These Homemade Vegan Almond Joys have a creamy center made with shredded coconut, coconut cream and sweetened lightly with date syrup, coated in smooth dark chocolate that will have you jumping for JOY. Gluten-Free, Paleo, No Bake.
Ahhh September...the beginnings of an indulgent season. From football tailgates to the lineup of holidays, the food is plentiful and the indulgence is unstinted. In the midst of it all, we still love to have some better-for-you options other than a basic veggie platter (no hate to the veggies tho). So we thought we'd start a series remaking classic candy bars into better-for-you versions, sweetened with medjool dates of course!
First up in the date-able candy series are Homemade Vegan Almond Joys that will have you jumping for JOY😉 These Almond Joys are no bake, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, and refined sugar-free. If you are looking for a quick snack, better-for-you treat, these little bars are full of healthy fats and a great afternoon pick me up or late night sweet!
The creamy filling is made with shredded coconut, coconut cream, almond flour, and solely sweetened with Joolies Medjool Date Syrup. The date syrup does give the filling a more tan color, but the taste, texture, experience is exactly like a classic Almond Joy! Let's take a look at the ingredients in a traditional almond joy:
CORN SYRUP; MILK CHOCOLATE (SUGAR; COCOA BUTTER; CHOCOLATE; MILK; LACTOSE; MILK FAT; NONFAT MILK; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR, EMULSIFIER) ; COCONUT; SUGAR; ALMONDS (ROASTED IN COCOA BUTTER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL) ; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL); WHEY (MILK); COCOA; SALT; NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR ; CHOCOLATE; SOY LECITHIN; HYDROLYZED MILK PROTEIN; SODIUM METABISULFITE, TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS; SULFUR DIOXIDE, TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS; CARAMEL COLOR.
Eeeekk that's quite a list with a lot of weird words😂 Now let's take a look at the ingredients in Joolies' Homemade Almond Joys! (Spoiler alert: there are only 7 and you can easily pronounce them all)!
Ingredients you'll need:
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- Shredded Coconut
- We used unsweetened here, but if you want a sweeter bar go for the sweetened. Flaked also works great. Bob's Red Mill is a great choice.
- Joolies Medjool Date Syrup
- The only natural sweetener needed. Plus, you still maintain all the nutrient and health benefits of a medjool date in the syrup form! Instead of the refined sugar and preservatives in the traditional Almond Joys, we use date syrup for a kick of sweetness without the gross stuff!
- Almond flour
- This helps us achieve the perfect texture while adding a hint more of almond flavor. You can swap for coconut flour, but you might need to add lees since coconut flour is so absorbent.
- Coconut Cream
- To create that creaminess in the filling like a classic almond joy has, adding coconut cream will get us there. Plus it adds even more coconut flavor. We do recommend using full-fat coconut cream.
- Almonds
- Quite possibly the most essential part of an almond joy! We recommend using roasted for the best flavor!
- Dark Chocolate Chips
- The coating that brings it all together. We recommend using a dark chocolate without fillers or artificial sweeteners (it takes longer to melt and isn't great for your body either) like Hu Kitchen, or Enjoy Life Foods
- Coconut Oil
- Adding a little bit of this into our melted chocolate helps keep it from drying out and thins it out to make it easier for dipping! Plus coconut oil has stellar health benefits, one being composed of healthy fatty acids called MCTs which promote brain function.
- Shredded Coconut
