Gluten Free Clean Eating Candy Bars Recipe
Updated Jun 13, 2018, Published Apr 08, 2013
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Our commitment to cleaner eating continues. When you start paying attention to what you eat it can be a little shocking. For instance, I keep a little bowl filled with mini candy bars for my father, he is 89 years old and enjoys them so, what the heck, I always have them for him. What I did not realize is that I had been habitually, obliviously popping 2 or 3 into my mouth every day.
I seriously hate unconscious eating. If I am going to eat a candy bar then I want to enjoy a candy bar!
Traditional candy bars don’t quite go with our new clean eating plan but cravings do! I have been craving thick, fatty cuts of beef, whipped potatoes drenched in melted butter, salty sausages, sugar, and chocolate.
Most of the stuff I have been craving I shouldn’t have but hey, chocolate is not too bad, right? Especially dark chocolate – in fact it is even good for you!
So I made us some “candy bars” free of refined sugar, dairy, nuts (thanks to seeds and Sunbutter), and of course gluten – Clean Bars if you will. They may not be the same as eating a Snickers Bar but they go a long way towards quelling that chocolate craving and keeping us on track.
Conscious eating is so much more rewarding than the unconscious type, don’t you agree?
Gluten Free Clean Eating Candy Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds, with or without salt
- 1½ cups pitted Medjool dates, chopped
- ½ cup Organic Unsweetened Sunbutter
- ¼ cup honey, for vegan use agave or maple syrup
- 2/3 cup coconut flour
- ½ unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons organic, non-hydrogenated all vegetable shortening or coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a 12 by 9 inch lasagna or baking dish with a piece of parchment paper large enough to overhang the edges.
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor and pulse in long pulses until ground. Add the dates, Sunbutter, honey, coconut flour, and coconut flakes and process until the mixture forms a dough. Press firmly and evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, 5 hours or overnight.
- Combine the chocolate and shortening in a heat proof bowl and microwave until the chocolate is almost completely melted, 2- 3 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour over the firmed dough and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 1 hour.
- Remove the mixture from the pan using the parchment to help you. Cut into 16 rectangles, 2 by 1½ inches. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Carol – these candy bars sound scrumptious! Homemade is always better…yum!
Thanks Ina!
Yum Carol! I love a clean-eating chocolate bar. I’m going to test these out on my kiddies and send the recipe to my Mom. She and my Dad will love it!
Thanks Maggie. That is so great that your Mom & Dad would love these. As yummy as these are I can’t imagine my Snickers Bar eating 89 year old Dad ever saying he “loves them” :) oh well!
These look amazing and I’m 100% (okay, 90%, it’s that red wine thing) into clean eating. What a beautiful photo. I’ve been stuck at home with this Colorado, spring snowstorm and I know just what I’m going to be doing today. I have all these ingredients. Thank you for the inspiration!!
Melissa
xo
Hi Melissa! A little red wine never hurt anyone! Hope the snow storm passes and in the meantime, enjoy being all cozy inside.
xo,
C
Yummy! I will definitely be making these!
Oh shoot! I should have saved some for you. These are right up your alley!
This is a great recipe! My husband loves milk chocolate and I will try substituting it with milk chocolate! Thanks for the recipe :)
My pleasure, enjoy!
I made these today – OMG they are DIVINE!!! A big thumbs up from my Hubby too!!! Thank you! x
YAY! I am so happy you both liked them.
Do you have the weight measurement for the chocolate, I can only get dark chocolate in the form of a bar making it hard to place in a cup. I stated to use weight for baking and it is more accurate and easier to divide or multiply the recipe.
It will be about 9 ounces. Enjoy!
I cannot find coconut flour. Can I subsitute a Gluten free all purpose baking mix? I have that at home. Thanks!
Unfortunately Lauren coconut flour is unlike any other flour, the ratio of liquid to flour is way off…you can purchase coconut flour online on Amazon if it’s not available in your area. If not you may want to choose another recipe…
xo,
Carol
I don’t think I can get the sunbutter in my country, can I use organic smooth peanut butter instead or is it the wrong consistency? Never used sunbutter before so I have no idea what it is like! Thanks!
Hi Beth, Yea that’s perfectly fine! xo, Carol
do you have the estimated nutrition information for these bars?
Hello, I don’t unfortunately. In a lot of my recipes I have optional substitutions for dairy or sugar etc, so I don’t give nutritional information just in case a substitution is made, because then it would be inaccurate. Sorry!
You can always google it and find calculators that specifically do that.
xo,
Carol