were amazing!!! I absolutely love anything coconut so I totally devoured these. :-) I was wondering which particular dessert recipes of yours are good for a diabetic to consume? My husband, my parents and my mother-in-law are all diabetic so making desserts for them are challenging sometimes.

    Reply

  3. Delicious! So moist and chewy. I had to bake an extra 15 minutes because the center was still jiggly and liquid. I baked it until the entire top was a nice golden brown. Also added semi sweet chocolate chips. So good!

    Reply

  4. I’m trying to avoid having to go to the store….i’m wondering if i can subsitute the shredded coconut for raw coconut butter? I’m assuming the shredded coconut is for the taste…but I feel the butter could substitute that. Also, I will swap coconut for hemp milk. I think what may happen is it doesn’t come out w/ strong coconut taste?

    Reply

  5. I like coconut in general, but have been specifically looking for ways to use up the leftover coconut pulp after making coconut milk. I read some of the comments and this is what I ended up mixing together – it turned out very good:

    2 eggs
    3/4c coconut milk
    ⅓c coconut oil
    1/4c mix of honey and maple syrup
    1T vanilla
    dash of stevia
    ½c rice flour
    1[heaping]T coconut flour
    approx 2c unsweetened shredded coconut (leftover pulp from 1 small bag)
    dash sea salt
    1/2c dark chocolate chips

    Reply

  8. Looking forward to baking your coconut bars and macaroons! I just happened to be talking to my sis-in-law about the videos you mentioned since my brother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Everyone should consider taking coconut oil supplementation. Pretty amazing results!
    I know it’s going to be part of my regimen. Trying to get off grains too! Great blog!

    Reply

  9. Just made the bars yesterday, and they are wonderful ! Just wondering how long they will keep in the frig, and do they freeze well ? Thanks, and I’ll be making this recipe a lot !

    Reply

  10. BTW I haven’t made this recipe using almond flour so Elana’s may turn out biscuity, I thought id better say that as the alterations i made to the recipe made it a moist slice.

    Reply

  11. I just made this by subbing 1/2 cup coconut flour for the almond flour as i think the almonds are giving me headaches and subbed butter for coconut oil. I kept to the 3 eggs, used 1/3 rd cup honey, no stevia.
    Its beautifully moist and very moorish, if you want a biscuity recipe this isn’t it.

    Reply

  12. OMG these are to die for! I have always loved the texture and flavour of coconut maccaroons, and these are a delicious nutritious GF alternative. Thankyou!

    Reply

  13. I can’t ever find a place to pin each of these individual recipes, I follow you in Pinterest but can’t find the specific recipe on your Pinterest . Can you please add a pin button on each recipe, this is a pain!

    Reply

  14. I’m a rapidly growing fan of your blog & I’m Crazy to try this recipe, but I have no idea how i could substitute the Almond flour since I’m deathly allergic to nuts & Almond flour being so unique, is there anything you could suggest? :(

    Reply

  16. Hi there,

    I just thought that I would mention that I made these this morning, without the stevia. Still really amazing.

    I also made them in cupcake holders in my cupcake tray. They have risen and look amazing. Great option for an easy lunch box and I suppose you could ice them if you wanted to. I sprinkled a few dark chocolate chips on top :)

    My GP in New Zealand refered me to your site as I was struggling for food ideas (I have Rheumatiod Arthritis. Very grateful!

    Reply

      • Alina, there are three things that can make this recipe not set up well. The first is using a low-fat or fat-free coconut milk, second is forgetting to add the coconut flour, third is using sweetened coconut flakes rather than unsweetened. If you follow the recipe and use the ingredients and brands I recommend it will turn out perfect!

