Hi Everyone,
Today I have for you a simple, healthy, gluten-free, vegan fruit bars that are mighty delicious! It doesn’t matter what kind of foodie you are, if you like pineapple and coconut you will love these bars.
The bars are light, naturally sweet and makes for a wonderful dessert or treat. The bars are made with a cashew base that has a nice sweet flavor. I love cashews, they are so versatile. The center is made with frozen pineapple with a pinch of maple syrup and cornstarch. You don’t need much sugar because of the natural sweetness of the pineapple. For the topping I just sprinkled on some shredded coconut. I bought all of my ingredients at Trader Joe’s, except the shredded coconut.
The bars are super-duper easy to make too! I took cashew meal, coconut oil and maple syrup, give a mix and pressed it into an 8 x 8 pan and baked it for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I cooked the pineapple until it was tender, and gave it a little mash with a potato masher, then topped it on the crust. Then just sprinkle it with a little shredded coconut and bake for and additonal 20 – 25 minutes. So easy! I love it!
I will tell you these are delicate bars. You should eat them with a fork. However, if you refrigerate them, they do firm up and you can eat them with your hand. But once they come to room temperature, you need a fork. I made these for my Husband to take to work and he said he loved them and he shared them with his friends, and they loved them too. You really can’t lose with coconut and pineapple.
- Base:
- 1¼ cups cashew meal ( I used Trader Joe's)
- 3 tbsp.coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- Filling:
- 3 cup pineapple (I used frozen)
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- Topping:
- ½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure you leave an overhang so you can pull the bars out.
- In a bowl, add cashew meal, coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix until combined and evenly press into prepared baking pan. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a sauce pan over medium, low heat, add pineapple, maple syrup, water and cornstarch. Cook until thick and bubbly stirring constantly, while pressing down the pineapple with the back of the spoon; about 10 minutes. I used a potato masher to break the pineapple down a little at the end of cooking. Let pineapple mixture cool for about 5 minutes. Add mixture to baked crust.
- Sprinkle coconut over pineapple and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, just until coconut is lightly golden.
- Let bars cool completely and cut into 12 squares.
These bars are absolutely delicious! I crumbled them and put them in my yogurt and as I said my Husband took the remaining bars to work. They didn’t last long, just one day. I am really pleased with these bars. So if you don’t mind a delicate bar you will love these Pineapple and Coconut Bars.
Have a wonderful, happy day!
Toodles,
Jennifer
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I love pineapple and coconut! These look delicious! But, we don’t have a Trader Joe’s, and not one even close! Never heard of cashew meal. Can you make it out of cashews?
Hi Nancy! Cashew Meal is just ground up cashews, so yes, you can make it out of cashews. Just take some cashews, pop it in a food processor and process until crumbly. 🙂
I absolutely love pineapple and coconut! Thank you for this recipe. Q. What is the pineapple you used – fresh precut or frozen pieces? We have no TJ within 100 miles here. I’m also going to try n replace the maple syrup with date paste or date sugar as I can’t tolerate maple anything. I’ll post the results. Thanks again Jennifer!
Hi Nancy! I just updated my recipe! I used frozen pineapple, cut into little chunks. I am sure fresh, canned or jarred pineapple will be great too! You can even skip adding the water and use the pineapple juice from the can or jar. Love the idea of using date paste! Let me know how they turn out for you!
Thank you Jennifer. I will post the results after I make them!
Have a great day ! Nancy
Ok, I look forward to reading your results! Have a great weekend!
Yum! I am making I these this weekend! I love that you often show the ingredients in the packaging, so I know right away what is already in my pantry (or if I need to make a trip to the beloved TJ’s.). Side bar, We cook a lot, but I am usually feeling lazy on Sundays. I showed my husband the black bean dip recipe and he suggested we make that and your buffalo chicken dip (which we love) for an easy Sunday night dip-style dinner. Thank you for making my weekend so much easier!
Thank you so much!! I hope you enjoy these bars as much as we do!! Ohhh, I love the Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip!! I need to make that one again! Thank you for making me smile! 🙂
These bars look utterly amazing!
Ahhhh, thank you so much!
Yum! I will have to make my own cashew meal as there is no TJ’s around here. I bet I could use almonds, too!! Yum!! Anywho… these are going on my “must do” list!!! Om nom nom… 🙂
Making the cashew meal is super easy too!! Almond meal would work great too!
Oh, these look fantastic and easy. Even if you take the time to make your own cashew meal it wouldn’t be bad at all.
I would have ground up my own cashew meal, but I was lazy and buying it worked out! This is such a fun treat!
MMM I love that you used cashew meal for the base, sounds so yummy! And they look beautiful!
I’m always looking for a gluten free dish for a friend who will be in town in a week.
These sound like a tropical island! I’d love it if you linked this to What’d You Do ThisWeekend., It goes live at midnight.
Have a wonderful week,
Llinda
hi, i love pineapple & coconut, i make them together in a pie, super delish. i have a nut allergy, so is their anything i can use in place of cashew meal? thanks for your time.
You could probably use oat flour. That should work great in these bars!! Or if you could do a graham cracker crust too!
Hi!
Would these be ok to send to someone (it would take 2 to 3 days to arrive)? I want to make something with pineapple and coconut, and this sounds great if it will hold up ok in the mail, without refrigeration.
Thanks!
Sharon
Hi Sharon, I wouldn’t send these in the mail, they are to delicate and and soft and wouldn’t hold together well at all.
Thanks so so much for your reply!! Please, do you have any suggestions for a coconut pineapple cookie or bar that would successfully survive being mailed? I would so much appreciate the advice. Thanks
Hi Sharon, you can try my coconut pina colada cookies (you can skip the rum) http://www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com/2012/06/21/pina-colada-oatmeal-cookie/ or The perfect granola recipe http://www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com/2014/04/26/the-perfect-granola-remake/ That’s all I can think of?
Thanks so much!! Will try soon!