These strawberry cream bars are a no bake gluten free and vegan dessert with a cashew cream center and chocolate topping.
So on day 24 of this self-inflicted paleo challenge, shit hit the fan. And by that I mean I spent the day in a hummus factory and came face to face with two dozen gourmet donuts. I’ll let you guess how that went…
Truth be told actually, I was pretty proud of myself in the donut situation and only tried like 1/8th of this amazing toffee crunch flavor (it was amazing) but when presented with the opportunity to sample the entire line of Sabra’s hummus, I didn’t even have to think twice about breaking up with paleo for the day.
If there’s one thing in paleo that I disagree with anyway it’s the whole legume thing. I understand and have seen the first hand effects of grains and dairy on my body but ain’t nothing wrong with some beans.
Beans are technically a vegetable and I will eat as much of them as I damn well please thank you very much. Which is exactly what I did, eating probably about half my weight in the stuff throughout the day.
These strawberry cream bars? These are not paleo. I made these exactly 2 days before starting my paleo challenge and since 3 of them are still sitting in my freezer, every time I open it I cry a little for not having the foresight to make that bottom layer oat-less so I could’ve enjoyed them over the past 3 weeks.
I’m not gonna lie, there was one night I was so desperate for dessert, I scraped the bottom off and totally ate the strawberry cream center and chocolate top.
While I couldn’t be further from vegan if I tried, I have this weird obsession with cashew cream, the vegan go-to in desserts. The cashew strawberry center in these is on point, people (or shall I say on fleek?).
So much so that I have plans to recreate this bar in a protein packed tart cherry version very soon and I can assure you one thing, they’ll be paleo this time around.
Try these oatmeal raspberry sandwich cookies or these coconut almond macaroons for more no bake desserts!
No Bake Strawberry Cream Bars
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 cup oats
- 6 pitted medjool dates
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon nondairy milk
For the cream filling
- 1 cup hulled and halved strawberries
- 1 cup plain, unroasted cashews that have been soaked in water for at least 1 hour, drained
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
For the topping
- 1-1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Cacao nibs, optional
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine the oats, dates, almonds, vanilla and salt. Process until finely chopped. Add the milk, and continue processing until the mixture comes together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish, creating an even base layer.
- Add all the ingredients for the cream filling to the food processor, and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Spread the cream on top of the base in the baking dish. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients until fully incorporated and smooth. Remove the dish from the freezer, and pour the chocolate mixture on top. Tilt the dish so that the chocolate covers the cream evenly. Sprinkle a handful of cacao nibs on top, if using.
- Freeze until completely set, about 3 hours. Remove from freezer, and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing into squares.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I have never understood the lack of legumes/beans in the paleo diet. Come on, you mean to tell me cavemen didn’t eat beans? I don’t buy it.
I know! It’s ridiculous. According to my google skills, it’s apparently because of the phytic acid in beans and how it inhibits the absorption of nutrients in foods. I just think that on a scale of concern for what food does to your body, beans have no place being on the same list as grains, sugar and dairy. So basically, eff off with the bean thing, paleo. ;)
I dabble in all different kinds of eating: vegan, vegetarian, raw, paleo . . . but I still eat everything!
I eat more carbs on running days, less on non-running days. It’s easier for me to lose weight eating less carbs & I have fewer cravings . . . but I love my oats.
Those bars look amazing!
What a dreammmmmm!!!! And your’e a much better person than I am – I would have totally broken up with Paleo for a day for one of these!
These bars look delicious and luckily for me, I don’t follow a paleo diet and I love all things oats, yum! I also love cashew cream, check out my chocolate ganache raspberry tart, using cashew cream, which also would be paleo if not for the oats in the crust https://sweetgreenkitchen.com/2014/07/12/chocolate-ganache-raspberry-tart/
:-)
I was seeing all those hummus sampling photos on IG. Looked amazing. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to resist. Glad you didn’t either! These bars look fantastic. Strawberries are my fav!