        Reply

  18. I subbed 1/3cup of butter for coconut oil as I had run out. I think the butter was responsible for the beautiful brown crust I achieved on top. Reading the other posts about the recipe being runny, I decreased to 2 eggs instead of 3, and doubled the coconut flour to 2 tbspns. I left out the stevia (plenty sweet enough for me without stevia), and used a 50-50 mix of maple syrup & honey – I find too much honey quite an overpowering flavor. I also had a stash of dried cranberries in the pantry & thought the flavor would go really well with coconut, which it did. The end result is a firm, golden bar of absolute divinity, and if I drizzled some chocolate on top (which I will definitely do next time) it would taste as good as a cherry ripe!!! I’m sold on this recipe. I actually just ate (another) piece with Greek yoghurt spooned over the top as a dessert treat – delicious!!

    Reply

  19. This is a delicious bar/cake recipe! I love the Paleo friendly ingredients. I topped mine with fresh cut strawberries and it reminded me of a denser, coconutty shortcake. Really good!

    THANKS FOR SHARING THIS! :o)

    Reply

  20. Would love to know what’s on top of the ones in the photo. I know it says that Elana cannot answer comments, but it would be great if she updated the recipe to include the topping, as well as to please clarify if the coconut oil should be melted and if the pan should be greased (both of which I did). In my oven, I had to bake for an additional 5 minutes before the toothpick inserted came out clean. Topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate. Rave reviews at the holiday dinner last night.

    Reply

  21. I made these with Almond meal instead and then I melted some dairy free chocolate chips with some almond milk in a sauce pan and poured that on top while it was cooling, then placed in the fridge. Taste like an almond joy!!! Mmmm

    Reply

  22. This is one of my favorite recipes. I add 1 tsp of turmeric and 2 tsp of ground ginger to really kick it up a notch. It reminds me of a warm turmeric coconut milk I like to drink. I also added goji berries once and it was really good.

    Reply

  23. I am new to eating gluten free (trying to be grain free) and Elana’s recipes have been a lifesaver for me! When I pulled these out of the oven I was skeptical. They looked nothing like her picture above and they didn’t taste so yum. Well, I went ahead and put them in the fridge and pulled them out the next day. Some magic happened in the fridge because these things are heavenly. I will make these again and again.

    Reply

    • Mine didn’t look like the photo either, so I sprinkle some of the shredded coconut on top after I pour it in the baking pan. I worked. Also sprinkle some coconut sugar on top.

      Reply

  24. these are absolutely delicious!! I can’t wait to make them again.
    Thank you so much for the recipe!!
    Oh and I omitted the stevia and they were still so good!

    Reply

  25. I just pulled these out of the oven; I ended up baking them for 45 minutes as at the half hour mark they was still quite a bit of liquid in the middle. I added some dark chocolate chips to them. Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

  28. I’d love to see more (any, actually) recipes that ONLY use stevia as the sweetener!

    This looks great and I’ll be baking this this weekend :)

    Reply

  32. How do you prepare your pans before you pour the ingredients for baking? Do you “grease” it with coconut oil? How do you keep the bars from sticking? Thanks

    Reply

  34. Just wanted to know if Gluten Free also means sugar free if someone is type 1 Diabetic that I am baking for….. especially looking at the coconut recipes…..

    Elana Hoping you will see this and let me know…
    Thank you!!!

    Reply

  35. I just made these following the recipe exactly. The mix was a bit runny so I increased the baking time a little. They turned out golden and delicious. Next time I am going to double the coconut flour. My husband was very impressed with the warm coconutty treat I just handed him!

    Reply

  36. p.s. I used coconut nectar as I was short on honey. An additional 7 minutes in my oven gave a perfect bake.

    Reply

  37. I baked these today and my gosh – so moist and delicious. Mine look very different from your photo with smooth, golden top, but I ain’t complaining. A keeper – thanks!

    Reply

  38. When I use coconut oil, should I melt it back down into a liquid form or should I try to mix in the solidified white substance? It’s not really an issue when I use my Kitchenaid mixer, but when I mix by hand, I’m not sure if it’s really getting mixed in properly.

    And Elana, I know you use the organic, certified gluten free vanilla extract, but have you ever tried real Mexican vanilla? The flavor and scent is so fresh and strong and a 100 oz bottle is usually around $8.

