Almond-Coconut Sesame Bars

Hannah Sunderani
Jun 7, 2016
3 min read

One thing I REALLY miss about living in Canada is how easy it is to find snack bars! I'm talking the healthy and wholesome kind; like KIND bars, Taste of Nature, Larabars and the like. And I never realized how much I took for granted being able to pick up one of these at sack time. So I was totally bummed out upon realizing that there is nothing in the grocery stores here that even resemble these favourites of mine.

I seriously struggle to find healthy bars here! Unless I venture over to the organic food stores, but it costs a small fortune. And so I decided the best solution to my snack bar addiction was to make them at home. Actually, homemade snack bars is not a foreign concept to me. I love to make them! Back in Canada I would go through these phases where I would bake them weekly, and experiment with all different kind of nuts and dried fruits, testing out whatever new ingredients I was currently obsessing over - apricots and macademia nut, coco and cocoa, dried cherries and quinoa! My goodness! Excuse me while I get my saliva glands back in check...

But of course, life always gets in the way, and so often I would retreat back to the pre-bought goodies...and save the extra 40 mins for an epi of Orange is the New Black on Netflix. No biggie, I'll just grab a KIND bar from the convenience store on my way to work.

But in fact, having no access to pre-made healthy snack bars in France has been a bit of a blessing in disguise (for both my wallet and my snacking). Because homemade snack bars are SO much more delicious than store bought! When your bars are homemade you get a snack that is beyond sensational. It's uber fresh and you know exactly what has gone into making them. You also know exactly when they were made, so there's no wondering what shelf-life preservatives are included. And, there is something about eating a homemade snack bar that makes you feel SO good about yourself. Having baked it yourself, having it taste so delicious, and having it be so healthy and good for you is a killer combination that makes anyone feel good about their snacking choice. And, with homemade bars you can tailor the ingredients to your favourites! Don't worry, I won't go into the various options again... just stopped drooling.

These Almond-Coconut Sesame Bars are one of my new favourites. In fact, sesame seeds are quite abundant in France and very cheap! So I decided to use this fab and ultra healthy seed in my bar recipes to reap the benefits. Combined with coconut and almonds they are the perfect snack for a mid-day treat! Hope you enjoy these gems just as much as I do. :)

Almond-Coconut Sesame Bars

Makes: 10 bars | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20-25 mins.

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sesames
1 cup almonds (roasted)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
4 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Toss your almonds in a skillet and roast on medium heat for 3-5 minutes
Add all your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl; (coconut, sesame, roasted almonds, salt and cinnamon). Mix together.
In another bowl add your wet ingredients: honey, almond butter, vanilla extract. Mix together.
Add your wet ingredients to your dry and mix well.
Line a 10x7 baking dish with parchment paper and fill the dish with your mixture. Press firmly into an even layer.
Bake for approx 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool completely for 30-40 minutes
Lift out of baking tray and cut into 10 bars.