Hands up who loved cherry ripe back in the day? I sure did! These copycat Strawberry Ripe Bars are as good as the original. They are no bake, and so easy to make with just a food processor.
No doubt about it, these copycat Strawberry Ripe Bars are the bees knees. Once all the ingredients are blended, all you have to do is chill them and dunk in melted chocolate. perfect healthy snack!
I have ‘healthified’ and adapted the classic strawberry ripe chocolate bars recipe! It is now dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free and most importantly, guilt free!
Like most no-bake desserts, this is made in well under an hour. How much chocolate you want on these bars is totally up to you. Drizzle them, half dip them, completely coat them. The choice is yours.
You are not restricted to making bars here. You could turn these into a slice, cutting into squares or roll into balls and coat or drizzle with chocolate. You could even use a silicon mold or cupcake liners to make individual treats.
What’s great about these strawberry ripe bars is they aren’t too sweet! I have added minimal amounts of honey. Therefore, the sweetness is simply coming from the strawberries and coconut.
Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, making it an excellent immune and anti-ageing food. Did you know that strawberries are also a good source of calcium? Not to mention magnesium and phosphorous.
Most pre-portioned snacks at the grocery store are so expensive and often way overpriced. They often have sugar or other unhealthy ingredients in them too, which makes them less attractive to have in your healthy eating regime.
But by making your own, you control the cost and quality of the ingredients and can make sure they are clean eating snacks. These bars have simple and clean ingredients anyways so its pretty easy to replicate them at home.
With just cashews and coconut as the base for the bars they boast no added sugar but still have 100% of the flavor, offering something both kiddos and adults will love and make the perfect healthy homemade snack.
They are a great snack to keep on hand for an any time, after school, after work and are a great energy bar recipe for fitness enthusiasts, runners, cyclists, hikers, and other busy athletes.
The protein in the cashews makes them satisfying enough to grab along with a piece of fruit when you are pressed for time and need a quick breakfast, while the 3 different types of coconut adds a sweetness that won’t spike your blood sugar and leave you ravenous in hours.
I cut mine in bars You could make squares or balls or really any shape you could think of. I store them in the fridge, they will keep at least a week if you can get them to last that long! They freeze well too, so feel free to double the batch!
I love a good no-bake recipe when you want to prepare some snacks for the week ahead or make a dessert to impress without all the fuss. These little bars tick all the boxes, especially as they are nostalgic and familiar to most of us.
I have kept all the good parts about the much-loved chocolate bar and made a healthier, lighter and fruitier alternative for when you want something chocolatey and good-for-you.
Quick question before I go, would it be wrong to eat this whole batch in one day? Asking for a friend. Obviously. 😊
Healthier Strawberry Ripe Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, soaked 3+hours and drained
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
- 2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed, drained)
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut cream, full fat (solid part only) *see note below
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Note: Place can of coconut cream or milk in the fridge or freezer for at least 1-2 hours before making these bars to allow coconut cream to separate.Line a 7 x 5-inch loaf pan or dish with parchment paper on the bottom and sides leaving some overhanging to act as a handle to get the bars out easier for cutting.Open chilled can and scoop out the cream that has separated and set hard on the top. Save the remaining coconut water to use in a smoothie, drink, or discard. I give it to my dogs and they love it!Place the hardened cream and all other ingredients, cashews, coconut, strawberries, coconut oil and honey into the food processor and process until broken down but still somewhat chunky.Be careful not to over process as its nice to have texture variance and different sized “bits” of nuts and strawberries in your bars.Press the base mixture into the bottom of your lined pan or dish evenly. Refrigerate while you prepare the chocolate drizzle.
Chocolate Drizzle
- Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in small dish and microwave at 50% power with 30 second bursts stirring between each one until melted and smooth.Or use double boiler method - (pot of boiling water with a bowl resting on top) melt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil together.Remove the bars and after checking they are firm and set, remove from pan using the parchment paper handles and cut into 10-12 bars or more smaller squares.You can either dip half of each bar in the melted chocolate, coat the entire bar in chocolate or simply drizzle the chocolate over the bars (as in the image). If you choose to coat each bar entirely, skewer each one or use a fork (or two) to dunk and turn them in the melted chocolate.Another method is to hold the bar over the bowl of melted chocolate with a fork and simply spoon the melted chocolate over it.Place each bar on a rack or on baking or parchment paper to dry and place back in the fridge or freezer to set.Store in fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
If you are looking for more delicious, healthy, no bake desserts and treats to help you reach your health, wellness and fitness goals, you will love my collection here: Blended Bites
