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This easy Homemade Almond Joy Bar recipe have all the chocolate and coconut goodness of your favorite candy–no bake and ready in no time. Perfect for parties, a treat at home or for that special someone to share! Easily made with condensed milk or without for a vegan variation.
Homemade Almond Joy Bars–Can’t Beat Them!
Homemade candy is the best, oh wait, candy sent with love, homemade or not is the best.
Coconut filled chocolates are my favorite–the only candy I loved in the Valentine’s Day chocolate boxes from Dad each year. (Well that and Buckeyes!)
Why you will love these:
- They can be easily made vegan.
- No baking required.
- They are freezer friendly.
- More delicious than store bought!
Ingredients:
For the regular version you will need the following:
- coconut: for the best results you will want unsweetened shredded coconut.
- condensed milk: The full fat version will have the most flavor. You can use a fat free version if desired. The almond joy bars will still form well.
- vanilla: vanilla extract versus imitation will have a richer flavor. But both will work fine!
To make these almond joy bars without condensed milk:
- coconut
- maple syrup: your favorite liquid sweetener should work. We prefer the flavor of the maple syrup.
- coconut oil: this is what will help hold the coconut together for the vegan version. It will become more solidified when refrigerated.
- vanilla
For the chocolate coating:
- dark chocolate chips: Semi-sweet will work fine as well. For dairy free or vegan variation, make sure your chocolate chips are vegan and dairy free as well!
- coconut oil: you can use another kind of oil such as canola. This makes the chocolate coating a bit thinner and easier to work with when coating the coconut pieces.
- almonds: optional of course, but technically a mounds bar if you don’t add the almonds, right?
How to make the best homemade almond joy bars:
For the regular version, it’s as easy as stirring up the coconut, condensed milk and vanilla. Form the mixture into small balls or oblong shapes. If this mixture is hard to mold into shapes, freeze it for 10-20 minutes.
Then freeze for about 10-20 minutes before coating.
For the vegan almond joy bars without condensed milk, add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse to form the coconut mixture. As with the condensed milk version, form into the oblong bars and freeze.
Once the coconut pieces have set in the freezer, melt the chocolate and oil. Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments and stir in between. You can also use a double boiler method if preferred.
When melted, dip each coconut piece into the chocolate and coat evenly.
Add an almond on top and allow them to set on parchment. Add a chocolate drizzle to make your bars extra gorgeous!
Expert Tips:
- Do not over heat the chocolate chips when melting. If you cook it too long, it will become dry and very hard to work with. Instead, when almost all of the chocolate chips are melted, just keep stirring instead of heating further. This will melt the rest.
- I have recently seen vegan coconut milk condensed milk on the market. I have not tested them out, but they have really great reviews. Will give these homemade almond joy bars with this soon!
- The original Almond Joy bars have the almond coated in the chocolate as well. I find the almond on top has a better look and prefer it there. If you want the almond coated in chocolate as well, you can press the almond into the coconut pieces when you form them.
- Shape the bars into balls for more of a truffle shape if desired.
Other no bake recipes to try:
- Peanut Butter Truffles
- No Bake Samoa Bars
- No Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- 4 Ingredient Amaretto Truffles
- Golden Oreo Truffles
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Homemade Almond Joy Bars
Ingredients
For the Center (Regular Version):
- 2 ½ c shredded coconut, unsweetened
- â…” c sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Center (Vegan Version)
- 2 ½ cups shredded coconut
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 -4 T maple syrup (If you use sweetened coconut, skip this!), depending on desired sweetness
- 3 T coconut oil, melted
For the Coating
- 1 1/2 c dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk will work too, dairy free for vegan.)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- approx. 18 whole almonds
Instructions
For Regular Version:
- Combine coconut, vanilla and condensed milk in a medium bowl and stir well to combine. If the mixture seems dry, you can add another tablespoon of condensed milk if desired. (You can freeze for about 10-20 minutes for ease of rolling into balls.)
- Roll into tight balls or logs and place on parchment. Freeze once again for about 10-20 minutes.
For Vegan Version:
- Combine coconut, coconut oil, maple, and vanilla in food processor for about 30-45 seconds.
- Form small oblong balls with the mixture and place on parchment paper lined plate.
- Freeze for 10-15 minutes to set.
Chocolate Coating (Both Versions):
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil and mix well together.
- Once coconut pieces have set, dip and coat with chocolate and place back on parchment paper. Press one almond into the top of each piece.
- Refrigerate to set and enjoy!
Notes
- Do not over heat the chocolate chips when melting. If you cook it too long, it will become dry and very hard to work with. Instead, when almost all of the chocolate chips are melted, just keep stirring instead of heating further. This will melt the rest.
- I have recently seen vegan coconut milk condensed milk on the market. I have not tested them out, but they have really great reviews. Will give these homemade almond joy bars with this soon!
- The original Almond Joy bars have the almond coated in the chocolate as well. I find the almond on top has a better look and prefer it there. If you want the almond coated in chocolate as well, you can press the almond into the coconut pieces when you form them.
- Shape the bars into balls for more of a truffle shape if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are delicious!! Couple of notes incase someone needs it: I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut so I used sweetened and left out the maple syrup – still perfectly sweet! But my coconut, probably bc it’s sweetened, was pretty moist. So once I added the oil and vanilla and ran it through the food processor, it was really wet, and wouldn’t hold together. I would mold it and it was just falling apart in my hand. I had coconut flour on hand, and coconut flour will naturally absorb moisture, so I added 1.5 Tbsp of coconut flour and mixed by hand and then it kept it’s shape. I don’t think the coconut flour changed the flavor or texture. I also used refined oil with the chocolate to keep the chocolate flavor pure. Great recipe!! Thanks!
Thanks for the info Tricia! Very helpful. So I will add to the recipe notes if using sweetened coconut to just skip the coconut oil maybe??
I just tried this recipe, the coconut filling was delicious but the chocolate was not >_<
Hi Alli! You can also use refined coconut oil as it has less of a flavor. If not, melt dark chocolate chips to coat. The chocolate is one of the best parts so no one wants that to ruin it!
Hi, really like this recipe, but I was wondering did you use un-sweetened coconut?
Hi Dawn! I used unsweetened coconut. Great question!