On Candy Bars

And making them at home.

Welcome to the Friday post for paid subscribers—candy! On Tuesday, all subscribers will receive the second installment of grocery store thoughts. As always, thank you for being here. Sneak a peek at more of my work here!

I developed this recipe in January 2020, and in the headnote, I wrote: “TWENTY-TWENTY BABY! Let’s go!” so I feel confident in saying that I was batting 1000 at that moment in terms of foresight. Not! I will say, though, that my instincts in developing this recipe were spot on: it still hits, four years and a pandemic later.

These no-bake, vegan chocolate coconut bars are to die-for, almost identical in taste to certain popular candy bars who shall not be named. While I was testing this recipe, I felt like Claire Saffitz shooting Gourmet Makes (my favorite TV show). The similarities ended when I struck gold, didn’t ask a co-worker for their opinion, and didn’t attempt to temper chocolate. The good news is that none of that mattered because these bars didn’t hang around long enough to be judged.

Depending on your audience, you can bill these no-bake coconut bars as homemade Mounds candy or vegan, raw, no-sugar-added dessert. We love a versatile sweet!

Chocolate Coconut Bars