Healthy Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bites
Want a chocolate fix without ruining your healthy eating plan? These no-bake healthy dark chocolate almond joy bites have no refined sugar, take just minutes to make, and taste amazing! Bonus: they are vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and guilt-free!
I’m always a little wary declaring a chocolate treat to be “healthy.”
I fully recognize this is dangerous territory. A very subjective world prone to polar opposite opinions and passionately held feelings.
Since I don’t bill myself as a healthy recipes blogger, thankfully, I haven’t had to wade into this territory very often (these health”ier” no-bake chocolate cookies are probably the closest I’ve come).
I don’t crave chocolate pudding made from avocados or fudgy brownies made with black beans.
If I’m going to eat a brownie, I’m gonna eat.a.brownie, thankyouverymuch.
But sometimes having a little pick-me-up chocolate treat at around 3:38 p.m. makes all the difference to my mental sanity and happiness when I’ve decided to embark on a personal healthy eating challenge for the month of January.
{My splurge of five or so allowable chocolate chips each day during this month of hardship (er, I mean healthy eating) are being often replaced by one of these healthy dark chocolate almond bites, and I feel really good about that decision.}
What makes these little coconuty, chocolatey bites fall on the healthy side of thing?
First, no refined sugar. The sweetness comes exclusively from soft, pitted dates.
And if that scares you (they aren’t the prettiest food on the planet, I know), fear not!
Not only are dates a fantastic source of natural sweetness (and fiber! and vitamins!), but the sticky texture helps bind the no-bake mixture together.
Admittedly, I’m usually reserving the humble-looking fruit for Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake (best dessert ever), but that is definitely a subject I’m not in the mood to discuss until January is over.
Right alongside the dates, there’s protein-rich almonds, unsweetened cocoa powder, a touch of extra-virgin coconut oil, and unsweetened, shredded coconut.
Give that mixture a whirl and you end up with a nutty, rich, lightly sweet concoction that may not look like much but ends up being the tastiest little snack (healthy eating or not).
The chocolate/almond mixture will look a bit crumbly – you can process it as long or as little as you like, depending on how coarse or fine you want the texture.
The more it mixes in the food processor, the easier it will be to roll into balls.
I test a little bit of the mixture by pressing and rolling it in my hand (and if it’s still a bit crumbly, adding a tablespoon of water or a little extra melted coconut will help bind it together).
Really, in about 20 minutes or less, you can have a nutritious and chocolatey snack staring you in the face.
Whether you choose to eat all 24 of them and probably negate all healthy benefits? Well, that’s up to you.
I am simply the provider of the recipe. I assume no liability or responsibility for what you do henceforth.
These healthy dark chocolate almond joy bites have definitely saved me this month.
And just in case you’re thinking “of course you think they taste good – you aren’t eating any other sweets or blatant carbs!” I’ll have you know that I’ve given a few to my kids and friends the last week or so, and everyone loves them.
In fact my friend, Beth, declared that these babies could quite possibly change the world. Yup, they’re that good.
It was actually another friend of mine (hey, Kristin!) who texted me the recipe several months ago telling me I needed to make them ASAP.
She’s a huge fan of these dark chocolate granola bites on my blog, so she obviously already has good taste.
When I made them, I understood why she was so passionate in her command to make these healthy dark chocolate almond joy bites part of my life.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be making them for the rest of forever (they keep great in the fridge or freezer).
And I’ve already decided that 6 a.m. on February 1st, I’m making a batch of these and then covering them in dark chocolate. Doesn’t that sound amazing??
It seems like the right thing to do to celebrate my {hopefully} successful month of healthy eating.
So fast to make, they are the perfect wholesome treat for anytime, anywhere. I hope you love them!
One Year Ago: Rock Salt Roast BBQ Honey Chicken
Two Years Ago: Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Pork
Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Make-Ahead Pancake Mix
Four Years Ago: Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Five Years Ago: Confetti Chicken Bake with Cheddar Biscuit Topping
Healthy Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bites
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 g) pitted Medjool or other soft dates, about 1 cup or 10-12 dates
- 1 cup (114 g) unsalted, whole almonds (roasted is fine)
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- ½ cup (43 g) natural, unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use half of each)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil, no need to melt
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt, optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients together in a food processor and process until the ingredients are finely chopped and the mixture is crumbly (the exact amount of mixing depends on how coarse or fine you want the mixture). The mixture should hold together when a small amount is pressed or rolled. If it’s too crumbly, add a tablespoon of water (or melted coconut oil) and process again until it comes together more easily.
- Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls (I use a #60 cookie scoop for easy portions). Enjoy immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
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Recipe Source: based off a recipe my friend, Kristin, texted me (telling me to make ASAP)
Hi, I wanna make this as gifts, do these balls need to be stored in the fridge all the time? How long can they last at room temperature? Thanks
They should be refrigerated if out for longer than 8 hours.
These really do taste like almond joy bars! I can’t have dairy right now and they even satisfy my chocolate fix. Great consistency and flavor.
Made these today. I proceeded the almonds first then added each ingredient and pulsed more. Added about a Tbs of water and it was a perfect consistency. Refrigerated for 3 hours. They are great! I thought they were sweet enough without adding anything. Next time I might add some strawberry or raspberry powder to make them even better.
I just made these for the second time. About half my family loves them – I am okay with this because it means more for me. 🙂 I think they are delicious, and so handy to have available on a busy day. They have saved me more than once. I like to add 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips in too. I know that messes up the “health food” factor but it tastes really good and I still count them as healthy-ish. One note: I don’t have a large food processor, so I make them in my BlendTec blender, Wild Side jar. It may not be the easiest way to make them, but it works. Thanks for another winner, Mel!
Just made these after looking at the recipe for a couple of years. I’m not a big coconut fan, but it worked here. I’m on a no bread/pasta/potatoes regimen for a while, and these satisfy my need for something solid. Next time I think I’ll try using steel-cut oats instead of coconut.
Couple of comments: 1) I needed to add a fair amount of stevia to get it up to the sweetness I like. 2) My food processor is small, and after the first couple of whirs, all the stuff was stuck to the sides and not getting processed. Scraping the sides down didn’t help. So, next time, I’m going to run the oats/coconut, almonds, and dates through the food processor separately, then mix in a bowl.
BTW, they get better after being chilled for a couple of hours. For me, that took them from okay to really good.
My husband tried one, after the chilling, and liked them a lot.
I love these balls and make them all the time. I have been freezing them and taking them with us when we go boating or on hikes and they are a big hit when I share!
Oh, Wow! So Yum!!! I made these with some old dates, Dutch cocoa, half vanilla/half almond extract, 1 Tbs. coconut oil, sweetened coconut, unroasted sliced almonds, and a pinch of kosher salt. It needed about 2 Tbs. water and I added about 1/2 to 1 Tbs. honey for the perfect sweetness (I am a semi-sweet kinda girl). It was amazingly yummy. Thanks so much! I have tried so many nasty no-bake bites and needed this proof that they really can taste good. 🙂 Fun to do with the kids, too.
These are fantastic; I will never buy another Cliff bar. I have made several times; this last time my dates were on the older side, so I heated them in the microwave for 20 seconds until warm and soft. This made the mixture easier to roll into balls, and the final texture was softer and moister, almost reminiscent of gooey.
Love love love!! Fast! Healthy! Irresistibly tasty!
Also I made these in my vitamix. I just pulse it and stir it occasionally, but works great. It doesn’t work as well when I double it, however. So when I’m doing a big batch, I just make it twice so that the blending/mixing part isn’t so tricky in the blender.
I was trying to find something similar to the power protein chunks at Winco. These were a perfect fit. I also added sesame seeds. Thanks!
I’ve made these a million times already for my picky 2-year-old! We love them! I recently discovered that substituting hazelnuts for the almonds tastes amazing!
Has anyone tried these with a blender?? (ie blendtec/Vitamix variety)
I’m curious too! I only have a very small food processor that wouldn’t fit all of this so I’m hoping it will work in my blendtec! Did you end up trying it?
I made some today with my blendtec. I had to stir it with a spoon after every couple of pulses but it still worked.
I keep these in my frig. They are absolutely delicious and are my go to when I need something chocolate . Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thanks, Terry – glad you like them!
Hey Mel,
I cant wait to try out this recipe, i am craving a little treat as i type, but I try and eat clean, so this sounds like the perfect thing! One question – can i substitute the coconut oil with regular peanut butter, and if yes, what quantity should i use? Also, im not a huge fan of coconut, so i will probably leave that out and use some walnuts instead.
Thanks!
Sneha
I haven’t tried that, but you could certainly experiment!
I’m obsessed with these. I’m off dairy since I’m nursing and my baby can’t have milk protein and I made these to satisfy my chocolate craving. Bonus that they are fairly healthy too! I’ll definitely be making these a lot!