Almond Butter Chocolate Strawberry Bars

by Lisa on June 26, 2012

almond_butter_bars

One of the things that Jeromy and I love about our new house is the neighborhood.  Not just the area but our neighbors. There are so many other young {can I still call us young?} families and we have truly enjoyed getting to know all of them.  We end up having dinner with our neighbors almost once a week.  Sometimes, like this past weekend, we have dinner with our neighbors three nights in a row.  Like I said, we love our neighbors.

For one of our neighborhood cookouts I made tabbouleh and I wanted to bring a dessert.  Given that it was rather hot, I didn’t want to turn on the oven, so I looked for a no bake option.  After I asked Twitter, Cassie suggested this recipe.  Naturally, I had to put my own spin on it!

 

Almond Butter, Chocolate and Strawberry Bars

by The Splattered Apron

Prep Time: 15 minutes {60 minutes inactive

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: raw dessert almond butter oats chocolate bar

Ingredients (1 9×13 pan)

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cups almond butter {I used creamy, but if you prefer crunchy, go for it}
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 bag chocolate chips
  • 1/2-3/4 cup dried strawberries, chopped
  • 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

Put the almond butter and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to one minute, until the butters are melted. Stir them together to combine well.

Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir to combine.

Add in the oats and stir until the mixture forms into a dough. It should pull away from the sides.

Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper {I did not use the parchment paper. Trust me when I tell you it’s a good idea.}

Spread the almond butter mixture in the baking dish and press evenly.

Put the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir, then continue to microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Stir until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cook slightly.

Once slightly cooled, stir in the chopped dried strawberries.

Remove the baking dish from the freezer and pour the chocolate and strawberries onto the almond butter layer. Spread evenly, then sprinkle the coconut flakes on top. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Using the parchment paper, remove the whole bar from the baking dish. Carefully slice into 1 inch squares. Store in the refrigerator

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Let me assure you, what these bars lack in looks, they make up in taste.

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Trust me on the parchment paper.  You don’t want your bars to look like mine!

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After one bite, you won’t care what they look like.  Your biggest concern will be how to keep all of the bars for yourself.

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These are very rich—a small piece goes a long way.  Especially if you eat several small pieces just to make sure they’re okay.

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Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by Bake Your Day.

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

Kierston June 26, 2012 at 9:14 am

Holy Yuuummmm!
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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:46 am

Yes. Exactly.

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sarah k @ the pajama chef June 26, 2012 at 10:09 am

i love the sound of these bars! great idea. i don’t think i’ve ever had dried strawberries… intriguing!
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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:45 am

I found them at Trader Joe’s–they’re delicious! Sweet and chewy.

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Amanda Perry @ Sistas of Strength June 26, 2012 at 11:02 am

YUM!

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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:57 pm

Indeed, they were! I’m thinking I need to make more ASAP.

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Angela @ Happy Fit Mama June 26, 2012 at 2:25 pm

Can I move into your neighborhood? I’d gladly eat one of these!

Pinned!
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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:57 pm

Haha, sure! Hope you enjoy them :-)

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Charissa June 26, 2012 at 6:07 pm

Oh my. Think I need to bookmark or PIN this one! Amazing.
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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:56 pm

Yaay! Hope you love the recipe :-)

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Tina @ Best Body Fitness June 26, 2012 at 8:11 pm

Oh my gosh those look to die for good. And I wish we lived in a “younger” neighborhood. I would love some families to hang out with actually in our neighborhood.
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Lisa June 26, 2012 at 10:56 pm

Thanks, Tina! It is pretty awesome, we were talking this weekend about how much we love that our kids will all grow up together. We really got lucky when we found this house.

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Emilia June 29, 2012 at 6:52 pm

Wow, these look delicious and absolutely PERFECT for this heat. I seriously can’t wait to make them. A reason to get dried strawberries, thank you :)
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Adrianne July 2, 2012 at 8:27 am

OK, I’m not quite sure these would make it to the cutting into bar stage at my house. If I had a food list of things to take with me to a desert island, all these ingredients would make my list. I have to give these a try this weekend. Thank you!!
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Lisa July 2, 2012 at 9:05 pm

Awesome, I hope you enjoy them!

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thehealthyapron October 23, 2012 at 4:53 pm

yuuum! I just made pumpkin/almond butter “cookies” today and they were fantastic. Need to perfect the recipe before I blog about it but I love using almond butter in desserts!
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