These decadent bars are the perfect summer treat. Made with an oat and date crust, cashew and coconut filling with fresh, juicy raspberries. Vegan, gluten-free, and no refined sugar.
Living in Minnesota, summer is that special time of year where everyone comes out of hibernation and spends every waking hour outside. Picnics and BBQ’s become a frequent occurrence and weekends are spent at the cabin. All of these special moments with family and friends are made even better when yummy food is shared, right? Summer is a great time to use fresh, beautiful berries in your dishes. Think of blueberry cobblers, fruit kabobs, raspberry sorbet, strawberry shortcake, the list goes on!
When I’m out shopping for berries, I always look go straight to Driscoll’s. Not all raspberries are created equal. Driscoll’s exclusive patented berry varieties are developed through years of research using only natural breeding methods. Driscoll’s is the trusted brand for Only the Finest Berries ™. They follow the sun, so their sweet and juicy varieties are available year round. They keep things natural and never genetically modify our raspberries. Driscoll’s, the leading brand of natural and organic berries, recently named the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area as the raspberry consumption capital of the Country. According to data reported by The Nielsen Company, the Twin Cities market consumes 132 percent more fresh raspberries per household than the national average; now that’s pretty amazing!
Life is sweeter when you Berry Together! Driscoll’s is hosting a Minnesota-exclusive #BerryTogether sweepstakes in partnership with TheFeedFeed, with a top prize of a magical 4-night getaway at Madden’s on Gull Lake. Four first-prize winners will win Driscoll’s berries for a year. The sweepstakes will run through August 31, 2017. Visit www.berrytogether.com to enter for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to Madden’s on Gull Lake Four first-prize winners will win Driscoll’s berries for a year.
Now, for the drool-worthy recipe you’ve all been waiting for. Let me introduce you to these Raw Vegan Coconut Raspberry Bars. They are the perfect balance of sweet and tart. And the best part? They’re super simple to make with wholesome, clean ingredients.
Would you believe me if I told you these bars are actually healthy?! You bet they are; no guilt here!
This blog post is brought to you by Driscolls & TheFeedFeed – thanks for supporting the brands that support me! All opinions are my own.
Raw Vegan Raspberry Coconut Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- ¼ cup Pecans
- ¼ cup Walnuts
- ½ cup Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Medjool Dates pitted
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
Coconut Filling
- 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 1 hour
- 1 can Full-Fat Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Raspberry Topping
- 1 cup Fresh Raspberries
- 1 Tbs Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Soak dates and cashew in two bowls of water for 1 hour prior to making bars .
- Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, blend the pecans, walnuts, oats, dates, and cinnamon until it forms a dough.
- Press the dough down into your pan, until it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Place the cashews and coconut cream in a food processor, and blend until completely smooth.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and continue to blend until incorporated.
- Pour your blended cashews into the coconut cream and gently mix together with a spatula or spoon. Pour the mixture into your pan.
- Place the raspberries and maple syrup in a food processor and blend. Spoon the mixture into the pan on top of the cashew and coconut layer.
- Using a sharp knife, begin to make swirls into the raspberry layer to achieve that swirly look.
- Place your vegan raspberry cheesecake bars into the freezer to firm up for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove from pan, cut into squares, and serve. Enjoy!
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