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Gooey Coconut Chocolate Bars (gluten, egg, and nut free with dairy free/vegan options)

Sabrina
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert, Snack

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup gluten-free flour I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour
  • ¾ cup shredded coconut flakes
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tbsps unsalted butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel:

  • coconut cream (scooped off the top of a chilled can of full fat coconut milk)
  • ⅓ cup coconut water (left from the coconut milk can)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½-¾ tsp (sea) salt depending on how salty you like your caramel
  • 2 tbsps unsalted butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Layer:

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free if needed
  • 1 ½ tsps coconut oil

Instructions
 

For the Crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 C).  Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish with butter/oil or line with parchment paper.  Mix the powdered sugar, coconut, coconut flour, GF flour, and salt together.  In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter/coconut oil.  Add the vanilla and the dry ingredient mixture, and mix until a slightly crumbly dough forms.  Press the dough into the prepared baking pan to create a flat even layer.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

For the Caramel:

  • In a small saucepan, bring the coconut cream, coconut water, sugar, and salt to a boil for 8 minutes, stirring often (doesn't have to be constant).  Add the butter/coconut oil and boil for 2 more minutes.  It should be at least a tiny bit thicker. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.  Mix very well then pour over the crust (it doesn’t have to be cooled).  Let the crust+caramel cool till only slightly warm then place in the fridge for at least an hour. 

For the Chocolate Layer:

  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time, mixing well in between each one (be careful! I have burnt a TON of chocolate in my life).  Pour the melted chocolate all over the cooled caramel and carefully smooth it out using a spatula.  Let the chocolate set or place the bars back in the fridge (for about 30-60 minutes) if you want the caramel to be a little less runny.  Slice into bars, serve, and enjoy! Warning, these bars can get very messy!