Mar 4

Mar 4 Chocolate & Coconut Bounty Bars

Healthy Bounty Bars anyone? Hell YAAA

Chocolate staples in our family have always been relatively predictable. Dad would always choose a Bounty Bar, mum never went past a Crunchie, and for me... well it was always a bar of Whittakers Creamy Milk or Dairy Milk Chocolate (lol yes such a plain child). Dad and I would always end up going halves however... my mad FOMO for chocolate meaning he could never enjoy a whole bar of Chocolate Coconut goodness to himself.

Being slightly older now, and slightly less inclined to buy multiple chocolate bars in a week... it would still be wrong of me to say that I don't miss these times. We all know that cheap and store-bought chocolate bars have a reason to be cheap... But sometimes you just want a little chocolate therapy in your life.

The answer? Healthy Bounty Bars,

Combined in a rich and decadent outer shell of dark chocolate, the creamy coconut filling tastes remarkably similar to the original. In addition, the base is made from almond and coconut, making it taste way much better than the commercial version.

Not only are these far better for you, but they are also super fun to make. I have made them using a large slice pan, and then cutting into bars to take to uni or snack on. However, instead of making these bad boys as a full slice and then cutting them like this, try cutting the set coconut and almond layers into bite size pieces, and then dipping in chocolate for fully-fledged Chocolate heaven.

Thats what I call a combination!

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer and large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy - will usually take around 1 minute. Stop the mixer, and add the two flours to the bowl, followed by the brown sugar and salt. While the beater is on low speed, slowly beat the mixture together until fine crumbs are formed, ensuring to scrape the sides of the bowl where necessary. If it seems a little to crumbly, simply add a little more melted butter and stir through.
Once the mixture is combined and crumbly, press into a slice or brownie pan firmly using your hands. Evenly spread the mixture across the bottom, and place in your oven to bake for 5-10 minutes. The base will not rise, but will be golden brown and hold shape.
Using a microwave or double boiler, melt coconut oil until liquid. Stir in the honey, maple syrup and vanilla, and using a whisk, mix until all liquids are incorporated together.
In a blender, whizz the coconut until super fine.
Using the same blender, pour the coconut oil mixture into the raw coconut and whizz again to combine. Add the water, make sure all ingredients are mixed well. Scrape edges regularly, and mix until creamy and smooth.
Spread the coconut mixture over your almond base, and place pan in freezer to set. This will take at least 30 minutes - 1 hour while you prepare chocolate topping.
While the bars are setting, melt coconut oil and cacao butter over a double boiler. Add your honey, and stir briskly until the liquid is all combined. Remove bowl from the heat, and sift in the cacao powder, stirring until it is dissolved and liquid.
Once the bars are set and the coconut is firm, remove from the freezer and pour over chocolate mixture. You can sprinkle with coconut over the top at this point if you like, but I like to keep mine plain. Keeping your tray completely flat, place back in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to set.
When set, cut the slice into bar or bite size pieces. Store slice in fridge or a cool area.

Ingredients

For the Almond Base