Gluten free No bake samoa bars
Have you tried to make no bake gluten free samoa bars before? If you haven’t you should. These samoa bars are the bomb. Easy, delicious and much better for you than regular versions out there.
I am venturing in making quite a few new recipes lately. Prime example? This amazing no bake gluten free samoa bars.
I guess these gluten free samoa bars can be a modification of the well known Samoa cookies, that to be honest, I have no idea what they are! Seeing how good they looked and the ingredient list was enough for me to make the bars.
I must say that these gluten free samoa bars were on the sweet side though because I added a bit more honey to the base than I was suppose to, however, the version posted here has been adjusted in a way in which less honey would be needed. A much better option.
It is also the first time I am using dates for any of my baking, and I must say, it will not be the last. I loved using them. I don’t know why I waited so long. Have also found out that you can buy different type os dates. Some can be pitted while others will still have the pit in it. Either way, they are both still good.
All this week I will be posting some sort of chocolate related recipe so for the following week I will refrain from posting any sweet recipes. I will balance it out with some savory dishes, which to be quite frank, I think you are going to like, so stay tuned.
Until now, enjoy this recipe and stay safe!
Here you can see the base and the middle layers. These bars are out of this world. If you are turned of by the dates don’t be because the flavor is just fantastic.
PrintGluten free No bake samoa bars
Ingredients:
Base
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp Celtic salt
Middle layer
- 1 1/2 cups dates, soaked for about 10 minutes in hot water
- 1/3 cup coconut milk or 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1/8 tsp Celtic salt, optional
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, vegan if need be
Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and coconut together until it resembles fine crumbs. Add in the almond flour, honey, and salt, and process until a moist dough forms. Press the dough into a parchment lined 8x8" baking pan.
After soaking the dates, drain the water, and pulse in a food processor until a paste forms. Add the coconut milk, and salt, and process until smooth. Add the shredded coconut, and pulse until just combined. Scoop the coconut mixture out, and spread it evenly across the top of the base. Transfer to the fridge while you work on melting the chocolate.
Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.
Remove the pan out of the fridge and pour the chocolate over the middle layer spreading it evenly. Place back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour to harden the chocolate. Remove the mixture out of the fridge and cut into squares. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Recipe slightly adapted from cooking ala mel
Hello there. My name is Miryam and I am the clinical dietitian and Physician Assistant behind Eat Good 4 Life. My wish is to inspire you to start cooking healthier so that you can live a longer and happier life. Thanks for stopping by (
I am not turned off by the dattes, in fact, I really like these! These bars looks fantastic I have to say!
Thanks. I was surprised to like these a lot. I do like dates but I didn’t know how they would work in these bars. I think it is just genius :-)
I love these and I LOVE baking with dates! Can’t wait to try them!
I have some dates I need to use up and this looks like a delicious recipe to use them in. I like that the recipe does not call for refined sugar. :)
These bars look amazing and would love to try them however I have a little one with nut allergies. Are there any alternatives to the walnuts/almonds in the base? :)
Maybe you can try to make it with regular oats instead? of perhaps use this recipe crust for the base? https://www.eatgood4life.com/2013/03/no-bake-blackberry-frozen-cheesecake.html
Yay! These look great. So glad you liked the recipe. So happy that I stumbled upon your blog – I’ll definitely be spending lots of time here! Aren’t dates so fantastic to use?! I love that they have a caramel flavor without having to use any white sugar.
OMG.. these look amazing Miryam. All the ingredients are so healthy too.. they look a lot more fattening than they really are. Awesome job!
These look delicuous! Love the simple ingredients.
Oooh, these look amazing! I love them. :) Samoas are my favorite Girl Scout cookie so I’m sure I’d absolutely love these. And even better that they’re healthier. They sound amazing!
Ohmygosh these are the best thing I’ve seen all day!! My fiance’s birthday is this weekend and I think he (read: I) needs these:))
You will love them. I am making them again very soon :-) Thanks for visiting!
Awesome recipe Miryam! Looks so yummy and delicious. Definitely will try them. Thanks for the share.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! THEY ARE YUMMMY!! I have made them twice and my husband is in love with them! The first time I didn’t use the coconut oil for the first layer, the second time i did use the coconut oil don’t think I will again. I doubled the recipe for the second batch for a party and they were a big hit!
