Chocolate Covered Coffee Cream Bars {Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo)
I have always been a sucker for frozen desserts. In my memory, the summers of my youth were spent making daily trips to Piazza with my grandparents and walking around the lake to the market to pick up a pint of sorbet after a couple of goes on the rope swing. Somewhere – if it survived – you will find my earliest recipe, which for years took up prime real estate on the fridge at Camp: ice cream covered in rice krispies and chocolate sauce. One of my first jobs was working as a “fountain girl” at Friendly’s, because what better way to get close to the ice cream? To this day when I visit my Grandmother in Portsmouth she mumbles somethings about not having used the right recipe for ice box pie only to look up and discover I’ve finished nearly half of it (Grammy, I know you read this, would you please send me the “wrong” recipe that you made on our last visit?).
All that said, I find making ice cream terribly daunting. I impulsively bought an ice cream maker last summer, excited to try the 1,279 ice cream recipes I’ve saved on Pinterest. I used it exactly one time before putting it out to pasture (i.e. the sketchy broom closet in the back yard). What do you mean this process involves 26 pounds of salt and some sort of ice bath?! I’m making ice cream here, not reviving an elephant with heat stroke.
On the other hand, despite their gourmet exterior these chocolate covered coffee cream bars are extremely simple to make. Don’t be put off by the layers, each one contains only three ingredients. These are as natural as it gets, and since there’s no cooking required they won’t get your kitchen all hot and bothered right before a dinner party. You know how I promised to wink and nod and somehow tell you when “really, please you must try this!”? This is one of those times. These are definitely one of my favorite desserts I’ve made, evidenced by the fact that I’ve been hoarding the leftovers since Mother’s Day, eating 1/2 bar each night in an effort to make them last forever.
Raw Vegan Chocolate Covered Coffee Cream Bars
Adapted from Eat Good 4 Life
INGREDIENTS:
Crust
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup dates (pitted)
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
Combine all ingredients in a food processor (or powerful blender) and pulse until dough comes together. Press into a 9×9 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Filling
- 1 14oz canned coconut cream
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
Blend ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Use a spatula to spread evenly over the crust. Freeze while you prepare the topping.
Topping
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 3 tbsp high quality cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Combine ingredients and spread evenly over crust. Freeze bars until firm. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving (depending on whether you prefer them a little icy still). Devour, while trying desperately to save some for another day. If you manage, store covered in the freezer.
Serves 12
2 Comments Hide Comments
Add Your Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
[…] Chocolate Covered Coffee Cream Bars […]
[…] (And if you think these look awesome, you should also try my coffee version!) […]