No-bake samoa bars are easy, no-bake, vegan desserts made of a shortbread crust and topped with a caramel coconut layer. They are gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
What are no-bake samoa bars?
These no-bake samoa bars or girl-scout cookie bars are healthier raw versions of your favorite samoa bars. It’s a no bake vegan dessert, 100% refined-sugar free and gluten free. A crumbly coconut shortbread cookie bar topped with a chewy caramel coconut layer.
How to make vegan samoa bars?
All you need to bake no bake samoa bars are few basic pantry ingredients. Let’s have a look at them below and at the easy swap ideas if you are missing some ingredients to make this recipe
- Unsweetened dessicated coconut
- Almond flour or oat flour or sesame flour for a nut-free option
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut chips – toasted is the best!
- Dark chocolate chips or bar
- Peanut butter or tahini or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option
How to toast coconut?
If you love coconut and caramel, this vegan samoa bar recipe is for you! You will love the moist shortbread bottom layer with sweet chewy caramel. My tip is to toast the shredded coconut before you add it into the middle layer! This will enhance the coconut flavor of these bars. To toast shredded coconut, lay a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the unsweetened coconut evenly all over the tray. Make sure the coconut doesn’t overlay to ensure it toasts evenly. Bake the coconut at 160C (320F) for 5-8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until the coconut is golden and fragrant. You can also toast coconut in a frying pan, under medium heat, with no oil added. Stir the coconut and stop cooking when the color is lightly golden brown.
More healthy no-bake dessert bars
If you love no-bake vegan desserts, I have other delicious vegan bar recipes to try
- No bake millionaire bars – a healthier caramel bars with no refined ingredients
- Peanut butter bars – a keto-friendly vegan dessert
- Coconut bars – a healthier twist on your favorite almond joy or bounty candy bar
Made this samoa bar recipe yet? Share a picture of your creation with me on Instagram!
Your friend, Carine
No-Bake Samoa Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread crust
- 1 cup Desiccated coconut
- 1 cup Almond flour
- 3 tablespoons Maple syrup - or agave syrup or coconut nectar or rice syrup
- 1/3 cup Coconut oil - melted
Caramel layer
- 1/3 cup Maple syrup - or agave syrup or coconut nectar or rice syrup
- 3 tablespoons Coconut oil - melted
- 1 1/4 cup Desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup Peanut butter - no added sugar, no added oil
Chocolate drizzle
- 3 oz Dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
Instructions
- Cover a rectangle baking dish 9 inches x 5 inches, with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, add the shortbread crust ingredients in this order: dessicated coconut, almond flour, maple syrup and melted coconut oil.
- Stir with a spatula at first then squeeze with your hand to make sure all the ingredients come together and stick together. It can be slightly crumbly but that's ok. If it's very dry, add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil.
- Press the shortbread crumble tightly onto the prepapred baking dish.
- Freeze 10 minutes while you are making the caramel layer.
- In a small bowl, add fresh runny peanut butter, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla, Then, combine with a spatula until it forms a consistent, smooth caramel.
- Stir in the shredded coconut.
- Remove the baking dish from the freezer and spread the coconut caramel layer evenly on top.
- Press firmly the coconut layer with the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Return to the freezer for 10 minutes while you melt the chocolate.
- Melt the dark chocolate with coconut oil, under 'bain marie' or in the microwave, by 30 seconds burst, stirring between to prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the bar and return to the freezer 2 minutes to set the chocolate.
- Remove the baking tray from the freezer, pull out the bar from the tray using the piece of parchment paper to lift out the bar.
- Cut into 16 sqaures and enjoy!
Storage
- Store the bars in an airtight box, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost each square individually at room temperature for 1 hour before eating. Can be eaten half frozen too.
Nutrition
What a great recipe.
I did Samoa in a slightly modified version. Instead of maple syrup, I added a thick and dark strawberry jam. You can see the effect on my Instagram Van Groch – vegan bistro.
Thank you for the recipe and of course for inspiration