Buttercup Bars

I’ve just seen The Princess Bride for the first time! It lived up to all my hopes and expectations after hearing quotes for years. It’s especially good at McMenamins and with a bottle of red wine.

In honor of my first viewing, I’ve named these chocolate almond bars with sea salt after Princess Buttercup. A little sweet, a little salty!

These are terribly addicting and best kept in the freezer. For two reasons: so that they don’t melt and because if they are left on the counter, they might disappear faster than you made them! And they don’t take long to make! There’s not much more to say, except that these are perfect for warm summer nights.

Buttercup Bars (Chocolate Almond Bars with Sea Salt)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond butter (I LOVE Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Flax)

4 tbsp Tropical Traditions coconut oil (divided)

4 tbsp raw honey (preferably local, divided)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

sea salt to taste

2 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Heat almond butter and 2 tbsp coconut oil over low-medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add 2 tbsp honey. Stir until well combined. Pour into a small baking dish (8×8 or similar) and smooth out in one uniform layer. Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil over low heat and add cocoa powder. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 tbsp honey. Spread chocolate mixture over frozen almond butter mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt and chocolate chips. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the dish from the freezer and let warm slightly (I run water over the bottom of the dish for 15-20 seconds) – don’t let it melt! Cut into squares and ~~eat them all~~ return them to the freezer.

[If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.]

18 thoughts on “Buttercup Bars”

I love trader joes!!!!! I might have to make these for myself… awesome recipe!

I dont think I could make these.. I think I would eat them all in one go! eek.

sarahlynnsmile says:

30 July 2012 at 10.23 am

They are dangerous! That’s why I keep them in the freezer!

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Oh… those are WAY too tempting 😦

Trader joes is amazing, I agree. And yummy! These look so good and so simple. It’s rare that I have all the ingredients for a recipe without even trying. I’ll have to try these someday when I can have someone stop me at just 1 piece! Even if they were in the freezer, my sneaky hands would find them 🙂 great recipe!

These look amazing! I am really inspired by these to do a Princess Bride illustration and recipe! Yum!

These look sooo good! Do you think the recipe would still work if I substitute coconut butter for almond butter (almond butter is hard to find over here)?

sarahlynnsmile says:

20 August 2012 at 4.49 am

I think that sounds amazing! You might need to adjust the honey and oil a bit since the consistency is different. I’m guessing cut the oil in half, and maybe the honey? Let me know how it goes!

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I will definitely try this and please keep an eye out for ROUS!

Yum! These look fabulous! I wish I had one right now. 😀

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I made these and keep them in the freezer. The chocolate topping (or some element in the chocolate) is very hard, very crunchy. I wouldn’t say it’s a deterrent, but you tend to make the same face as when you take a bite of peanut brittle. Note: i had to use a premium hot cocoa blend instead of pure cocoa. Confirmed delicious though!

These look sooooo good! Sharing ’em as my paleo dessert recipe of the day on my Facebook page. Thanks a bunch for sharing your creative talents and beautiful photography. They look like toffee bars. Even though they likely taste a bit different, I’d imagine they crunch a bit when frozen, no?! YUM!