    Reply

  39. I finally made this recipe, I waited for weeks and months until I had a good excuse ;) I subbed a mashed banana for the honey. It turned out VERY moist and took longer to bake but it was really good – more like a cake. I would do it again but maybe lower the amount of coconut milk or up the amount of coconut flour and it could probably fit in a bigger pan to be more bar-like. And I’m definitely going to add dark chocolate next time!

    Reply

  40. After reading everyone’s comments, I was a little worried about them being too liquidy, so I doubled the coconut flour. I left out the Stevia and WOW! I have a new favorite Paleo treat!!! And for anyone worried about them being liquidy, I think they’d be fine with the original amount of coconut flour bc the shredded coconut adds a good amount of thickness – and after they sit in the fridge for a while, they thicken up nicely, as well.

    I’m definitely gonna be making these many, many times…and eating them in moderation, of course. ;) Next time I’m gonna sub coconut nectar for the honey, yummm, and maybe add coconut sugar for the Stevia. I LOVE COCONUT!!! Thank you for such an AWESOME recipe, Elana! This is, hands down, one of your best!

    Reply

  42. Mine didn’t look like the photo either (they just look cake), but they are yummy! I’m interested to see how they’ll be tomorrow as some have said they get too moist, but for now they are great. I didn’t have any coconut milk on hand, so I used whole cow’s milk. I also used maple syrup instead of honey, and I baked them an extra 5 minutes. By the way, I’ve had to use Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour as I’m awaiting my first order from Honeyville, and everything I’ve made using that (including these bars and the cinnamon bun muffins – our favorite so far – from your site and brownies and cookies from another site have turned out great).

    Reply

    • Just a follow up to say that I stored these in the fridge overnight and today they are still great, very “cakey” except on the bottom where there is a very thin layer of egg (tastes like a flan). They are not too moist at all!

      Reply

  44. Hi Elana,

    I tried the recipe and the bars were heavenly! I did substitute the stevia with 1 tbsp of diluted palm/coconut sugar.

    However, I had left the bars out in the pantry for 2 days and it started getting moldy.

    Could it be the humidity in sunny Singapore that coconut flour is sensitive to?

    Should I put the bars straight into the fridge after it has cooled down?

    Please advise….

    Thank you….

    Pauline

    Reply

    • Hey Pauline,
      can I ask.. where do you get your coconut flour in Singapore? I’ve only been able to find the brand Bob’s Red Mill which is rather pricey. Any other suggestions?

      Many thanks!
      Deborah

      Reply

  45. Can anyone tell me if this is a Candida friendly recipe if i eliminate the honey, and replace it with xylitol? thx

    Reply

  46. Hi just made the coconut bars and it looks just like a cake, not like your bars.
    Did you use a topping?
    Thanks Dana.

    Reply

  47. Since going gluten free, it is hard to make good flour recipes. I am excited to add this one to my personal collection. Thanks for coming up with such great recipes. I love how this is all natural as well. Our world needs to wake up and get rid of preservatives!

    Reply

  48. I just made these and they are absolutely wonderful! I left out the stevia and found they were still plenty sweet for my taste. Also, I wasn’t sure whether the coconut milk on the ingredients list referred to the thick kind in the can or the milk substitute that comes in a carton in the grocery store. I went with the milk substitute because that’s what was in my fridge and added an extra Tbs coconut flour to thicken the batter.

    And then I ate it warm for breakfast :)

    Reply

  49. I am slowly learning to like coconut. Usually I find that it’s sweetened or sweet beyond recognition and the sweetener marrs the taste of the coconut to the point I just can’t enjoy eating it. However when I saw this recipe I was immediately intrigued and just knew I had to try to make these bars! I just finished more servings than I care to share here and Elana, these are marvelous! Thank you for sharing the recipe. My goodness – I only used half the amount of honey and yet these are good enough to be a cupcake I think. I am going to freeze the remainder (if I can stop eating them) and take them to work for mid morning snacks. Thank you again for this and all your recipes shared on your site!

