This post was created in partnership with Nuts.com
Wow, am I excited to finally be sharing these bars here today! They are sort of like a much healthier, more colorful and plant-based version of Twix bars, they’re also no-bake and easy to make at home. The recipe was born out of a collaboration with Nuts.com, our favorite online bulk foods supplier that carries pretty much every magical whole food ingredient, from nuts to dried fruit, spices to superfood powders and snacks. They sent me a mystery ‘Pantry in a Box,’ and I had the fun challenge of coming up with a recipe using the ingredients in the box. The stand-outs were plump pumpkin seeds, the freshest coconut flour, electric pink beet powder, and flaky sea salt. It took me a while to simmer on the recipe. First, I wanted to go savory and tested out a few dishes in that direction, but I ended up arriving at these bars, and I’m so glad I did.
The bottom, ‘shortbread’ layer is made with coconut flour and colored pink with beet powder, which is totally optional, but contributes to the bars’ stunning appearance (and nutrition!). No baking required there. The green ‘caramel’ layer is made with sweetened, homemade pumpkinseed butter, but you can pretty much use any nut or seed butter in its place. Everything is covered with chocolate and generously sprinkled with flaky salt. So good! The recipe looks long because I give directions for making your own seed butter and chocolate coating, but those two can easily be store-bought for a quicker prep time. We made a step-by-step video to show the fun of the process, too :)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- small pinch of sea salt (optional)
- 2 teaspoons beet powder (optional, you can also use any colorful berry powder)
- ½ cup coconut butter/manna (not oil)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1½ cups pumpkin seed butter (recipe follows) or any nut/seed butter of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons bee pollen (optional)
- 100 g (about 1 cup) shredded raw cacao butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- ¼ cup mesquite powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons maca powder (optional)
- flaky sea salt - for sprinkling (optional)
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoons neutral coconut oil, melted
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons moringa or matcha powder - for color, (optional)
- about ¼ cup olive oil
- Line an 8 x 8-inch rimmed pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Combine the coconut flour, salt and beet powder, if using, in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the coconut butter with the maple syrup in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring until mixed thoroughly.
- Add the coconut butter mixture to the bowl with the coconut flour and mix until combined, using your hands towards the end. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press against the bottom into an even layer. Set aside while making the caramel layer.
- Combine the pumpkinseed butter with the maple syrup in a small saucepan and warm it over low heat, stirring, until thoroughly mixed. If your butter is quite soft and creamy, you can mix in the maple syrup without heating it up.
- Evenly spread the pumpkinseed butter mixture over the cookie layer. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and bee pollen, if using, slightly pressing them into the caramel.
- Place the pan into the freezer until firm to the touch, for about 2 hours.
- Gently melt the cacao butter in a medium heatproof bowl on a double boiler. Whisk in the maple syrup, sift in all the powders, if using, and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Allternatively, melt about 1½ cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl on a double boiler. Add 1 tablespoon neutral coconut oil and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Remove the pan from the freezer. Pull the bar cookie out of the pan onto a cutting board by the sides of the parchment paper. Slice in half lengthwise and crosswise and continue slicing each piece in half until you have 16 slim bars.
- Working with one bar at a time, dip them into the melted chocolate using two forks. Turn to coat evenly, remove from the coating and gently shake over the bowl to let most of the chocolate excess drip back into the bowl. Place the coated bars on a drying rack over a piece of parchment paper. Optionally, drizzle with more chocolate and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Transfer the coated bars into the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate is set. From here, you can enjoy them right away or store in an airtight container in the freezer. Remove 5 minutes prior to enjoying.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.
- Combine the pumpkin seeds with the oil and salt and toss to coat. Toast for 7 minutes, until slightly golden.
- Transfer the pumpkin seeds into a food processor, add the moringa/matcha powder, if using, and grind into a fine meal.
- With the motor still running, add the olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a smooth, slightly runny butter forms. Stop the processor and scrape the sides periodically during the process. Keep refrigerated in an airtight glass container.
…these look…just…I don’t know…out of this world!!! I’m out of words to explain how mouthwatering your gorgeous recipe looks like😍!! I WILL make these soon! Congratulations for your beautiful and inspiring blog and thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Mel <3
I love Nuts.com! Don’t know what I’d do without them. They are my go-to supplier for gluten-free nuts, seeds, and flours. I love to see what others do with the things they order from Nuts.com. This recipe is beautiful! And I can eat everything in it! I can’t wait to make it after I order some of the things I don’t have in my pantry. Love your site and your book. Delicious AND Beautiful! Feeds my body and my soul.
Hi Marie,
Thank you so much! Nuts.com is the best, don’t know what I would do without them either :)
Oh, wow! I love pumpkin seeds but didn’t realize you could make them into seed butter! I need to try this…
Hi Stephanie,
Yes! They make really unique, delicious butter :)
These look amazing! I love making homemade healthy chocolate bars, and your colourful version will be the next one I try :)
Hi Christine,
Awesome! Hope you enjoy them :)
Wow! these look amazing. I am gonna try today. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe.
Thank you :) Hope you enjoy them!
These bars look so delicious. A must try
Recette vegan avec du pollen? étrange?! Je lis souvent ça sur les recettes vegan…
Hi Karen,
You’ll notice in the recipe that the bee pollen is totally optional. Just leave it out for a vegan option :)
many thanks
wow! you are so creative when it comes to recipes. i love this and its out of this world
thank you for the recipe, i wanna make this in our next family picnic
yeah! just made these on 4th of july :) i swapped olive oil for coconut for the pumpkin seed butter and used sprouted pumpkin seeds (already salted) from go raw.
but still they turned out super yummy. thanks!!!
That’s so great to hear! Thanks so much for reporting back :)
Do you know what the caloric intake and carbohydrate intake would be for one bar?
Hi Polly,
No, I don’t. Perhaps one of those calorie calculating apps could help you figure it out?
I love this recipe. I would like to try to make this for a small party. Do you think the bars will still be good if it is left out at room temperature for a few hours?
Hi Joy,
Thank you so much! They might be ok for a little bit if the room temperature is on the cooler side, but to be safe, I would recommend only bringing them out of the fridge/freezer when it’s time for dessert. Hope you enjoy them :)
How innovative! Not sure if I can pull it off, but it’s worth a try.