Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Bars

What are superfoods?

Superfoods are foods jam-packed with nutrients and can help provide your body with the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive, survive and feel great.  

• Berries, avocados, dark leafy greens, Quinoa, Oatmeal, Broccoli, ch-ch-ch-chia seeds, eggs, nuts, ginger, dark chocolate, beets (I knew it), pumpkin, coconuts, and the list goes on…

Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Bars supply a megadose of nut nutrients.

I have wanted to create a healthy snack bar that would satisfy my daily chocolate fix as well as a post-workout protein snack.  If you’re a nut freak like me, you should love these tasty little bites.  They are super simple to make.

Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. Lining with plastic wrap will make the bars easy to remove from pan.   Set aside.  Coarsely chop nuts.  Any variation of nuts can be used.  This recipe uses raw almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and pecans.  Feel free to mix it up with your favorite nut.  

Toss all of the nuts, coconut, and cacao nibs in a bowl.  Place peanut butter, maple syrup, cacao powder, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and sea salt in a small saucepan.  Warm over medium heat and bring to a low simmer.  Whisk ingredients together and cook until mixture begins to thicken. 

Remove from heat and pour over the nut mixture.  Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly coated.  Spoon into prepared pan.

Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press firmly.  Use the bottom of a cup or glass to tamp the mixture down firmly.  Refrigerate or freeze while making the chocolate topping.

Chocolate Topping:

In a small saucepan add ingredients for chocolate topping.  Melt over low heat and whisk until creamy.  For vegan bars:  vegan chocolate or chocolate chips must be used.  

Drizzle the chocolate mixture over chilled nut mixture and spread evenly over nut mixture.  Sprinkle with coconut and return to the refrigerator until set.

Once the chocolate has hardened, remove nut mixture using the plastic wrap to lift from pan.  Peel off plastic wrap.  Using a sharp knife, cut into 1 x 1.5-inch bars.  Bars cut best when partially frozen.  You can make them larger, of course.  Place cut bars in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to eat.  Store in the refrigerator.  

That’s it!  Pretty simple, healthy, and nutty!

Add more superfoods to your diet this year.  Superfoods, Super you!

4.6 from 5 votes

Print

Coconut and Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Bars

Healthy snack bar loaded snack bar filled with a lot of nuts, chocolate, and coconut.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Coconut and chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes

freeze time 20 minutes

Servings 27 bars

Calories 190 kcal

Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almonds crushed
• 1/2 cup cashews crushed
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts crushed
• 1/2 cup pecans crushed
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2/3 cup fresh ground peanut or almond butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoons sea salt depending if nut butter is salted or not

Chocolate topping

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground peanut or almond butter
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs

Instructions

1. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with plastic wrap.  Set aside.  In a large bowl combine, nuts, coconut flakes, and cacao nibs.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.  In a small saucepan add maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, and sea salt.  Bring to a slow boil over medium heat.  Whisk until smooth and continue to cook for an additional minute or two until mixture is creamy and starting to thicken.  Pour hot mixture over nut mixture and stir to combine.  Press firmly into the prepared 8 x 8-inch pan.  Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and tamp down more using the bottom of a drinking glass.  Place in refrigerator until cooled and set.

Chocolate topping

1. In a small saucepan over low heat melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Stir until creamy and smooth.  Spread over the top of the nut bar mixture.  Smooth top and sprinkle with coconut and cacao nibs.  Return to refrigerator until firmly set then cut into bite size bars.  I like to cut them 1 x 1 1/2-inches.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.  I like them frozen, personally.

Recipe Notes

• In order for bars to be vegan, vegan chocolate or chocolate chips must be used.  
• Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips may be used in place of chopped semi-sweet chocolate. 
• Any variation of nuts may be used. 
• Lining the pan with plastic wrap makes it incredibly easy to remove the nut bars from the pan.  Just lift the edges of the plastic wrap and the entire batch will lift right out of the pan.  Remove plastic wrap before cutting.
• Bars cut best when partially frozen using a sharp knife.

Nutrition Facts

Coconut and Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Bars

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 190 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 5g 25%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 26mg 1%

Potassium 182mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 7g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 0.1%

Vitamin C 0.2%

Calcium 4.8%

Iron 6.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More superfood recipes to add to your new year:

Avocado Smoothie Bowl with Pomegranate and Cocoa Nibs

Cherry Berry Pitaya Bowl

Update notes:  This recipe was originally posted in 2017, but was published again in 2019 with a printable recipe card and nutritional information.