Home » recipe » Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe

Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe

Jump to Recipe

Last Updated on August 31, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Finding healthier desserts means I can feel better about offering sweets to my family. Try this healthy Coconut Bar recipe today. 

Posts may be sponsored. This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Healthier desserts

Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe

I don’t make a lot of desserts but I do enjoy them sometimes. One of the kids favorite desserts is Magic Cookie Bars. The traditional recipe is very high in fat and not very healthy.  

I found a recipe in The Passionate Vegetable by Suzanne Landry, The Fresh Food Chef, that is very similar to the traditional magic cookie bars.  She has turned this into something I can serve as one of my healthier desserts by making just a few changes to the recipe.

This recipe has eliminated the sweetened condensed milk and replaced the graham cracker crust with a crust made from whole wheat flour and oats that is sweetened with honey. Instead of traditional coconut, unsweetened coconut has been used.

When I was growing up, my Mom always made Magic Cookie Bars. If there was a party or a holiday, you could guarantee that there would be a HUGE platter of Magic Cookie Bars to snack on. As much as I love them, they are definitely NOT a healthy dessert.

Pro tip for making healthier desserts

Healthier desserts tend to be lower in fat and sugar than their traditional counterpart. If baking a cake or making cookies, you can often substitute some or all of the oil with apple juice or pureed pumpkin. If you are looking for low sugar desserts, you can substitute the sugar in most recipes with a stevia baking blend for a lower glycemic index.

Finding healthier desserts means I can feel better about offering sweets to my family. Try this healthy Coconut Bar recipe today. 
<
Also, if you want to avoid greasing your pan to prevent baked goods from sticking, you can use parchment paper instead. This will also help cut down on your recipes’ fat content. I find it much easier to remove desserts from a pan if I use parchment paper, so I rarely use anything else. You can also bake in a silicone pan to prevent sticking. This will work for bread, brownies, cupcakes, and muffins.

There are a lot of healthy fruit dessert recipes out there, but sometimes you just want something different.  I love the taste of chocolate, but too often, the chocolate desserts I find are too high in sugar, fat, and calories for me to justify making them regularly. And, finding low calorie dessert recipes that taste good is a challenge.

Hello Dolly Bars

You may have also seen these bars called Hello Dolly Bars if they have added butterscotch chips. You can change the taste of this recipe by adding a few butterscotch chips instead of the chocolate. Just be aware that butterscotch chips will have a higher sugar content than dark chocolate chips. You can also substitute pecans or almonds for walnuts if you prefer.

You may also like:

Yield: 9

Healthier Desserts: Chocolate Coconut Bars

Finding healthier desserts means I can feel better about offering sweets to my family. Try this healthy Coconut Bar recipe today. 

Finding healthier desserts means I can feel better about offering sweets to my family. Try this healthy Coconut Bar recipe today. 

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quick cooking oats, toasted
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup unbleached wheat flour
  • 3 tbsp organic butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

Topping:

  • 1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp unbleached wheat flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square baking pan with oil or butter.
  2. Mix rolled oats, oat flour, and wheat flour together. Add butter, breaking it up with a fork so mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in maple syrup or honey and mix thoroughly. Press mixture evenly over bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for ten minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, mix topping ingredients together. Spread topping evenly over oatmeal crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes or until cooled before cutting into bars.

Notes

I used honey in my recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2234Total Fat: 130gCarbohydrates: 251gProtein: 50g

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this, tag me on Instagram so I can see @ellenblogs

© Ellen Christian
Cuisine: American / Category: dessert

50 thoughts on “Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe”

  1. Pingback: Cookies, Cookies and More Cookie Recipes - A Sparkle of Genius
  2. Pingback: Happy National Chocolate Chip Day! - Virtually Yours
  3. Pingback: 42 Dessert Bar Recipes - Raining Hot Coupons
  4. Pingback: Cookies, Cookies and More Cookie Recipes

  5. I can remember my Grandmother making Magic Cookie Bars and loving them. In those days I was always outside and always in motion. No longer true except walking the dog, this recipe would be much better that the older one. Darn.

    Reply
  7. Pingback: Our Favorite Quick & Easy Halloween Cookies
  8. Pingback: 40 Delicious Chocolate Recipes

  9. what a great healthier alternative! I love that there’s no sweetened condensed milk (ugh, that stuff is sinful).  Going to have to make these as a special treat for first day of school lunches. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Pingback: Chocolate Raspberry S'mores Recipe + Fisher Nuts Summer Giveaway (US) - Simply Stacie

  13. Love desserts, especially those bad ones, so nice to see a healthier idea to satisfy the chocolate and sweet tooth.

    Reply

  14. Oh yum! I always love it when someone makes a healthier version of an old favorite! 😉 Thanks so much for linking up to the “Making Your Home Sing Monday” linky party today! 🙂

    Reply

  18. Those look delicious!  I love coconut and chocolate.  Something about them together makes it taste gourmet or something 🙂 I would love for you to link this up at Mom’s Library! 

    Reply

  19. Ummmm… Chocolate, coconut and oats. Three of my favorite ingredients. I’m sure it’ll be a hit with my family too. I must pin! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  21. Sounds yummy! I love that it is a lighter version of a classic dessert. I won’t feel to guilty about eating it! 

    Reply

  23. I would totally make this! Dark chocolate and coconut are my favorite ingredients in a dessert. Plus, it looks easy enough for me to make, which is always a plus! Thanks for sharing this recipe Ellen!

    Reply

  24. I’m not a fan of coconut but I bet I could tweak the recipe a bit. It looks too good not to try. When and where is the weekly ingredient post for the link up/challenge? I’d love to join!

    Reply

  28. Now I would be all over these but the hubby does not care for coconut – crazy I know!
    I’m playing tomorrow – I have bananas that just need a bit more ripening. 

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Skip to Recipe