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,