These little tasty frozen candy bars fill my sweet tooth, and are an easy way to get a higher amount of coconut oil into my family’s diet. I used coconut flakes, honey (I prefer raw), homemade chocolate, almond extract, dehydrated almonds, and coconut oil. A delicious and natural combination. Though I haven’t had one for years now, Mounds was a favorite candy bar of mine. These remind me a lot of them because they contain the same type of ingredients.
They have definitely been a hit around here. My husband has been taking them in his lunches (packed next to his ice pack), and my toddler loves them, when cut into small pieces.
And who said you couldn’t have candy bars on a “healthy” diet? With a little creativity, we are denied very few things while remaining committed to a nourishing diet.
I blogged about Nourishing Tradition’s Carob (which I made into chocolate) chip recipe here. It’s quite good. The original recipe used rapadura. I decided to use honey for this project. I think it’s a little easier to get to dissolve into the mixture (always a problem with using rapadura in this recipe), but you can really use whatever sweetener you want. If you use a sweetener like honey, be aware that if you were to refrigerate the chocolate mixture instead of freeze it, it would stay a little softer than if you used rapadura.
“Mounds” Candy Bars-makes 12, large
1 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey (raw is nice)
1 teaspoon almond extract
36 almonds, left whole or chopped (your choice)
1-Melt the coconut oil and honey over low heat until just melted. Whisk to combine. Add the almond extract and coconut flakes.
2-Now take out your muffin tins (you will need a 12 compartment muffin tin). In each compartment, place three almonds, or divide the chopped almonds) Then, divide the coconut mixture, making sure you get an even mixture of coconut flakes and coconut oil. Place in a freezer (make sure it’s on a flat surface), and freeze until hard (about 30 minutes)
Now it’s time for the chocolate! You will need:
3/4 cup cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa)
1/4 cup of honey (I used a scant 1/4 of a cup)
1 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3-Combine these ingredients in a 2 cup glass measuring glass and place in a pot of simmering water. Heat until everything is just melted, and remove from heat. Either whisk briskly, or use a hand blender to combine well (the hand blender is the easiest way to do this).
4-Take out the frozen coconut flakes mixture, and divide your chocolate mixture over it (about two tablespoons per muffin compartment).
5-Put back into your freezer, and freeze until hard (again, about 30 minutes). To get them out, simply slide a butter knife down one side, and pop it out. This is very easy to do, as long as you do it directly from your freezer.
Then, enjoy! (and keep them frozen, they melt fairly quickly)
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Holy cow, Kimi! This is genius. I think I’m salivating already.
These would be great to make Christmas treats, I bet. I’m definitely putting them on the menu.
I’ve just discovered your blog Kimi and I love it. I’m eagerly waiting for my copies of Nourishing Traditions and Eat Fat, Lose Fat to arrive.
Those coconutty treats look divine. Here in the UK we don’t have Mounds bars, but we have something called Bounty bars which I think must be very similar. I’m going to give them a try once I’ve tracked down some coconut oil (it’s very expensive here).
Hi Kimi,
Can you explain where I could find chocolate powder? I don’t know the difference between cocoa powder (of which I have been told that “dutch process” is the best kind) and chocolate powder.
Mounds is one of my favorite too! Can’t wait to try these!!!
Thanks,
Samara
Dutch-process cocoa has alkali in it to neutralize acid and unsweetened cocoa powder does not. I’ve found this website to really be helpful explaining the different types of cocoa powder and how to make substitutions if needed.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/cocoa.html
These look awesome I’m sure my husband would love them!! Thanks for the recipe I love your blog!!
Oh, yum! These look so good. I would love to try making these. (Hey, while you’re at it, plop an almond on top. Then it will be an Almond Joy!) 🙂
Blessings,
Michele
These look yummy and I look forward to trying them!
I do a frozen CO treat in my mini muffin pan…a great small cookie size that is very filling (also doesn’t melt before I can finish it 🙂 ).
Anyway, I mix natural peanut butter (Whole Foods 365 brand is VERY smooth…yum), raw honey and virgin coconut oil. I play with the proportions, often decreasing the honey by adding some stevia.
