Homemade Almond Joy Bars
How to make homemade almond joy bars that are secretly healthy and gluten/grain/dairy/sugar free and vegan, paleo and keto friendly! Want to find me on social media? Instagram: http://fffit.co/1KUIXDi Facebook: http://fffit.co/1WuC3eJ Pinterest: http://fffit.co/1KUJcOF Twitter: http://fffit.co/1GIpcUr Subscribe to my channel and visit my blog, Food Faith Fitness to get the printer-friendly version of this recipe: http://fffit.co/2wSw2n3 RECIPE: INGREDIENTS: 36 Raw Almonds 4 Cups Unsweetened coconut flakes, firmly packed (240g) 6 Tbsp Monkfruit sweetner (or granulated sweetener of choice) 12 tsp Water, divided 10 tsp Coconut oil, at room temperature (should be the consistency of softened butter) 6-8 Oz Stevia-sweetened chocolate (read notes)* DIRECTIONS: OPTIONAL: Heat your oven to 375 degrees and place the almonds on a baking sheet. Cook until browned and "nutty" smelling, about 10 minutes. ** Set aside. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some to hang over the sides to use as a handle. Place the coconut flakes and monkfruit in a large food processor and pulse until the coconut flakes begin to break down, scraping the sides as necessary. Add in 8 tsp of the water, as well as 8 tsp of the room-temperature coconut oil. Blend on high speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary (or just hit your food processor while it runs like I do if you're too lazy to stop and scrape) Add in the remaining 4 tsp of water and pulse until the mixture turns crumbly. Pour into the prepared pan and press out evenly and VERY FIRMLY. You want to make sure the bars stick together. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 18 bars (6 rows of 3 bars) as it's hard to cut these after freezing. Place two almonds firmly in the center of each bar. Make sure to REALLY press them in firm, or they will fall out when you dip them. I like to really press my coconut after cutting, and then re-cut any areas that need it, to make sure it's really pressed in firmly. Chill in the freezer for 1 hour until firm. Once chilled, melt the chocolate and remaining 2 tsp of coconut oil in a small microwave-safe container using 50% power and 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. *** Quickly dunk each bar into the chocolate, gently shaking all the excess chocolate off, and then place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. NOTE: if your almonds fall off, dunk them in a bit of chocolate and use it as a glue to stick it back on the bar before dunking it in chocolate! Store in the refrigerator and DEVOUR! NOTES: *You only need 6 oz to cover the bars, which is reflected in the nutritional information. However, if you want to make it a little easier on yourself, melt 8 oz. Having a little excess makes the bars easier to cover! ** You don't HAVE to roast your almonds first, but I think it adds some great flavor so I recommend it! ***I like to put my container on top of a kitchen towel that I have placed on top of a pancake griddle that I have heated to the lowest setting. This keeps the chocolate smooth and warm! Yield: 18 bars
How to make homemade almond joy bars that are secretly healthy and gluten/grain/dairy/sugar free and vegan, paleo and keto friendly! Want to find me on social media? Instagram: http://fffit.co/1KUIXDi Facebook: http://fffit.co/1WuC3eJ Pinterest: http://fffit.co/1KUJcOF Twitter: http://fffit.co/1GIpcUr Subscribe to my channel and visit my blog, Food Faith Fitness to get the printer-friendly version of this recipe: http://fffit.co/2wSw2n3 RECIPE: INGREDIENTS: 36 Raw Almonds 4 Cups Unsweetened coconut flakes, firmly packed (240g) 6 Tbsp Monkfruit sweetner (or granulated sweetener of choice) 12 tsp Water, divided 10 tsp Coconut oil, at room temperature (should be the consistency of softened butter) 6-8 Oz Stevia-sweetened chocolate (read notes)* DIRECTIONS: OPTIONAL: Heat your oven to 375 degrees and place the almonds on a baking sheet. Cook until browned and "nutty" smelling, about 10 minutes. ** Set aside. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some to hang over the sides to use as a handle. Place the coconut flakes and monkfruit in a large food processor and pulse until the coconut flakes begin to break down, scraping the sides as necessary. Add in 8 tsp of the water, as well as 8 tsp of the room-temperature coconut oil. Blend on high speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary (or just hit your food processor while it runs like I do if you're too lazy to stop and scrape) Add in the remaining 4 tsp of water and pulse until the mixture turns crumbly. Pour into the prepared pan and press out evenly and VERY FIRMLY. You want to make sure the bars stick together. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 18 bars (6 rows of 3 bars) as it's hard to cut these after freezing. Place two almonds firmly in the center of each bar. Make sure to REALLY press them in firm, or they will fall out when you dip them. I like to really press my coconut after cutting, and then re-cut any areas that need it, to make sure it's really pressed in firmly. Chill in the freezer for 1 hour until firm. Once chilled, melt the chocolate and remaining 2 tsp of coconut oil in a small microwave-safe container using 50% power and 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. *** Quickly dunk each bar into the chocolate, gently shaking all the excess chocolate off, and then place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. NOTE: if your almonds fall off, dunk them in a bit of chocolate and use it as a glue to stick it back on the bar before dunking it in chocolate! Store in the refrigerator and DEVOUR! NOTES: *You only need 6 oz to cover the bars, which is reflected in the nutritional information. However, if you want to make it a little easier on yourself, melt 8 oz. Having a little excess makes the bars easier to cover! ** You don't HAVE to roast your almonds first, but I think it adds some great flavor so I recommend it! ***I like to put my container on top of a kitchen towel that I have placed on top of a pancake griddle that I have heated to the lowest setting. This keeps the chocolate smooth and warm! Yield: 18 bars