While I was away last month we had a little family reunion of sorts. My whole dad’s side of the family came over for a day of fishing/hanging out at the shore house.
As usual, we had a huge spread of delicious food – meatballs, lasagna, salads, appetizers, and of course desserts. I always try to contribute a dessert or two, but I tend to stick to more crowd pleasing ones…AKA those including butter, sugar, and all that good stuff.
This time around, though, I wanted to experiment with a bit of a healthier dessert and see how my family liked it.
…I found a winner.
Original recipe can be found here
Seriously – my entire family was obsessing over these coconut bars! Even my dad – who (very lovingly) can be my toughest critic 😉
The bars are easy to make (no baking involved), include just a few ingredients, and most importantly – are ridiculously good.
This recipe also covered all the bases for what I think is key when it comes to making healthy desserts that people will actually WANT to eat.
1) Use real, natural sweeteners – not artificial ones!
Let’s be real – artificial sweetener in baked goods tastes like chemical crap. I’d much rather use local organic honey, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup. YES I know those are still sugar, but I personally think it’s a better choice than artificial (both taste and health wise).
2) Keep it simple.
If a recipe seems like it has a lot of wacky ingredients, it’s probably a red flag. I like sticking to recipes that have as little ingredients as possible, and ones that are recognizable/would make sense to be in a dessert. For example, I just can’t do protein powder in desserts. Things like dark chocolate, whole oats, and bananas? Those I can do.
3) Consider your audience.
On that same note, I knew I wasn’t going to win anyone over with protein flaxseed quinoa black bean brownies. I chose a recipe that was simple, had ingredients most people love, and looked/tasted like a “normal” dessert.
4) Go nutty.
Nut butters and coconut are your best friend when it comes to healthier desserts. They’re delicious and full of natural healthy fats and protein.
5) Take others’ word for it.
Last but not least, the best way to find a healthy dessert that tastes good is through word of mouth. I got the recipe for the Chocolate Covered Coconut Bars from my friend Jenn who swore by them. I also love the recipes on PaleOMG and Oh She Glows, as well as just browsing Pinterest.
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But then of course, there are the times that you’ve just gotta make the real deal (which, to me is most of the time when it comes to dessert!). In those cases, Cake Batter Blondies are always a good idea…
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Do you have a go-to healthy dessert recipe?
I’m wanting to make a healthy dessert for my mom’s birthday since she is trying to lose weight. This one might be a winner - she loves coconut!
I have to say, I’m so jealous that you can say “The Shore House”…
I’m a rice pudding fan, I absolutely love a good rice pudding!
Yum! Those look GREAT! I’m a huge coconut fan so I’m definitely pinning these for later!
YUMMMM! I tried a version of these that used maple syrup instead of honey and less coconut oil- but they didn’t stay together well or look as good as yours! (oh and there was no chocolate, which is obviously a problem… ha!) I think I need to try this recipe instead!
When I first made it, the coconut mixture was pretty runny/messy and I was convinced it wasn’t going to turn out. But after letting it sit overnight in the fridge, it came together perfectly!
I love coconut flour chocolate chip cookies for a healthy treat!
Hi Gracie, so glad your family liked the recipe, it is one of my family’s favourite as well
Thanks so much for the recipe Laureen!!!
So glad I saw your tweet!
Oh those chocolate coconut bars look delicious! I don’t really have a go to healthy dessert, I usually just eat dark chocolate, which for some reason feels healthy to me:)
Unfortunately I don’t have any healthy go-tos, but I have made your cake batter blondies and fudge several times and always get stellar reviews.
YAY! Yeah, CBB’s are a definite crowd pleaser
Ohhh I love making healthy desserts for people! I think people who aren’t super into health think that all desserts have to contain white flour and white sugar to taste good but I love surprising them with healthy recipes! I love PaleOMG and Taylor Made it Paleo- my Paleo treats board on Pinterest also has like hundreds of recipes haha
ooo I’ll have to check out Taylor Made it Paleo, thanks!!
I want to make these for a super bowl party this weekend!
Silly question: When measuring coconut oil, do you start with it liquid or solid? (the recipe calls for heating it, but wasn’t sure in what state it needs to start).