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 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.
Coconut Bars
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon stevia
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Mix eggs, coconut milk, oil, honey, vanilla and stevia in a food processor
- Pulse in almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt
- Transfer ingredients into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes
- 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.
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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.
Chels says
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)
Danielle says
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.
Lynn says
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
rachel rausch johnson says
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.
Kim C says
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.
rachel rausch johnson says
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.
dalia says
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!
Sharon says
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!
Lisa says
I am wondering if these bars should still be jelly in the middle when out of the oven??
rachel rausch johnson says
Use a toothpick to check for doneness: poke the middle and if it comes out clean, it’s done.
Connie Caplan says
I love coconut, but I am allergic to eggs. Is there any way possible to make this without eggs?
zosia says
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 :)