I love Almond Joy candy bars and was thrilled when I discovered how to make them as cookie bars, this almond joy bars recipe has the chewy coconut filling sandwiched between a chocolate cookie base and a chocolate top! And of course, there’s plenty of almonds! Almonds are so versatile.
They lend texture and sweetness to cookies or can be the star of the show in almond cookies. You’re going to love how they add crunch and nutty flavor to this recipe. This traybake is simple to make and eats like a cookie with its strong base.
Let’s head to the kitchen and get these almond joy bars cooking!
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What I Love About Almond Joy Bars Recipe
The list of my favorite things with this almond joy bars recipe was tough to condense, but here are my top four reasons that I love this recipe!
- The ooey-gooey coconut filling
- Double layers of chocolate
- The cookie crust makes it easy to hold
- They’re crazy simple to make
Recipe Notes
Almond Joy candy bars have a winning flavor combination that has inspired many a delectable dessert like almond joy brownies, almond joy cookies, and of course, this almond joy bars recipe. They’re all super simple! Here are a few extra tips!
Melting Chocolate: Go low and slow in the microwave when you’re melting the chocolate for the topping. It should never get too hot to touch. Use short bursts on 50% power and stir in between until melted.
No nuts: Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don’t! These are super easy to make into a mounds bar, which was actually invented before Almond Joy. Use dark chocolate for the top and omit the almonds. You might need to increase the amount of coconut to absorb the milk and help the filling set properly.
Ingredient Notes
Sweetness Level: This almond joy bars recipe is very sweet like the candy bar, but if it’s too much for your taste, try using unsweetened coconut instead. Don’t omit the sweetened condensed milk. It’s the key to getting the right consistency in the filling!
Storing Tips
Cutting these bars without squishing them can be a little bit of a challenge. I suggest doing what my Grandma always did when cutting something with a hard chocolate top. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe with a paper towel, and cut with the hot knife. Reheat your knife as soon as you feel resistance when cutting.
I prefer to store the bars uncut to prevent them from drying out. Cut or uncut, make sure they are in a well-sealed container and store in the fridge.
Can You Freeze This?
This almond joy bars recipe freezes beautifully. You can freeze them uncut in the pan. Wrap with several layers of cling wrap.
Just remember, they’ll need to defrost before you can cut them! You can also freeze individual bars by wrapping them in cling wrap before putting them in a freezer bag.
Make Ahead Tips
I like to allow this almond joy bars recipe to sit for at least a day before serving so the filling can come together and set up.
How Long Can You Keep This?
Almond joy bars will hold in the fridge for 3-4 days. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months, according to food handling guidelines.
Recipe Variations
There are lots of twists that you can try with this almond joy bars recipe and its ingredients. Here are a few ideas!
What Other Desserts Can I Make With Almonds?
Almonds don’t only taste great, they’re packed with nutrition and taste great in lots of yummy desserts. Almonds add delicious flavor to cookies like almond cookie recipe, almond butter cookies and Italian almond cookies.
Another Italian classic is almond biscotti recipe. This crispy, slightly sweet treat is perfect with coffee!
Can I Add Apples To This Recipe?
I don’t think apples would add a lot to this recipe. I think they would get lost in the stronger flavors of this almond joy bars recipe. If you’re looking for apple flavor, try my apple bars! Another fantastic apple treat would be apple pie bars. They have all the yumminess of apple pie in a simple traybake!
What Other Cookie Bars Can I Bake?
Cookie bars bring all the delicious parts of cookies to the convenience of a traybake. One of my favorites is a simple lemon bars recipe. I also love the decadent indulgence of salted caramel bars and pecan pie bars!
Can I Add Peanut Butter?
You could add some peanut butter to the chocolate topping to add another layer of nutty flavor. Of course, if you’re looking for strong peanut butter taste, I suggest my peanut butter bars recipe. These chocolate peanut butter bars are no-bake and super quick to make! You can also try chewy, moist peanut butter oatmeal bars as well.
Can I Add Berries To This Recipe?
You could consider adding some dried berries to the filling if you wanted to try a kick of fruitiness. I’ve got several fruit bar recipes that showcase fruit flavors. My lemon blueberry bars, strawberry bars, and blackberry pie bars all use fresh fruit and are super simple to make!
Almond Joy Bars
Ingredients
Topping:
Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 (14-ounce) Bags sweetened flake coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped almonds
Topping:
- 2 (12-ounce) Bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
- about 20 whole almonds
Instructions
Make The Crust:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with a double thickness of aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over long sides. Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in the microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in eggs, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping.
Make The Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix well.
- Spoon mixture onto the crust and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the chopped almonds evenly over the filling and gently press using a spatula.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add both bags of chocolate chips and shortening. Cook in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until it is just melted. Stir until smooth. Don't overheat.
Make The Topping:
- Pour melted chocolate over the filling. Evenly space the whole almonds on top of the filling and gently press almonds slightly into the filling. Refrigerate until topping is firm, about 1-2 hours. Cut into small squares and serve.
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More Cookie Bars Recipes…
Check out these delicious dessert bars recipes! They take the classic bars to the next level!
- Payday Bars – made with peanuts and caramel!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars – the cookie bar for all ages!
- 7 Layer Bars – because one layer is not enough!
- Coconut Bars – the perfect dessert for coconut lovers
- Coconut Cream Pie Bars – the perfect combination of coconut and cream pie!
Conclusion
If you love the chewy coconut and chocolate candy, then you’re going to love this almond joy bars recipe! It’s got all the best parts of the candy bar in a simple traybake. They’re a hit wherever I take them!
I look forward to hearing how they work for you. Please leave me a comment below!
Is it possible to omit the cocoa and make like a shortbread crust instead
Hi, Wendy. I haven’t tried that. You can make almond joy cookies and almond shortbread cookies.
Thanks for giving valuable content
You’re welcome, Manish! 😀
Just curious. I see recipe calls for unsalted butter, but then 1/2 tsp salt is added to mixture. Why not just use salted butter?
Thank you
Gail
Hi Gail! You can use salted butter in place of unsalted butter. It really depends on your preference. I prefer unsalted butter because I can control how much salt goes to my recipe. Hope this helps! 😀
I will be trying this and the PayDay ones as soon as possible!! Thanks.
Hi Sandy! So glad to hear you’ll give this a try! Let us know how it turns out! ?
Yummy looking recipe…but printed recipe says to leave the oven on for the filling? I think this must be an error as the filling doesn’t need baked. Came back to recheck recipe and hoping it turns out. I’ll let you know!
Thank you, Vicki! You are so right. We are updating it, thanks again! <3
So sorry to report that the recipe had problems. The filling was way too gooey – actually lost some of the coconut cream when I tried to cut the bars. Took them to our potluck and had to serve with a spoon. Everyone LOVED the flavors, just needs some tweaking to get the filling firmer. Let me know when you get the adjustments and I’ll certainly try again.
Hi Vicki. I added another tablespoon of vegetable shortening to the topping to soften it a bit. I also add some slicing info in the recipe notes. I really want this to be a huge hit for everyone who makes it, so I greatly appreciate your feedback. It’s hard for me to tweak it too much because it’s such a huge hit for my family and the potlucks I take it to. Thank you for being part of this community and let me know what you think of the little changes. <3
Can you use coconut oil instead of crisco?
Hey, Sara yes I think that would be a great idea. I think it would require less, but not exactly sure how much. Sorry about that.
Omg! I definitely want to try this!
I hope you like this! 🙂