I really enjoy your blog…thank you!
Whitney
I love almond joy! This is great! But now I have to buy coconut and coconut oil, shucks. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Kimi,
I am brand new to your blog, and so excited about the recipes & ideas–esp. this one! I bought the unsweetened coconut flakes today, I had everything else, and I can't wait to try this. Thanks!
I forgot to mention that my mini muffin pan is silicone…it makes it really easy to invert each one and pop them out.
Are those stainless pans? Where did you find them?
I bought some stainless baking sheets at Walmart, but recently figured out that they are magnetic (and my understanding is that stainless steel is NOT), so I’m not sure what they are. 🙁
I have a stoneware muffin pan that I love, but I’m not sure how this recipe would work.
BTW, how are you getting your candy “bars” out of your pan?
Thanks!
Whitney
Kimi,
I, too, am wondering where you got your muffin pans–the only ones I can find are non-stick or silicone. Do you have any thoughts on the silicone ones? They kind of creep me out, but I’m not sure if that is just me being silly or if there is some logic to it.
Whitney,
I just updated my post explaining how I get them out. I woke up this morning and realized that I had forgotten to put that in! Thanks for reminded me. 🙂
My muffin pans are stainless steel ones, and they were hard to track down! I finally found both stainless steel bread pans and muffins tins at a kitchen store at an outlet strip mall. I noticed that they also have cake pans and such that are stainless steel. I have been very happy with mine. They are nice and heavy duty and work well for us.
Thanks so much for this recipe and for your blog. I am really enjoying it. I was just diagnosed with Fibromyalgia so sugar is a no no for me as well as chocolate so I made it with carob powder and they came out great.
I’m going to try a peanut butter cup version soon. Any suggestions on how to do that?
These would be oh so dangerous for me!
These look soooo good! I can’t wait to try them. I was wondering if I could substitute agave syrup for honey. Some people in my family are allergic to honey unless it is in something baked. Thanks for sharing!
Lydia,
I am sure that agave syrup would work just fine. 🙂
The silicone pans are fantastic. Just sit it on a cookie sheet to place in the freezer so it will sit flat. Voila!
Wow! LOVE your blog! This post is the greatest kindness to all womankind *U*
Thanks~
I just made a peanut butter cup version of this. Instead of the coconut I used 1 cup of peanut butter. I omitted the almond extract and the almonds. I also doubled the chocolate and layered it so it is chocolate/peanut butter/chocolate. It is AMAZING!!
Just thought I’d share:)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am trying so hard to incorporate more coconut products into my family’s diet. These candy “cups” were perfect. I made them a second time and added peanut butter too. They were out of this world!
Thanks again,
Mary
Mary,
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! I think that this has been a very popular recipe, lol!
Hello there! I just have a quick question for you all who have made these. I’ve made them before and they turned out beautifully however this time around something went wrong with the chocolate sauce. I used the same brands/ratios of coconut oil, honey and cocoa and melted it all in the same way but for some reason the chocolate sauce isn’t sauce, it’s got this really strange texture, super grainy. Almost as the chocolate formed little airtight clumps within the oil. Any ideas on where I went wrong? Advice is always welcome:)
Take care and all the best!
Kellyne,
Sorry that happened to you! I think I can explain what happened. Your chocolate somehow “seized”. Follow these two links to get info on what that means and how to prevent and even save it.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/10-1-02.html
http://www.baking911.com/chocolate/seize.htm
Ah ha! Thanks for the link Kimi. That sounds about right – it was very steamy and I had it on a higher temperature…ah well live and learn:) I still put it on top of the coconut layer anyway as it still tastes fine. The bars just look a little sad and not half so glamorous as yours do in the photo! Thanks again and all the best!
I finally made these this afternoon and they are AWESOME!!! I never even liked Almond Joy. These are way better!! Thanks for the recipe. I’m thinking I may try them with coconut sugar the next time.
These sound AMAZING! If only we could come up with a Junior Mint or Peppermint Patty recipe. Those are the two things keeping my father from converting to the natural sweetener lifestyle!!
