With Valentine’s Day coming soon, I wanted to create something to fit the occasion and so these Coconut and Raspberry Bars have been born today. I got quite creative with this recipe and I’m very happy how they turned out.
It’s actually a very simple recipe, yet effective and pure bliss. They are very coconut rich, nut-free, dairy-free and oh so nice:)
The bottom layer has a mix of creamed coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup and desiccated coconut which makes a nice solid texture once set. I’ve used creamed coconut from Biona, which is the same thing as coconut butter, but much better value.
The top layer has raspberries mixed into the first layer to create a contrasting colour and flavour. The raspberries give it a nice sharp and zesty taste, but not too overpowering. Finally, it’s all topped with dark chocolate and rose petals, just perfect for Valentine’s Day:) Enjoy with the beautiful people you love!
Coconut and Raspberry Bars (grain-free & vegan)
Ingredients
- 200g bar creamed coconut/coconut butter (1 cup)
- 4tbsp coconut oil
- 3tbsp maple syrup
- 1tsp vanilla
- pinch of pink Himalayan salt
- 125g desiccated coconut (1 1/4 cup)
- 100g frozen raspberries (1 cup)
- 1tsp lemon juice
- 1tsp maple syrup
- 25g desiccated coconut (1/4 cup)
- 50g dark chocolate
- dried rose petals
Instructions
- Line about 7"square dish with parchment paper.
- Place raspberries into a small pot with 1tsp lemon juice and 1tsp of maple syrup and simmer for about 5 min until soft and mushy. Leave to cool down.
- In a different pot gently melt creamed coconut with coconut oil, stir in 3tbsp maple syrup, 1tsp vanilla and pinch of salt. Place 125g desiccated coconut into a bowl, pour the coconut mixture over and mix well. Spoon 2/3 of a mixture into prepared dish and press down.
- Add raspberry mix to the remaining 1/4 of a mixture together with 25g of desiccated coconut and mix well. Spoon on top of the white layer and smooth down.
- Place into a fridge for about an hour or freezer for about 30 min to set.
- In the mean time gently melt chocolate in a double boiler and leave to cool.
- Once set remove from the fridge and with a sharp knife cut into 16 squares. Drizzle with melted chocolate all over and sprinkle with rose petals.
- Store in a fridge.
- Enjoy!
Wow these look absolutely stunning! I love the intense fuchsia color from the raspberries – perfect for Valentines!
Thank you Michelle! Yes, the raspberries do make it pretty girly and fit for the occasion:) they are such a treat to eat too! x
Mind blowing! Congratulations :)
Hey, thank you!
Do you use unsweetened coconut nut?
Hi, yes, unsweetened coconut. I think it’s called shredded coconut in the US, in the UK it’s desiccated coconut. x
Thanks so much for a treat that doesn’t include sugar. :)
You’re very welcome! I’m really happy you like the recipe:) x
wow! thank you
You’re very welcome! x
This is a real treat for me. It’s vegan and gluten free also. My daughter is a chef too and Loves to bake. This will be a big hit on the 14th. Thank you.
Thank you Linda for a lovely comment! Hope you’ll all enjoy the recipe:) x
Yum! Can’t wait to try it. I’m on a raw cleanse now and with the simmering and melting involved it’s not really raw. But I can’t wait to try it after I’m eating cooked foods again!!
Hi Katy, yes, it’s not technically completely raw, but you can easily just use fresh raspberries in the recipe instead. Let me know how you like it if you try!
hi do we know how many calories roughly are in these please they look amazing xx
Thank you so much Sarah! I’m sorry, but I don’t have the nutritional calculator, so I won’t be able to tell you. But I don’t think you have to worry too much with these :) xx
Love you work girl!! I made this and it was so amazing!!! The only problem I had was it didn’t make enough and so my layers were super thin! Do you recommend to double or add extra of anything? Thanks Hun, Bec :)
Hi Bec, I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed these so much! Yes, you can easily double up the ingredients or just use a smaller dish if you’re making a smaller quantity. Thank you for such lovely comment :)
Can you use coconut cream instead of creamed coconut bar? Thank you :)
Hi Hayley, unfortunately not in this recipe. The creamed coconut/coconut butter makes these solid once set, coconut cream would make them too soft.
Yum! I added some sprinkles I made from dehydrated strawberries and raspberries, with wild pink Yukon rose petals, so pretty!
That must look so beautiful!
Hey hanna.. Can these be kept at room temperature, need to gift it
Hi Nimerta, yes, they’ll be fine! Unless it’s really hot!
Can you make creamed coconut bars or coconut butter as I don’t know if we have that here in Australia. I really want to make this
Hi Heather, yes you can make it the same way as making nut butter by blending desiccated coconut until creamy consistency. Once chilled it gets solid.