    Reply

  50. I have made these a couple of times now and everyone loves them. I followed the recipe the first time and they were good but a little to moist? the next time I made them i did not put in the oil because the coconut milk has oil in it. I also added 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of the coconut flour. They turned out great and not to moist. Thank you so much for sharing this yummy treat.

    Reply

  51. Made these and my husband said, “This tastes just like coconut cream pie filling.” They were so good, I ate the rest of them in one hour. This will definitely be on my short list of recipes! Yum

    Reply

  52. Haven’t tried the final product since I just got it in the oven… But judging by the fact that I couldn’t stop until I ate all that was left on the food processor bowl, including licking the blade (yes I did it, it’s a pretty big one but it was worth it, and no I didn’t get hurt at all), this thing is really really amazingly good!
    Because of the low temperatures here in the Pacific NW, my local raw honey is hard as a rock, so I used Coconut Nectar instead… Can you tell I’m a coconut fanatic? You can buy it at Whole Foods or online.
    Link: http://www.coconutsecret.com/nectar2.html
    Thank you Elana!

    Reply

    • Hi Monica,

      I too live in the PNW and I did the same thing with the coconut syrup. Mine also came out too moist but that did not stop me from eating a whole row before bed.

      How can i get it to look like Elana’s, with the crumbly top? Anyone?

      Reply

  54. Tried those this weekend, really yummy. Everyone said “you can put that one in the ‘keep’ folder” (we have two folders in the kitchen: recipes to try/recipes to keep.
    Thanks Elana

    Reply

  56. I found these to be kind of bland. I used Xylitol instead of honey, so perhaps that is why. I was going to toss them, but then decided to try melting some dark chocolate and spreading it on top of the bars. It was exactly what was needed! Now they’re kind of too delicious:) I was thinking of trying to add some lemon juice and zest next time. I think the lemon/coconut combo could be interesting.

    Reply

    • I also found mine a bit bland, and I did not alter the recipe at all. And, like you, I had the idea that lemon might make it a bit snazzier–my bars had a wonderful consistency and texture, but just tasted like baked coconut oil. For my tastes they needed something else. Have you tried the lemon variation? I do plan to make the recipe again, just with some adaptations to suit my tastes!

      Reply

  57. This looks delicious! I love coconut, the smell, taste and texture Ummmm:) I have all the ingredients in my pantry. This will definitely be a hit with friends and family.

    Reply

  58. I made these yesterday…absolutely delicious!!!
    Curious as to why some people had great success while others found theirs too runny…
    mine was a little to runny in middle…next time I will try cooking them a little longer…I also wonder if “light” coconut milk might have been the problem?? is the higher fat coconut milk best?

    As soon as this pan is gone, I am making another one…:))

    Reply

  59. I wasn’t sure how to get this info to you, Elana, or other’s who are interested in Paleo lifestyle, but I just wanted to make sure you are familiar with Dr. Terry Wahls of Iowa and her book, her video on youtube.com and her website at http://www.terrywahls.com. The more I learn about Paleo and what good it can do, the more fascinated I am. And loving the recipes!!!!

    Reply

    • Baked mine for 40 min (I’m at 6500′) and they were done perfect. Let the boyfriend throw in some chocolate chips right before baking and skipped the stevia. Living in Vail, we have such poor grocery options, I could only find sweetened (plus other crap) coconut. Hey, you should put in a word with someone who might be influential in Vail for a Vitamin Cottage… hint, hint….

      Reply

      • Leaving a follow-up comment to say I agree with the others about them being too moist. They were perfect the first night/fresh out of the oven but the next day or two they were really moist and gooey and not in a good way. Next time I will be adding a lot more flour to see how that works. Also, after adding the chocolate chips, I couldn’t imagine them without, SO good ; )

        Reply

  60. I love all things coconut, so even before I made these I knew I would love them. They turned out great – thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  61. Elana these were soooo good & extremely addicting. The batch was gone within 24 hours. I did not use stevia. I wasn’t able to cut them into bars, so we ate them straight out of the baking dish. Delish!

