Chocolate Coconut
{Boozy} Candy Bars
Overview
Hi, my name is Jackie and I have a confession. I really like candy bars.
Like really, really, really like them. I like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I made this peanut butter and chocolate fudge as a slight homage to them (they are in no way shape or form a replacement, but I love peanut butter and chocolate and these can fulfill that peanut butter chocolate craving). I also like Butterfingers and Baby Ruth bars. Now, let us talk about those Mounds bars. Growing up, for some reason I seem to remember my house always had Mounds and Almond Joys, maybe it was only around Halloween, or maybe not, whatever the case…The dark chocolate mixed with the coconut…I mean…it’s SO good.
But you know just as well as I do that the store bought candy bars are not very good for you. They have a bunch of ingredients that you usually can’t pronounce and are filled with refined sugars. Listen, I am ALL about balance (see my sweets section and juice and smoothies section as a reference), so once in a while, ok fine. But what if I was to mimic the flavors of a candy bar SO good that I wouldn’t need to buy it again?!?! Well, Mars (the brand, not the planet), I may start seeing other candies.
Which brings me to this recipe. A little while back, my friends over at Bom Bom sent me a bottle of the new Coco Mochanut flavor of their Caribbean style rum liqueur. I had a sip and immediately thought of the Mounds bar and Almond joys from my childhood. And while I cannot wait to play around more and make some tasty cocktails with it, I wanted to take a stab at using it in a homemade candy bar. The result was a sweet, but not overly sweet, coco-nutty, chocolatey chilled candy bar that is sure to please you chocolate coconut lovers out there.
Makes 14-18 bars
Hi, I’m Jackie, Founder of Jackie Cooks and Drinks, and a BIG believer that cooking, creating and entertaining should be FUN.
Ingredients
shopping list
For the bars
- 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil
- 4.5 tablespoons of almond flour
- 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
- 1.5 ounces of Bom Bom Coco Mochanut
For the Chocolate Coating
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil
- 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips (for a vegan option, use vegan chocolate chips)
**note you will have a lot of chocolate coating leftover!**
method
Coconut candy bar texture
Warm the coconut oil to put it into liquid state. You can fill a bowl with hot water, place your coconut oil in a pyrex or another heat resistant measuring cup and bring it to liquid state that way. Next, using a large bowl combine the shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, and Bom Bom Coco Mochanut liqueur. The mixture will be very wet and sticky. Next, add the almond flour, a tablespoon at a time. By the 4th tablespoon, the mixture should look less wet, but still a little goopey. Don’t worry!
Coconut Candy Bars pre-chocolate in log shapes
Next, it’s time to get dirty. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your hands, roll a cookie scoop (a little less than a tablespoon) sized ball of the candy mixture in between your hands and shape it into a log. Place each log onto the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. I left mine in for an hour, because…kids. Now it’s time to make the chocolate coating. Warm a sauce pan filled half way with water over medium low heat. Place a heat resistant bowl over the top of the sauce pan, and add your 1/4 cup of coconut oil. When it starts to melt, add your chocolate chips and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Chocolate Covered Coconut Candy Bars with Bom Bom Mocha Coconut
Remove your candy bars from the freezer and they should be HARD. This is good. Using tongs, place each candy bar, one at a time, into the silky smooth chocolate mixture and place the now chocolate coated candy bars back onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place back into the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
Remove from the freezer and take two out. Eat those.
Put the rest in an air tight container to store in the fridge or the freezer. Believe me, you’ll want to eat them immediately. So go on now, #shakeyourbombom
*** This may be a duh statement: but the alcohol is NOT cooked out in this recipe, so keep these candies for the 21+ crowd please and thank you.***