Almond EnJOY Bars

This recipe is a play on an Almond Joy or Mounds Bar. I named them enJOY bars because of Just Enjoy Food. These are a frozen version of the classic candy bar and my take on them is healthy and refined sugar free. Growing up I never really liked coconut or Almond Joy bars, but as I have gotten older I have grown to love coconut. So if you don’t really like coconut anything right now, keep on trying it! It will grow on you and then you will be able to really start enjoying all sorts of delicious recipes with coconut. You will also get to experience the amazing health benefits that come along with a diet of eating coconut products.

Here are a few benefits of coconut and coconut oil:

1. Coconut Oil is heat stable and can be used to cook at a high temperatures without denaturing the oil
2. Coconut is high in fiber
3. It is a medium chain fatty acid that when metabolized has no negative affect on your blood lipid (cholesterol) levels. It can actually help to lower cholesterol and triglycerides and increase HDL levels.
4. Coconut Oil contains Lauric Acid, which has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. It can be amazing to apply on the skin and hair for external issues. But it can also help aid in internal pathogen issues
5. Coconut oil can aid in weight loss and can increase metabolism. It’s converted quickly into energy and can help your body lose weight. Like I’ve said before… good fat’s don’t make you fat. It’s the bad fats that cause you to hold onto them and store them.

Uses for Coconut Oil:

1. It can be used as a deep conditioner for hair. Apply 2-4 Tbs of coconut oil to hair and let it sit for 30 minutes. Wash hair and style as usual. It can also be massaged into the scalp on a daily basis at night to help dandruff
2. It is able to be used as an amazing skin moisturizer. You can use this instead of lotion and in my opinion, it works better. If you don’t like the smell of coconut oil, you can get refined coconut oil for your skin. It will still give you the benefits, but without the smell. Don’t use the refined coconut oil internally because you won’t be getting any of the benefits. Your coconut oil should smell like coconut if you are going to take it internally!
3. This is the only oil I cook with on the stovetop. If you don’t like coconut, just use a little bit at a time. Use it in stir fries or dishes with a lot of other spices to disguise the flavor. Sooner or later you will get used to it and not even notice the flavor. The food I most noticed the flavor was in eggs. So, don’t start there. Not I can’t even taste coconut when I make eggs
4. Take 2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil per day for maximum benefits. Can be added to smoothies, roasted or steamed vegetables, eaten on hard boiled eggs, or (if you are daring) eat it on a spoon by itself

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsweetened organic shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

3 Tablespoons honey **

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup 85% dark chocolate or unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon stevia (powdered in a coffee grinder)

 

** for a sugar free bar, increase coconut oil by 3 Tbs and add 2 teaspoons Stevita stevia

Directions

• Combine the shredded coconut, coconut oil and honey and combine. Mix in almond extract and vanilla extract
• Take a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to measure out the amount of coconut mixture. Shape the coconut into an even sized squares and place on the parchment paper
• Put the coconut squares in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to firm up and in the meantime melt the chocolate
• In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and add the stevia and take off the heat. Let the chocolate sit for 10minutes to cool down
• Remove the coconut squares from the freezer and pick them up one at a time with a tongs and dip them completely in the melted chocolate
• Put the squares back on the cookie sheet and top with a raw almond
• Put the bars back in the freezer to set up
• Keep frozen or refrigerated until it’s time to serve the bars. I keep them in the freezer all of the time and grab one as a treat as I want one