    Reply

  62. These bars are fabulous. I had to make a few changes due to ingredients on hand. I used almond meal instead of flour. I only had 1/3 c canned coconut milk left and used 2/3 c light canned coconut milk to make up the rest. To make up for the more watery nature of the light coconut milk I added another 1.5 teaspoons of coconut flour. Next time I’d try a full 2 Tbs if I only had the light coconut milk. I cooked mine for 30 minutes but next time would probably do a little longer since they are a little soft. Even so, when I sliced them up (after cooled in the fridge) the pieces held together nicely. Such a wonderful treat and clearly very adaptable. Thank you!

    Reply

  63. If you’re even considering making these… please do! They are AMAZING!! These are going to become a staple in my house!

    Reply

  64. Just made this and its wonderful!! I didn’t add stevia and found it plenty sweet enough, thinking of drizzling dark chocolate on it later like you had mentioned. Mmmmm!

    Reply

  65. Made these yesterday with my daughter… So easy and so delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipes Elana! Keep them coming!

    Reply

  66. This is soo good….I added lemon juice and lemon zest for more of a lemonbar it was wonderful.Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

  67. Wow! These are so good! I used coconut cream concentrate & coconut oil half & half for the oil measurement, and did not use any stevia. Thanks so much, Elana!

    Reply

  68. I appreciate this recipe. It is yummy in a crustless coconut flan kind of way. I added chocolate chips, used melted butter instead of coconut oil, did not add stevia and cooked it for 40 minutes. My husband thought it resembled a coconut bread pudding. Nonetheless, yummy.

    Reply

  69. I made these yesterday and substituted the almond flour with oat flour (only flour I had in the pantry) as well as substituting the eggs with ground flax meal and water. They are delicious!! Thanks so much! I shared the recipe with my facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/thislittlelark! Blessings! :)

    Reply

    • Did you use 3 whole tablespoons flaxseed or less? My son is allergic to eggs as well and I was trying to figure out how to tweak this…Thanks!

      Reply

  71. These were SO amazing, I made them right away. They taste just like coconut macaroons. I passed them along to several other people who also raved about them. Perfect recipe!!

    Reply

  72. I made these yesterday and they are to-die-for! I made a few minor changes by decreasing the eggs to only 2, left out the stevia and melted some enjoy life chocolate chips and spread a thin layer of chocolate across the top prior to chilling. SO GOOD!

    Reply

  73. yummm…this sounds like coconut heaven. loving the fact that this is low in sugar as well. fits perfectly into my eating style :)

    Reply

  75. I made these last night, without stevia, and doubling the coconut flour. I also reduced the coconut oil to 1/4 c. They firmed up very nicely and have a nice coconut flavor. I like Hannah’s idea of adding dried pineapple chunks and will try that if I make these again.

    Reply

  76. I made these yesterday…I substituted 6 pitted dates for the honey and stevia and baked them in a mini muffin pan…it made 24 nice sized mini-muffins and they were perfectly sweetened with the dates! Delicious!

    Reply

    • Andrea, I’ll be making them for Valentine’s Day bc my last day is the 13th! haha – You made them already? Almond flour isn’t allowed on Whole 30, though, right? Glad to hear they were delicious!!

      Reply

  77. Made these tonight without any honey or stevia. Also used macadamia nut flour instead of the almond. Turned out wonderful!!! Did not need the sweetener. Great with a few blackberries.

    Reply

  78. Thanks for the great recipe!

    I made these today. Mine also turned out a bit runny and my husband said they tasted “eggy”, but they’re still good. I didn’t have stevia on hand, so I omitted it and then sprinkled a few chocolate chips into the batter before I baked it :)

    Reply

  79. I made these without eggs today. I used the egg replacer Ener G, whipping it and adding it at the end….well, the taste is really good but they are “underdone” so to speak. A little gooey but without the eggs that is understandable. As my wheat and egg allergies are very recent I am not a pro at egg replacers.
    I may try to scoop out the centre, more gooey part and blob it onto some parchment and bake again to see if I can firm it up a bit.

