Easy no-bake, gluten-free, refined sugar free recipe inspired by the Heavenly Hunks from Costco
I came up with this copycat recipe for 3 reasons…
1) We were in the middle of a pandemic and I did not want to venture out to Costco where the lines were long and people were racing over each other just to get toilet paper.
2) Although this gluten-free product is already a healthy treat as far as snacks go, I thought I might be able to make it a little more healthy with a less sugar, and lower in fat. Success!
3) It is a super simple snack with all my kitchen staples!
When I bought my first bag of Heavenly Hunks I was forced to limit myself to 1 Hunk per day, because it was deliciously easy to over consume these treats! I was late to the party on discovering the scrumptious morsels, and by the time I was down to my last hunk we were in the middle of the Corona Virus lock down. So going to Costco was an unfavorable option (especially when it is just for replenishing a snack). I then decided to attempt creating my own “hunk” by using just the ingredients I had on hand at the time.
I have been dabbling more frequently in gluten free and refined sugar free baking for the past few years, so oats, almond flour, unsweetened coconut, and maple syrup are common staples in my kitchen. Almond extract is probably the least common ingredient in most people’s pantry, but once you have it, you always have it, as a little goes a long way.
Ingredients
- Oats
- Almond Flour
- Unsweetened Coconut
- Protein Powder (optional) I use Tone it Up’s Unsweetened Vanilla Plat-Based Protein Powder
- Salt
- Real Maple Syrup
- Coconut oil melted
- Almond extract
- Dark Chocolate chips (little to no added sugar chips)
I love this snack, and I don’t feel guilty when I have a piece in the morning with my coffee. It’s practically like a granola bar anyway, right?
Heavenly Hunks – Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ C Oats
- ½ C Almond Flour
- ½ C Unsweetened Coconut
- ¼ C Protein Powder (optional) I use Tone it Up's Unsweetened Vanilla Plat-Based Protein Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ C Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil melted
- ½ tsp Almond extract
- 1 C Dark Chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 with parchment paper. Reserve 1/2 C oats. Put all dry ingredients into the food processor until finally grounded, oats, almond flour, unsweetened coconut, protein powder (optional), and salt. Pour the processed mix into a bowl and add all the wet ingredients: maple syrup, almond extract, coconut oil. And lastly incorporate the reserved rolled oats and the dark chocolate chips to the mixture Pour the entire mixture into 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper. Press it down firmly into the bottom and sides. Freeze for an 30min – 1 hr. or refrigerate for 2+ hours. Store in the refrigerator.
