THESE HOMEMADE LARABARS couldn’t have come sooner. Eating less sugar is one of our family food goals this year. And while we’re usually pretty good at watching sweets I knew things might go off the rails over the holidays when three year old Estelle only wanted one thing for Christmas: a chocolate bear.
Since our oldest is just five, these kids are still adorable about special occasions. They don’t get that you can ASK for things, specific things. And people will give them to you. Suckers for this clueless simple request, we supplied the goods and then some. Three giant chocolate bears and countless Hershey’s Kisses later, here we are. In chocolate rehab.
If you’re swimming your way out of a sugar-fest of your own, consider these coconut fudge bars a halfway house. Yes, there’s cocoa powder in there but it’s unsweetened. Sweetness comes in the form of honey, coconut (ours was sweetened; if you want to be more disciplined you could use unsweetened) and a few chocolate chips. But the main ingredient? The secret ingredient? Raisins.
Just grind everything up in the food processor, press in a pan and let sit for 30 minutes to set (if that).
Chop them up into bars or squares and store the rest in an air-tight container in the fridge. We’ve had ’em for snacks, dessert and even breakfast. Here’s how you can make your own.
PrintNo-Sugar Coconut Fudge Bars (with a Secret Ingredient)
We used raisins because we had them on hand but figs or dates would also work perfectly.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 20 small sqaures 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups raisins or dates
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, separated
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup high quality chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Prepare 9×9 pan with non-stick spray and a piece of parchment paper over it. Leave enough parchment hanging over the side to use as handles to lift the entire pan of bars out later on.
- Combine raisins and 1/4 cup coconut plus cocoa powder, chocolate chips, salt and honey in a food processor and plus. Eventually it’ll all come together in a big ball, almost like dough.
- Press all the “dough” into your prepared pan. Tip: It’ll be sticky so use the back of your measuring cup to press it down and flatten out.
- Sprinkle remaining coconut on top and press that in too.
- Cool in fridge for about 2 hours, allowing it to firm up, then cut into bars. NOTE: If your dough is too sticky for bars, bake the pan in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 20 minutes. OR mix in about 1 cup of whole oats and roll into balls.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
This post reminds that it’s time to make homemade Larabars!
I’ve no problem with commercial Larabars, but I can make them for less money than I can buy them. The recipe I made is similar to these bars…using dates or figs (or raisins, I suppose), and then I add chopped dried fruit like apples, and spices like cinnamon or clove. Sometimes I bake them at a low temperature to dry them out a little so they are not so sticky.
Major yum!
Hi Toni! I love your ideas with the dried apples and cinnamon. We will definitely experiment here. I also think you could roll these into balls and coat the outside with coconut–but I’ll rub some olive oil on my hands before handling the super sticky dough. (You’re also right on about possibly baking them off for 15-20 mins or so.) Thanks for your note!
I tried these and ended up with a pan of thick goo that could in no way be cut into bars. Not wanting to waste it, I ended up stirring in about 2 cups of oats, then rolling it into balls like the peanut butter no-bake energy bites I often make. They’re a hit in my house like this. I’m 23 weeks pregnant with my third baby, so having something healthy to pop in my mouth when I crave something sweet is really nice…and I don’t have to hide it from the littles!
I was about to make them again, and am glad I stopped to read the comments. I think I’ll try baking them for a bit this time to see if I can get them to work as bars. I didn’t realize that would work. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh no, Amy! I’m so glad you shared the idea of adding oatmeal and transforming the goo. At 23 weeks pregnant with #3, you need better recipes. I’ll update this one based on the comments. Sorry about that but again, thanks for letting me know.