    Would love to hear if anyone out there had better success.

    Reply

  81. Thank you for posting the link to Dr. Newport’s interviews. I found the information enlightening and my “I don’t have time for this” attitude quickly dissipated as I watched every part. I’ve used coconut oil intermittently in recipes mostly from this site. Since I’ve watched the video we’ve incorporated coconut oil into our diets as a prevention measure.
    Thanks again!

    Reply

  82. Saw this recipe last night. Made it this morning for a party tonight. I topped half of them with all fruit raspberry jam. Either way they were delicious. Thanks for all the inspiration and yummy food!

    Reply

  83. Perfect timing… needed a dessert to bake for my get together last night. Baked this and wow’d everyone!! I didn’t use stevia either… came out perfect!! Thank you Elana.

    Reply

  84. I made these today – and they are wonderful! Love the coconut taste, and that they aren’t too sweet. I have so many food allergies, but coconut is not one of them. So it’s great to find a treat that I can actually eat! Thank you for these!

    Reply

  85. Btw, don’t you LOVE Barlean’s coconut oil? It’s my absolute favorite! I just wish they made it in bigger sizes bc I use it every day.

    Reply

  86. Oh, man, these look amazing! I’m obsessed with coconut, so I can’t wait to make these after I finish Whole 30!!

    Reply

  87. My son is a huge fan of “magic cookie bars” and I wonder if I could tweek this recipe to make a healthier alternative. The original recipe includes sweetened condensed milk, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, choc chips and nuts.

    Reply

  88. Elana,

    This recipe looks fabulous. I hope to prepare it soon, and I know you are not eating chocolate now, but the idea of drizzling it on top sounds heavenly.

    Did you use canned coconut milk? Full fat or lite? There is also available now, coconut milk beverage, so there is room for lots of interpretation here.

    I have recently read the book Virgin Coconut Oil and am excited to learn and experience many of the health benefits of the beloved coconut.

    (((Hugs))),

    Lisa

    Reply

  89. Love coconut and will make over the weekend. I am using sweet
    almond milk for coconut milk and eliminating stevia. ONE QUESTION
    makes 24 bars from an 8 x 8 pan? bars must be mini size-less than an 1″ per bar. Would like clarification. Thank you.

    Reply

    • If you cut them into 24 bars, yes, they would be bite-sized. You can tell from Elana’s picture that hers are cut much bigger than that. Look at them in relation to the size of the plate, which is probably a salad or dessert plate. If the inside of the plate is 4 or 5 inches, then the bars are about 2.5 to 3 inches.

      Reply

    • Hey! I’m curious to know how they turned out using almond mik instead of coconut milk?? I want to make them right now, but don’t have coconut milk and really don’t feel like heading out!! Thanks!!

      Reply

  90. I decided to go all the way coconut, and substituted coconut palm sugar for the honey. I added one Tbsp sugar to add moisture, and they were great! I love the soft sweetness of coconut palm sugar, and appreciate its low glycemic index — no sugar spike.

    Reply

    • Sorry – meant to say that I added one Tbsp water for moisture. Used the full 1/3 cup of coconut palm sugar instead of the honey.

      Reply

  91. Looking forward to trying this recipe! I’m with the “I love coconut” gang and am always looking for more coconut-based recipes. These bars sound delectable. I’m sure the eggs are pretty essential, but I’ll give some alternatives a shot to see how the egg-free version turns out. Yum!

    Reply

  92. I made these this afternoon. I only had 1 cup coconut, though. It was some that I had left from cracking open a coconut and blending the flesh and freezing. So I thawed and used what I had.