Um, isn’t it “Almond Joys got nuts. Mounds don’t.” Thus these are Almond joys not mounds. But I’ll just skip the almonds (or, well, actually I probably won’t since I am trying to eat more nuts).
I was terribly excited to make these last night and had my DH pick up coconut oil for the first time (from our natural foods store). I was somewhat disappointed but wonder if things can be adapted. I’ve never cooked with coconut oil before so I’m not sure….
* They seemed VERY oily. Could you skip the oil in the coconut and honey mixture, perhaps? Or reduce the amounts relative to other ingredients?
* They weren’t chocolately enough for me. Could I put in more cocoa? Or use baking chocolate instead? I’m somewhat new to nutrient dense eating (I’ve read about it and do it to some extent already but haven’t focused on it) so I’m not sure if these would be recommended. Nor how it would work with the coconut oil.
* I so should have used a mini muffin tin. I could barely eat half of one of them and I was stuffed!
* For other newbies, I also want to let them know this is nowhere near as sweet as the real candy bar. I was expecting it to be less sweet, but thought the honey would be stronger. It wasn’t. Which is why I think I want more chocolate taste.
And finally, two questions about coconut oil: Would coconut oil being eaten for the first time be likely to cause bowel issues? In particular, I had frequent gas all night long (thank goodness, it was odorless, which was also weird). I also had to run to the toilet about an hour after eating it. Found these both pretty unusual…. And secondly, is coconut oil usually really expensive? The mayonnaise-size jar DH bought cost $22!!!!
Ann Marie,
Yes, I guess it would be more like an Almond Joy. I think I thought of them as Mounds as that’s what I always used to eat! 🙂
Now on to your more specific questions.
Most of my recipes will not overly sweet. We seem to have adjusted our tastebuds to the point that we don’t LIKE things too sweet. So that’s a good thing to keep in mind when you try my recipes, as you may want to up the amount of sweetener in recipes. But different coconut oil and coconut flakes will differ in sweetness. For example, the coconut flakes I use in this recipe are 100 times more tasty and sweet then what you usually find. If you are using regular coconut flakes, I am sure they wouldn’t be as sweet or flavorful. Extra honey would help make up for that. Coconut oil can also be sweeter. or less flavorful depending on the brand. That will also effect the flavor.
You could definitely use baking chocolate for a more rich chocolate taste. 🙂 And it it’s too oily, I am sure you can adjust things to suite you.
Now as far the the oil causing bowel problems, it is a possibility. While my family can eat high amounts with no side effects, some people have to build up to using it by starting with a very small amount. This recipe would not work well for that. . It also can have the effect of “cleansing” you, I believe,and can make you even feel sick as you detox. It’s powerful stuff! To read a little more about the effects of coconut oil, you can read a few articles on my site. As to the expense, that was an expensive price for coconut oil! We use it so much that I buy it in bulk online. Check my resource page for a few options. But I would make sure that you tolerate and like coconut oil before you do that! 🙂
What brand of coconut oil do you use?
I found it! I had seen your recipe earlier on (I think I got here thru Kelly’s site) and made the mental note that I would use this recipe after I got my order of coconut oil and coconut from Wilderness family. The order came and I forgot where it was on the internet I saw the recipe. I could not remember for the life of me. I googled almond joy recipes and found you again. Whew! I will subscribe so as not to have this happen again. Thanks for this scrumpteous looking recipe. Growing up my favorite candy bar was the good old mounds bar and a close second was almond joy. Now I have real joy knowing I can have my candy bar and eat it too!
Okay, these were amazing! I made them in mini muffin pans, and they were just the perfect size for me. And, though I figured it cost me about $8-10 to make, they lasted several weeks. I will be making these again! I broke down and bought an almond joy, after making these, one day and it was terrible! No more! 🙂 Thanks.
Your site is beautiful and very informative. I see that we have many similarities in our cooking style and dietary needs, so I will be back often to read. In fact, I already subscribed!
I happened upon this recipe while searching why Rapadura didn’t dissolve in my chocolate chips (adapted from the carob chips in Nourishing Traditions… as you did also). These look amazing! I am going to try them for sure! I love both Almond Joy and Mounds, so it doesn’t matter what these are called, I know my family will love them.
