These Dark Chocolate Cherry Coconut Almond Oat Bars are a no-bake, naturally sweetened treat, perfect for summer. The base is made with oats, coconut, almonds, dried cherries, almond butter, and honey! The base gets topped with melted dark chocolate, fresh cherries, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, and sea salt! I love eating these cold, straight out of the fridge for an afternoon snack or healthier dessert!
(This post is sponsored by Sprouts! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)
These are exactly the kind of treat I want during the summertime. I love making healthier no-bake bites and bars to keep on hand during the week, made with oats, nuts, dates, seeds, and nut butter. These are my version of those kind of bites – but made with dried cherries instead of dates, honey, and a layer of dark chocolate studded with fresh CHERRIES! Gotta love cherry season.
The thing I love about these (other than the fact that they’re incredibly delicious), is that they’re completely acceptable for any time of day!
They’re filled with so many wholesome ingredients, that they’re completely breakfast-worthy. They’re not too sweet, which I love, so they could totally be enjoyed with your morning cup of coffee, as an afternoon pick-me-up, and dessert of course!
Sometimes that 3pm chocolate craving hits and you just need a little something, you know?
I couldn’t be more excited about the fact that it’s CHERRY season.
When Sprouts asked me to create a summery recipe using cherries, I was all in. Last year I created this INSANE Cherry Bourbon Vanilla Bean Galette, which is out of this world, and I’ve also made plenty of cherry salads, like this Cherry Kale Salad with Farro, Avocado, and Feta, and these Dark Chocolate Cherry Bourbon Floats. OMG. Needless to say, I looove summer cherries.
I knew I wanted to create something different this year. Something that was perfect for any time of day, and something that was portable to take to parties! Like a 4th of July cookout! And these bars are 100% the answer.
I love keeping these in the fridge (does anyone else like cold chocolate!?) and they’re so satisfying.
All you need for this recipe:
- oats
- flaked coconut
- dried cherries & fresh cherries!
- almonds
- almond butter
- honey
- dark chocolate
- coconut oil
- cinnamon
- flaky sea salt
Most of the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, and this recipe is super substitution friendly. You can sub the dried cherries for dates, milk chocolate for dark chocolate, or almond butter for peanut or cashew butter if that’s more your jam! Or maple syrup for the honey!
As long as you keep the amounts the same, these are totally customizable.
To make the base, all you need is a food processor, oats, coconut, dried cherries, almonds, honey, almond butter, cinnamon, and salt!
I love buying these types of staple, pantry ingredients at Sprouts because they’re super high quality, and so much more affordable than other grocery stores. Things like nuts, nut butter, and dried fruit can get pricy, and I can always count on Sprouts for their amazing selection, constant abundance of sales, and quality!
This base mixture is super delicious on its own, I might add. I was eating this by the spoonful.
All you have to do, is press the mixture into an 8×8 pan, and then top it with all of the delicious things! In this case, melted dark chocolate, the juiciest cherries, coconut flakes, chopped almonds, and a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
I love a no-bake treat. So simple!
Those cherries get me every time.
And! One more thing I forgot: these are amazing chopped into little pieces and/or crumbled over ice cream. Soooo good!
Dark Chocolate Cherry Coconut Almond Oat Bars
These Dark Chocolate Cherry Coconut Almond Oat Bars are a no-bake, naturally sweetened treat, perfect for summer. The base is made with oats, coconut, almonds, dried cherries, almond butter, and honey! The base gets topped with melted dark chocolate, fresh cherries, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, and sea salt! I love eating these cold, straight out of the fridge for an afternoon snack or healthier dessert!
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup Sprouts Organic Almond Butter
- 1/3 cup honey*
For the topping
- 6 ounces Sprouts 72% dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- fresh red cherries, pitted and halved, for decorating
- flaked coconut, for decorating
- chopped raw almonds, for decorating
- flaky sea salt, for decorating
Instructions
To a food processor, add the oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until mixture is fine, almost flour-like. Add the dried cherries, almond butter, and honey, and pulse again until mixture is completely combined, and forms a “dough”. If mixture seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two of honey or almond butter, or a handful of dried cherries. If it seems too wet, add another handful of oats.
Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Firmly press oat mixture into the bottom of the pan into an even layer. Set aside.
Add chopped chocolate to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between each. Be careful not to overheat, or else your chocolate will seize up! Mine took about 1½ minutes. Once chocolate is melted, add the coconut oil and stir until completely melted.
Spread melted chocolate evenly over the oat layer. Decorate with halved cherries, flaked coconut, almonds, and generous pinches of flaky sea salt. Freeze for 20-30 minutes, or until chocolate layer is set.
Using a sharp knife (I like to run mine under hot water first to warm it up!), cut into 12 bars. (Sometimes I like to cut them into even smaller, more bite sized pieces for a grab-and-go treat or smaller snack!)
Bars will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks!
Recipe Notes
*You can sub maple syrup for honey for a vegan option!
Taste delicious, but added double amount of almond butter and honey to get it to stick together. 🙁
I’m sorry about that Amy! Sometimes nut butter can vary in consistency, and honey too, as well as the temperature of the ingredients which could alter the results. I appreciate the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed them!