Oh super cool, I am so happy they were of your liking as well as for your friends. I need to make them again, I still have some dates left over from when I made them. Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know :-)
What other GF flour would be okay as a sub for the almond flour? I’m assuming coconut flour would be too dense for this – maybe a mix of brown rice and coconut? My two youngest kids are allergic to tree nuts. I try to limit the amount of tree nut items in our house – mostly just almond milk as that’s pretty easy to prevent them from getting into. The flours concern me more due to cross contamination or just plain forgetting and them eating something with it in there.
How about if you use GF rolled oats and pass them through the food processor to make them finer? I don’t think coconut flour or brown rice flour would be good :-( I hope it helps. Thanks for visiting.
What’s the difference between the dates? I see just “dates” and some times the recipe calls for “Medjool dates” – would Medjool dates work in this one or am I just looking for plain old dates?
I truly don’t know the difference. I think it is just a type of dates or something but any dates will do because I actually the dates that I use don’t say Medjol dates. They are just pitted though :-). Thanks for visiting my blog.
I used mejdool dates when I made these and think it does make a difference. Mejdool are probably the best dates for baking, as they are bigger, sweeter and softer. Be sure to buy them fresh and not overly ripened (if they have hardened a little, they are over ripe- they should have a consistent darker color and softness). Enjoy!
I used coconut flour instead of almond flour and substituted pumpkin puree for the coconut milk. They’re delish!
In the second layer you use shredded coconut – what coconut is used for first layer? Tx!!!
The same one :-) Thanks for visiting.
I’ve made these once already and they were fantastically good! Great recipe!
Unfortunately, I’ve run out of raw honey and only have regular honey to hand – can I use the same 1/4 cup measurement as the raw honey or should I use less because the regular honey is runnier?
Yes you can, just use 3 tablespoons instead of 4 :-) 1/ 4 cup = 4 tbsps!! Thanks for visiting.
I made these for a party last night and they were a huge hit!! Thank you! I don’t even like coconut that much (the texture) but I loved them!!
That is awesome. Thanks for letting me know :-)
Do you think this will work with coconut flour instead of almond and without the walnuts? I’m allergic to all nuts, but these sound delicious! Thanks.
I am not sure. I don’t want to say yes and then it is a flop. You can try it though :-) Thanks for visiting.
I made these tonight, and they are OUT OF THIS WORLD. As someone who is Paleo, it’s hard to find “strict” desserts, but this one works all the way around. Plus, not having to bake it is a major plus for someone like me who is an admitted baking newbie.
That is awesome. I am glad you liked it :-)
I was craving some Samoa Girl Scout cookies today. It didn’t help that they were set up at the grocery store when I was there earlier. But I had the willpower to keep on walking lol So I came home and hit up Google for some gluten free Samoa cookie recipe’s. I read thru a few and decided to make this one. It did not disappoint! These came out perfect and really satisfied that sweet tooth! I didn’t have any walnuts on hand so used pecans instead. The only thing I would do differently the next time I make these is use a slightly bigger pan for a thinner bar.
Thanks so much for letting me know. I am glad they were of your satisfaction. Making them thinner sounds great. Thanks for stopping by!
These look so delicious, I love that they’re no bake, and they’re so much more wholesome than the regular Samoa cookies! Pinned :)
These didn’t taste very much like Samoas (more like chocolate-coconut honey cake), but they were still delicious!
I LOVE your site. I definitely want to make these as Samoas are my downfall. Can you please tell me how many servings you are using for the calorie count? I can not find it anywhere.
I just want to say that these are the bomb. I didn’t have any almonds to make flour or meal so I just used grinded up oats (not GF anymore..but I didn’t care). These came out delicious. My MIL and 5.5 year old daughter loved them too!
That is awesome. I am glad your little one liked it :-) Thanks for stopping by.
These are good. I accidentally forgot the sweetener in the base layer and they still turned out. The base layer was so good by itself I want to go back and make bars out of just those ingredients (which looks a lot like one of your top ten recipes). I did have trouble getting the dates to blend thoroughly. I also halved the recipe and put them in mini muffin tins. The reason I just made half is because I am going to try your no bake chili brownies. **it’s always the photos that get me.
Lol…that is too funny. Well I hope you like those as well. I am glad these turned out even though you skipped the sweetener! Thanks for stopping by and following my blog.
I love this recipe and have made it many times, thank you! I have a question regarding the nutritional info….how much is a 63 g serving? In other words, when you make the recipe as noted in the 8′ x8′ pan, how many servings do you get?
You get about 12 large squares so one square would be one serving. I hope this helps!