    They are delicious, although way too oily. I will definitely cut down the coconut oil when I make them again. And also a bit “eggy” too, but not too much so. I will add another tablespoon of coconut flour next time, for more “body,” because I had to bake them 40 minutes or so, as they were still too “jelly-like” after 30. They are room temp now and still too soft, so hope they will harden up a bit after being in the fridge.

    I did not use the Stevia, I substituted 1 tablespoon of Whey Low Type D.

    Love them and will make again with a bit more tweaking till I get them to my own taste.

    Reply

    • I agree. I just made them and they are very oily and eggy. Also, this is my first time baking with coconut oil. Do you melt it first?

      Reply

    • Update to my previous comment: The bars never did get really firm, even after all night in the fridge. Tonight I’m going to warm some up and eat with a spoon like a pudding.

      I’m wondering if I might have processed the egg mixture too long. Would that have made it more liquid? I’ll add more coconut flour next time. I don’t mind them being soft for mysel, but if I took them somewhere for others, I’d want them to be firm enough to eat by hand.

      Reply

      • mine didn’t come out firm as well…
        i thought i did something wrong, but went over the whole process (which is not that complicated at all) and couldn’t find a mistake…

        Reply

  93. I raced home from work today, stopping to get the coconut shreds, and made these. They are cooling on the stove right now. They smell delicious and I will probably have to taste before they chill! You are truly gifted, Elana. Anything recipe of yours I have tried has turned out flawless, even when I have subbed erythritol sweeteners for agave, honey, etc. I bought myself your Almond Flour Cookbook for Christmas and made the spinach tart w/ herb crust for my friends at work and they raved. Thank you for all of your awesome recipes!

    Reply

  95. These look wonderful as usual! I just served your almond power bars to company this weekend and the newlyweds just looked at each other with huge smiles and remarked together “mmmmmmm”! They obviously just loved them!!!! Many thanks again! Just love the simplicity as well as the fabulously healthy ingredients and of course the incredible tastes! I’m sure this will be another winner! Tracy

    Reply

  96. I am making these today–they look wonderful! Elana, it is always such a joy to see your emails in my in box. : )

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  97. I recently blogged about Dr. Newport and her journey with her husband through Alzheimer’s with using coconut oil. The results are fascinating.

    I will also be enjoying these bars with some herbal coffee later tonight! :)

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    • Hi Brandon, I just noticed you mentioned “herbal coffee”. Can you tell me what it is and where you get it? Much appreciated!

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  100. These look great, I love coconut, and am happy to see you also have almond flour in these to make them more hearty.

    I’ll let you know how they come out without the honey…

    Thanks, Elana!

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  101. Perfection, Elana! I love how you took my “full of everything except gluten” pie and created this healthy recipe. Can’t wait to try these, dear! FYI–I’m making my crustless coconut pie much healthier these days. ;-) Thanks so much for the mention and link love! :-)

    xo,
    Shirley

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  102. elana,
    thanks for all your work!! i love your recipes. almond flour has changed my life for the better (i’m gluten intolerant) and i’m an evangelist for it and your site/books.

    so interesting about the coconut oil/alzheimers link. thanks for the video link & for helping spread the word.

    blessings as you continue your important work!
    misty
    gig harbor wa

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  103. Oh My Goodness. Those sound amazing! I cannot get enough of anything coconutty- so will be making them for sure! Thanks for sharing!! Kari

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    • I think you are correct with the 1 cup canned coconut milk. I bet the tetra-pack coconut milk would be too runny, although I haven’t made them yet to verify that. It’s on my to-do list for this afternoon :)

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  105. i’ve been trying to work out how to make a macaroon in a bar to recreate a packaged bar made by Coconut Secret and here ypu’ve done it! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    I will use a 9″ x 13″ ¼-sized baking sheet with 1″ sides as that’s what I’ve got. I’ll keep a close eye on the baking time since mine will be thinner but I’m sure they will be successful. I’m planning to include 80% dark chocolate chopped and sprinkled on top near the end of baking so it melts on top.

    I wish I had more time to experiment beyond the cooking every meal at home. I have to schlep all my food everywhere to avoid reaction.

