These hazelnut coffee bars have a chewy hazelnut and date center that's coated in a coffee infused dark chocolate. They're rich and decadent with a bold hazelnut and coffee flavor. This recipe is paleo, vegan and no bake!
It's been a minute since I shared another coffee flavored recipe and I've been obsessed with hazelnut lately, so sharing these hazelnut coffee bars seemed like a must!
These bars have a chewy center made with dry roasted hazelnuts, dates, almond butter and cocoa powder. They're flavored with instant coffee and coated in dark chocolate. These bars are rich and decadent - perfect for a simple dessert to stash away in the freezer.
One of the great things about these hazelnut coffee bars is that they don't require any baking. All you need to do is blend the filling in a food processor, press it into a lined loaf pan, chill it and then dip the bars in chocolate.
Why You'll Love these Hazelnut Coffee Bars
- paleo friendly - made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- vegan - no dairy or eggs are required to make these coffee bars
- no bake - these bars are not baked in the oven. All you need is a food processor to blend the filling ingredients.
- store well in the fridge or freezer - I love making a batch and storing them in the freezer for an afternoon treat that lasts for months.
Ingredients
The full recipe for these hazelnut coffee bars can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- dates - to sweeten the filling and give it a chewy texture
- dry roasted hazelnuts - I like dry roasted nuts because they have more flavor, but you can use raw or roast your own. You'll need nuts for both the filling and the topping.
- almond butter - this can be swapped with any other nut or seed butter
- cocoa powder - for a chocolate filling
- instant coffee - gives these bars a coffee flavor. I love Four Sigmatic's instant coffee because it is organic and finely ground.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- salt - enhances all of the flavors
- dark chocolate - I used Pascha Chocolate's dark chocolate with Arabica coffee to give these bars a bolder coffee flavor. However, feel free to use any type of dark chocolate. You can always add a teaspoon of instant coffee to your melted chocolate if it isn't already coffee flavored.
How to Make Hazelnut Coffee Bars
You'll need a food processor to make the filling for these no bake coffee bars. Here are the steps:
- Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Soak the dates in hot water. Then drain the water and add the dates to your food processor, along with all of the other filling ingredients.
- Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until the mixture starts to clump and can be pressed together to hold it's shape.
- Put the filling mixture into your lined loaf pan. Firmly press it down using a spatula or your hands. The filling will be quite oily, so you can dab it with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture.
- Add the chopped hazelnuts on top of the filling and press them down so that they stick.
- Place the bars in the freezer for at least an hour to set.
- Remove the bars from the loaf pan and cut them to desired size (I cut mine to 12 pieces).
- Dip the bars in melted chocolate. Place the dipped bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set.
Tips and Tricks
- Make the bars in a loaf pan. The best size of pan for making these bars is an 8x4 inch loaf pan. One slightly smaller or slightly larger will be fine too.
- Soak the dates. You want to soak your dates in hot water for 5 minutes in order to soften them for the filling. Place your dates in a small bowl. Either heat a pot of water and pour it over the dates until they are fully submerged. Or pour water over the dates and heat them in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Work quickly when dipping the bars in chocolate. Once your chocolate is melted, cut the bars and quickly dip them in the dark chocolate. The bars are easier to dip when cold.
Storage
Store these chocolate coffee bars in an airtight container or baggie in the fridge or freezer. They will last well up to two weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.
FAQ
No, you can use any dark chocolate you want - bars or chips.
You can use any other nut or seed butter in place of the almond butter. It will slightly change the taste, but the recipe will still work.
Yes, the filling is oily. You can dab it with a paper towel after pressing it into your lined loaf pan.
More Recipes You'll Love
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Hazelnut Coffee Bars (Paleo, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Fills an 8"x4" loaf pan 1x
Description
Rich coffee and hazelnut bars with a no-bake filling and dark chocolate coating.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup Medjool dates (10-12)
- ½ cup dry roasted hazelnuts
- ⅓ cup almond butter (no sugar, no salt)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (24g)
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Topping
- 2 Tbsp dry roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Coating
- 2 dark chocolate Arabica coffee bars (about 2.8 oz)*
Instructions
- Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes**
- Drain the water from your dates and add them to a food processor, along with all other filling ingredients. This includes the hazelnuts, almond butter, cocoa powder, instant coffee, vanilla and salt.
- Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until the mixture starts to clump and can be pressed together to hold it's shape. This will take a couple minutes.
- Place the filling mixture into your lined loaf pan. Firmly press it down using a spatula or your hands. The filling will be quite oily, so you can dab it with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture.
- Add the chopped hazelnuts on top of the filling and press them down so that they stick.
- Place the bars in the freezer for at least an hour to set.
- Once chilled, melt the dark chocolate for the coating.
- Remove the bars from the loaf pan and cut them to desired size (I cut mine into 12 pieces).
- One at a time, dip the bars in the melted chocolate. Place the dipped bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set.
- Optional: drizzle with additional chocolate and top with chopped hazelnuts.
Notes
*Another option is to use plain dark chocolate or chocolate chips. You can add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the melted chocolate if you want the bars to have more of a coffee flavor.
**To soak the dates, place the dates in a glass or ceramic bowl. You can either heat a pot of water on the stovetop and pour it over the dates until they are fully submerged. Or, pour water over the dates and then heat them in the microwave for 1 minute.
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