If you love chocolate as much as me, you will love these bars! They are no-bake, vegan, chewy, sweet, and full of goodness!
I was recently at Trader Joe’s and saw that they sell organic maca powder. I love maca and their version is WAY less expensive than I pay at other stores so I picked up a bag. As a bonus, they have a recipe for what they call “Coconut Cream Energy Bars” on the package. It sounded pretty good so I decided to give it a try, but made a few adaptions based on my preferences.
The first difference between this recipe and the original are the use of cashews rather than macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts are my absolute favorite, but they are expensive so I opted for the more affordable cashew.
The second difference is that they recommend ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. I personally can’t get enough vanilla in my treats, so I did a full teaspoon.
Finally, the big difference is the drizzle of chocolate I added. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants so I try to sneak it in whenever I can. Antioxidants include vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals like manganese, copper, iron, magnesium and more!
No-bake coconut and chocolate energy bars
Description
These no-bake bars are vegan, chewy, sweet, and full of goodness!
Ingredients
2 Tbsp maca powder
1 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup dried, pitted dates
½ cup shredded coconut (make sure it’s unsweetened)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cacao powder
Water, as needed
¼ cup vegan dark chocolate (or regular if you don’t have vegan)
Instructions
1. Add all ingredients except water and chocolate chips to a food processor. Blend until mixture is finely chopped and sticky enough to form into a soft dough.
2. Once the dough is chopped and sticks together, press into a parchment lined 8×8 pan.
3. Freeze for at least 30 minutes then slice and serve. Keep stored in fridge or freezer.
These are delicious! Super simple to make..I make a batch and freeze them individually to snack on in the week.
Tasty treat and easy to make. thanks!