A friend told me that she powders her Rapadura in a food processor and then it mixes in quite well. I have yet to try it, but mention it because maybe it will help you.
Thanks for the inspiration!
~Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
Embracing “God’s, Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season”
I love you web site. Have you made these with coconut sugar yet?
Hi, I finally got around to making these yesterday. They are delicious and look just like the picture. They are so rich that 1/4 of one is more that enough to satisfy the sweet tooth. Thanks for such a neat recipe.
Someone linked these from Traditional Foods. As soon as I saw them, I immed. got off the computer & went upstairs to make them. THNX so much for the recipe! YUM!
Which size coconut flakes do you use, fine, small, or large?
I just made these and they turned out great! I used a mini-muffin tin which gave me 20 candies. Layed as directed and filled each opening with chocolate up to the top. They popped out easily by turning the pan over and pressing on each cup with my thumb. A bit of gentle shaking but nothing difficult. Sort of how you get ice out of the tray. Anyway, they are all (but ONE, YUM) in a freezer bag ready to be enjoyed!
May add coconut flavoring instead of almond next time.. we’ll see.
thanks!
🙂 Jennifer
These are a big yum! I made them this weekend & used the mini-muffin tins. I’m trying to get more coconut oil in me and my husband & these will help! He goes into raptures every time he gets one 🙂
I made these today iwht the kids also! They are so so good but mine don’t look like yours. They look like they have tons more coconut flakes. Is it supposed to be 1 1/3 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup coconut flakes? Either way its good 🙂
I wanted to let you know that we used 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead of the whole half cup. Later when I was cleaning I saw the extra 1/4 cup of coconut oil just sitting on the counter. Annie said she forgot to put it in and so did I.
What an awesome recipe! Thank you. They’re so delicious! My boys and hubby think they’re the best ever.
I used 1/2 raw honey and 1/2 Agave. Next time I’ll try with Agave only…
These look amazing!
I made something similar to this for Easter last year.
I have nut and chocolate allergic children, so I used soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds in place of the almonds, and used a strained raspberry puree mixed with honey and coconut oil for the top in place of the chocolate mixture. I also made them in mini muffin pans for smaller bites, as well as shaping some into a “jellybean” shape. You can use different berries to make different color tops-
I’ve done it with blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries so far.
You can play with the honey ratio- we also have noticed our sweet tooth has changed, so we don’t care for sweets as much either.
I used a Dogoba baking chocolate bar instead of the cocoa.
🙂
You have NO IDEA how excited I am for these!!!!!! I chose to stop eating refined sugar two years ago and one thing I MIS SO MUCH is Almond Joy candy bars!!! I am definitely going to make these. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks for addressing this!
I am a mother of 3 (10, 7 and 3yo) and the youngest is the most problematic and we started NT because of her bad teeth…
Where ever there are children, there is junk food, candy, sweet drinks and as soon as she discovers (almost immediately), she is focused on that and trying to get it by just taking it from the other kids or telling me she wants it. And if she doesn’t get it, she throws a tantrum. Avoiding these situations is hard so we have to find a way to deal with it. The other two know and are hardly a problem, but this one is very persistant and alltough I explain it to her every time, she just don’t get it and persist in desperatively wanting to have the junk all the others get….
And now a practical question:
since I am dutch I wonder why you shouldn’t take dutch cocao for the chocolate… It will be hard to find, like so many other things I need for NT cooking, none dutch cocoa in Holland….!
These look great. I will definitely try them. Thanks!
I made these the other day & they are AWESOME! I am blogging about them today! You deserve an award for this one! 🙂
These sound delicious; however, we are on the Feingold Diet, which eliminates salicylates in addition to artificial ingredients. Since we haven’t “tested” almonds out yet to see if we react to them (as they are salicylic), do you have any suggestions to substitute for the almonds in the recipe? I am not an experience cook, so I am always open to suggestions. thanks!
mmm! i can’t wait to make these! i’ll probably make them in a mini muffin tin – for whatever reason.. mini desserts are so fun! but i probably end up eating the same amount as i would if they were large…