Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Kids are snackers. I make sure they have a filling and nutrient-packed breakfast every morning and I don’t encourage snacking near mealtime. However, when they’re playing outside and burning off energy or going through a growth spurt they’re going to need snacks from time to time.
These chocolate coconut energy bars fit the bill perfectly. They’re tasty, full of fiber and healthy fats, and they’re quick and easy to make.
3 Varieties of Wellness Mama Energy Bars
I love the convenience of energy bars, but I don’t love the ingredients in store-bought ones. So, of course, I’ve created my own versions.
My first and one of my very most favorite creations is my wellness energy bars. The ingredients are simple: chopped nuts, pureed dates and raisins for sweetness and binding the whole thing together, and cinnamon. It’s simple, tasty, nutritious, and portable.
Next, I created chia seed energy bars. I love to use chia seeds because of their awesome nutrient attributes. They’re full of fiber, antioxidants, calcium, omega-3s, and give a great energy boost. Read more about them in this post.
Finally, I’ve created the star of this post; the chocolate coconut energy bar. I wanted a recipe that would be largely coconut-based and nut-free. And the kids had one request… chocolate!
Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars
These bars come together really quickly with minimal dishes. To make the mixture chocolatey I use a combination of cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
If you aren’t familiar with cocoa butter, don’t be intimidated! Both cocoa butter and powder come from cacao seeds and are used to make chocolate. Cocoa butter is the fat of the cacao seeds and comes in a block or sometimes thin wafers (which are easier to use). I buy mine on Amazon here.
If you don’t have cocoa butter and don’t want to bother with it, you can absolutely just use additional coconut oil. The bars won’t be quite as rich, but they’ll still be very delicious.
An important note on these energy bars: unlike my wellness energy bars, these aren’t portable. The low melting point of the cocoa butter and coconut oil means that they have to be kept cool to maintain their shape. After they’re chilled I cut them into bars and keep them in the fridge.
These yummy energy bars have been a big hit! Do you ever make snack bars at home? What’s your favorite recipe? I might try something with dried cherries next. This one looks like my kind of recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup cocoa butter (or additional coconut oil)
- ¼ cup honey (or to taste)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- ½ cup chia seeds (or additional coconut)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- stevia extract (for extra sweetness, optional)
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Melt the coconut oil and cocoa butter in a small pan over low heat.
- Add the honey and stir well.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, shredded coconunt, and chia seeds.
- Add the vanilla and stevia tincture, if using.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and refrigerate for 1 hour or until hardened (you can also freeze it to speed up the process).
- Cut into bars and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Ever made your own energy bars? What flavor do you prefer? Share below!
These bars are so good you can’t stop eating them. At 270 cal you better control your chocolate cravings
Thank you for the great recipe
I have a question about the chia seeds. One half cup whole or ground? If whole, do you then grind them before adding? For some reason I am unable to access all 81 comments so I don’t know if this question has come up. Thanks Katie!
Whole chia seeds… no need to grind, but you could if you wanted to.
I’ve found if you add a little salt to this recipe, it really makes the flavors pop!
I make a similar bar starting with base of 1 and 1-2 cups dates and one cup of nuts in food processor and then add coconut, coconut oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, collagen powder, cocoa nibs, cocoa, nut butters, etc. process until gets like a dough ball adjusting butters or oils as needed. I line a loaf pan with parchment paper and cut them into bite sized squares and freeze them. Then I pop them out of pan and keep in freezer for quick treat that is packed with staying power!!!
Awsome recipe, I should give it a try, but I need to make the butter first 🙂
How long can I store them for?
Can I feed this to my 1 year old?
Thanks
After adding the cocao powder, the solids and the oils stay separate. What is wrong? The solid portion (i guess the shredded coconut and cocoa powder) tastes really yummy like dark chocolate, but I don’t want to waste a bunch of cocoa butter and coconut oil that will end up just staying separate.
Could coconut flour be used instead of shredded coconut?
It could, though it might change the texture slightly.
Hi I think that is true
Thank you for this. How long do you think these last for and do they need to remain refrigerated? Would they last for a week?
I just made these and tweaked the recipe a little. I used coconut cream instead of cocoa butter and added 1 tbsp of maple syrup. They are a huge hit at our house!! Thx for the recipe!
wonderful site – recipe sounds awesome – especially love all the commentary with sugestions, results, etc
Hi my partner has been trying to make these, but they wont set properly, what do you think the problem could be? Thanks
I used Colombian Dark Chocolate with 85% cocoa, which had cocoa butter in it so used 1 cup in place of butter and cocoa powder. Also used chopped almonds in place of chia seeds. Used Stevia to counter the dark chocolate. Only problem is the bars are to soft at room temperature so keep refrigerated.
Awesome ! My husband gave these a 10. I will be making more tomorrow 🙂
I just made two batches. The first one just as written except all I had was the sweetened coconut flakes so I left out the stevia. The second batch I played with a little. My favorite cookie has always been the oatmeal chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies and these reminded me of them in the second batch I added 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 cup oats and a little stevia. I probably should have left out the stevia because they were a little too sweet with the sweetened coconut. Next time I may just substitute the coconut with 2 cups of oats since I am not fond of the texture of coconut. Both batches were delish. It’s a great recipe on its own and allows for lots of creativity.
What is the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter? Thank you.
this is wonderful!