If you’re after a yummy lunchbox snack, these Healthy Coco-Pop Bars are exactly what you need! Made with honey, chia seeds & coconut oil…. they’re the perfect alternative to the sugar-filled store bought varieties!
You know that feeling when you’re really, really craving something deliciously naughty and sweet… but you ‘knowwww’ that you should be eating something healthy instead?? Of course you know that feeling! Well I certainly do too… I have that mega brain argument about 50 million times every single day. Which brings me to these yummy little things…
Say hello to these ‘Healthy Coco-Pop Bars’! They taste just like you’re eating a really naughty treat, when you’re actually gobbling down on chia seeds, cacao powder and other deliciously healthy things. Heck YES!!!
This recipe came about when I was experimenting with making a healthier alternative to store-bought LCM bars and sugar-filled muesli bars. And what a delicious little experiment it turned out to be! Oh and did I mention that they also take less than 5 minutes to make and are completely no-bake??…. love, love, love that!
So next time you’re looking for a healthier snack for your kiddies (or yourself), then definitely try a batch of these yummy Healthy Coco-Pop Bars. I promise they’ll give your usual 3pm Freddo frog a run for it’s money! xx
Super Healthy 'Coco-Pop' Bars!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (120g) rice bubbles or any puffed rice
- 1/4 cup (40g) chia seeds
- 2 cups (200g) desiccated coconut
- 1/4 cup (25g) raw cacao powder
- 3/4 cup (255g) honey or 1 cup rice malt syrup
- 1/2 cup (110g) coconut oil, melted
Instructions
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Place the rice bubbles, chia seeds, coconut and cacao powder into a large bowl.
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Pour over the honey and melted coconut oil and mix together really well.
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Place the mixture into a lined 20cm square cake tin and press down firmly (I like to use a round glass and roll it over the mixture to really press it down extra hard).
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Place the tin into the fridge and leave for 2-3 hours or overnight.
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Take out of the fridge and cut into bars.
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Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Please note that using honey will keep the bars together more firmly than rice malt syrup.
To ensure that the bars don't crumble when being sliced, make sure the mixture is pressed very firmly into the tin and allow to set for 2-3 hours in the fridge.
These look great Lucy. You are not alone, I’ve never had LCM bars before either and growing up it was homemade snacks for morning tea at school every day. It was always a treat when on the odd occasion we had something ‘bought’ at school. This recipe certainly looks much healthier than the twix slice which also uses rice bubbles I saw on pintrest this morning!
Haha yep we occasionally were allowed to buy something from the ‘tuckshop’ on Fridays! Oooh that Twix slice sounds pretty good!!
Oh Lucy, these bars look crunchy and tasty! Thanks to the addition of chia seeds into the recipe. It makes it an even healthier, fun snack!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Haha Julie I thought I better go a bit healthy after the Caramello Slice I made the other day!!! 🙂
I’ll admit I was skeptical when I saw what they were called but they look good, can’t wait to try them.
Haha thanks Lila! 🙂
Ooh these look delicious! Perfect for work snack as well as a lunchbox! I’m always looking for new, healthy snack ideas to get me through the mid-arvo slump and these sound right up my alley!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
I have eaten one once and trust me yours look a zillion times more appealing the cardboard flavoured bars LCMs are. P.S that was totally supposed to be a compliment but I think it cam out the wrong way lol xx
Haha got it!! Thanks Sonia! 🙂
Hi, just made the bars, can’t wait to taste them in a few hours. However I think your photos shows a recipe without the cacao as the final product looks like the vanilla ones rather than chocolate.
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you made the bars!! They’re so yummy! Hmm I’m not quite sure what you mean though. I’ve only ever made these with cacao (or cocoa powder) as per the photos and recipe? Sorry, I’m a bit confused what you mean by vanilla ones?
Raw cacao is a different colour than cocoa which has been processed and has a darker colour as a result of that, taste is different too.
I just made these and they too look much darker than the photo. Cant wait to eat them!!!
Hi Donna, yep it just depends on the brand of cacao you use! xx
Can and how would you freeze all of these?
Hmm I personally wouldn’t freeze these as the rice bubbles won’t stay as nice and crispy. You could always try though!!
Hi! I really want to try these as I’m trying to get into healthier baking, but I am not a huge lover of coconut – do you think I could make this with half the amount of coconut and the texture would still be fine? Thanks!
Hi Christie, you could definitely halve the amount of coconut, or even remove it all together. If you do though, I would add in a little more puffed rice to keep the texture right.
I’ve made these a few times and love them! Made a big batch of these for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser at work, my workmates were surprised at how good they taste (like chocolate crackles) for a slice made without refined sugar. Thank you!
That’s so wonderful to hear!! Thanks for the awesome feedback xx
thank you so much for this recipe. Just made a batch for my little one who is chocolate crazy! I am always looking for healthy options. Hope he loves them
Yay!! So glad you made them. They’re definitely a healthier alternative!
I was just wondering if you have an alternative to Coconut Oil?
I don’t have any & would love to bake these.
Is there another oil that could work? Or Kopha or something? Thank you 🙂
Yep you could definitely use copha – the only thing is that it may give it a bit of a funny taste perhaps. I find the coconut oil to have a really yummy flavour!
What about rice bran oil?
Hmm I haven’t tried it myself in this recipe!!
Hi, just put all the ingredients in the bowl but just realized i dont have ant coconut oil. Is there something g I can substitute it with instead???
Hi Kristy, coconut oil really makes this slice! It keeps it nice and crispy too. I wouldn’t substitute this ingredient – sorry!! xx
Hi, this recipe looks delicious! Will liquid coconut oil work in this recipe? I notice your recipe asks for it to be melted.
Thanks.
Hi Bernadette, for a lot of people the coconut oil they buy will already be in a liquid format (I live in cold Melbourne so mine tends to set hard which is why it needs to be melted). As long as yours is liquid, you’re good to go!
Thanks!
where do you find the rice bubbles? thanks for sharing the recipe and for your blog, Lucy! I enjoy it and look forward to getting your ideas!
Hi Ann, just in the cereal aisle at the supermarket. Rice Bubbles is the most common brand of puffed rice we have in Australia but you can use absolutely brand you like. xx
Where do I get cacao from and which did you use
Hi Gail, you can get it from virtually any supermarket. I bought mine from Woolworths in the health food section. 🙂
Hubs just made these and they aren’t holding together. What went wrong, do you think? Still taste great but not ideal how they turned out.
Hi Cherie, it’s all to do with pressing the slice down super hard in the pan before popping it in the fridge! I will often use a glass to press down hard or even another tray the same size. Also, honey will hold together better than rice malt syrup. Oooh and a nice sharp knife for cutting!!