Nutty Chocolate Bars

These delicious nutty chocolate bars are gluten-free, grain-free, and made with simple wholesome ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Chill time: 45 minutes 45

Total Time 1

Servings bars

Calories 295kcal

Author Amee

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, line an 11x7 glass pan with wax paper, making sure you come up the sides of the pan (you want to be able to lift the bars out of the pan to slice.)
Pulse nuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand (you want the pieces a little larger than almond flour.)
Add all other ingredients into the food processor, except the chocolate chips and extra tablespoon of peanut butter. Pulse until thoroughly combined, and the mixture starts sticking together in a ball.
Pour the mixture into the wax paper-lined pan and smooth out to the corners. Refrigerate to set, about 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips and tablespoon of peanut butter in a double-boiler, stirring frequently until smooth, and pour over the chilled bars. Spread out evenly with a spoon or spatula.
Chill bars for another 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate topping is firm and set. Lift the wax paper out of the pan, place bars on a cutting board and cut into 15 squares.

Paleo-friendly option: substitute the peanut butter for creamy almond butter and use chocolate chips made without refined sugars. Guittard makes 72% dark chocolate chips sweetened with coconut sugar.
For easy cutting: make sure that the bars have chilled long enough for the chocolate topping to set.
Looking to lower the carbs? You can use your favorite brand of sugar-free chocolate chips and a sugar-free honey or maple syrup substitute to lower the sugar and carb count.
Batch size. If you’re making these bars for a crowd or want to prep extra to freeze, double the recipe and use a larger pan. The bars make the perfect grab-and-go snack straight from the fridge or freezer.
Extra crunch. Try adding a handful of crispy rice cereal or puffed quinoa to the nutty bar mixture for a different texture. This will give the bars an extra crunch and a lighter bite.