1/3cupgranulated sweetenerI used organic cane sugar
1 1/2tspvanilla
2tsparrowroot powdercornstarch may be substituted
Almonds halves or slicesoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Base:
Melt oil and nut / seed butter over low heat. (This is important so you do not end up burning the chocolate!
Stir in cocoa powder
Mix in remaining ingredients. Continuously stir until it slightly thickens, and the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla.
Pour the mixture into an 8×8 pan and place in freezer to harden while you make the topping. For easy removal and slicing, line the pan with a piece of waxed paper or parchment, overlapping the paper over the side of the pan. When cool, the whole kit 'n' kaboodle just lifts out!
Topping:
Toast 1/2 of the coconut in the oven by spreading on a cookie sheet and placing in the preheated oven for 3-4 minutes. The coconut will be golden brown and smell toasted!
Melt oil in small pan and add coconut. Stir.
Add remaining ingredients. Simmer and stir until it thickens a bit.
Once the chocolate is hardened, gently smooth the coconut mixture on top.
Place slivered or whole almonds on top. Place bars back in the freezer until hardened. Again, the fridge will work, but it will take longer.
Slice into squares of desired size and enjoy! They’ll probably be too hard to cut right out of the freezer so you may need to let them thaw a bit first.