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  106. This looks so wonderful. There can never be too much coconut. I looked in the pantry and have everything but coconut milk – used the last can for cocoa last night. Otherwise these would already be in my oven. Starting a new grocery list. . .

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  107. Wonderful recipe and on my must-bake-and-eat list! Thank you, Elana, for another fabulous recipe.

    I have found The Coconut Research Center’s site and newsletter to be invaluable about nutritional information about the benefits of coconut products (and now, for me, the coconut lifestyle!): http://coconutresearchcenter.org/index.htm

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    • Seriously? You believe what you read on that link? It’s nothing more than a suck in, another “breaking news”, wonder food fad, that’s supposed to cure all our nutritional problems. Much like blue agave, now shown to be worse for you that corn syrup.

      Did you take note of how many books Dr. ( I use that term lightly) Bruce Fife, is hawking on the coconut reasearch website? Did you take note that the man is not a medical doctor, that he claims to be a certified doctor of nutrition, yet, surprise, surprise, has no credentials to back that claim up.

      Did you take note of Bruce Fifes so called “medical studies” videos, where he claims their coconut products will almost magically cure all our diseases & ailments?

      Did you also take note of the disclaimer that’s hidden away about that very claim?

      In case you missed it. Here you go.

      [Products for sale which are foods or supplements for special dietary use, are not offered for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease or disorder. We strongly encourage you to discuss topics of concern with your health care professional.]

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      • Well, gosh, Jay… why do you think the people that live in the tropics and consume loads of coconut products are so darn healthy? The coconut tree is called The Tree of Life for a reason. I lived in the tropics and understand perfectly well the health benefits with or without Bruce Fife’s input.

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      • The disclaimer is required by FDA. Notice every bottle of natural supplements has the same claim. Vitamin C cures scurvy, yet a manufacturer of this vitamin cannot claim it cures anything.

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  109. I am making these coconut bars today-I have all of the ingredients already. Thanks for such a great recipe!

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  112. Yum! I am going to add pineapple chunks to this recipe and make pina-colada bars. Thanks for the inspiration.

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      • I was wondering about the stevia as well. I am utterly curious about it after listening to a segment about S&W seed company on.NPR. I left out the honey and added more stevia and then I decided to make a couple more changes and go the cookie route. Really really good

        All night I was thinking I need to go back and try the bar recipe and then the original pie crust recipe… I love coconut!

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  115. I love Shirley’s crustless pie recipes, and how you turned this into a bar cookie. I haven’t had much luck with coconut flour when I bake without eggs – noticed you only used a little coconut flour here. Have you ever tried baking with coconut flour without eggs?

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  116. Looks wonderful Elana. Do you do your own photography for the recipes on your blog, and if so do you have any tips? My pictures never look as good as yours even when the food looks at it’s best!

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    • Hi there. I couldn’t help but respond. Her photos are beautiful. I moved to a nice digital Canon SLR and then bought a macro lens. That really helped. Also a bit of education on how best to use the lens and taking about 20 photos of the food so I can pick the best. Then I looked at foodie blogs to see what I liked and I try to make use of their better points. Hope that helps :-).

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      • I *think* Elana uses a light box which makes it easier to take a photo any time of day. I used to use a macro lens but upgraded to a 50mm f/1.4 lens a year and a half ago. I only use natural light. I still have a lot to learn about food photography but this lens makes it really easy, especially if you don’t have a lot of time with a bunch of hungry children at you feet! :)

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        • I have to second the 50mm 1.4 lens – it really changed my food photography and can be used any time of day with great results.

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  117. I can cook but horrible at baking. This looks like something I may be able to pull off though. And it is ing. that are common to our pantry. I even made the homemade vanilla last Dec. (cheap vodka with a couple of real vanilla beans and aged for a month).

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  118. A recipe including coconut milk, oil, flour & shredded coconut must be super yummy! Thanks for sharing – going to add the recipe to my “to cook” list! :-)

    Reply

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