These 4 Ingredient Coconut Cream Bars are an easy, no bake candy that tastes like a mounds bar! They’re even gluten free!!
GET MY COOKBOOK HERE (MAKES A GREAT GIFT!!.
Be the first to get new recipes – Subscribe to Back For Seconds by Email
You guys, these 4 ingredient, no bake, bites of heaven are my new favorite thing. I have been making them for many years for Christmas and have been trying to hold off on making them again until Christmas rolled around again. My husband loves these and has been craving them, so being the good wife that I am, I got out a bowl and went to work.
I say “work” but actually these are one of the easiest treats you can make.
Stir together 3 ingredients in about 30 seconds. Then take about 30 more seconds and press the mixture into a pan. Now this next part takes about an hour but the good news is you don’t have to do anything but pop the pan in the freezer. When they’re nice and cold, dip these coconut-creamy-dreamy bars in melted chocolate and, voila! You’re in candy heaven.
Here’s a few tips to make this as easy as possible:
- After the coconut mixture has been frozen quickly cut into bit sized pieces, then put them back in the freezer.
- Once your chocolate is melted, take out one row of bars at a time, and leave the rest in the freezer until you’re ready to dip them.
- If they get too warm they will fall apart in the hot chocolate, so keep them frozen while you work on a few at a time.
- Once they are dipped and the chocolate is set, they can be refrigerated, frozen, or left at room temperature.
Make these for your friends and family this Christmas – you’ll be everyone’s favorite 😉
Check out these collections of Must Make Christmas Recipes too!
Must Have Cookie Recipes for a Christmas Cookie Exchange
The ULTIMATE Christmas Dessert Guide! Cookies, Candy, Fudge and More!
17 Festive Recipes That Will Make You LOVE Eggnog
RED and GREEN Desserts to Make Your Christmas Merry and Bright!
Freezer Friendly, Make-Ahead Christmas Cookies and Candies!
20 Easy No-Bake Christmas Candy Recipes
25 Fabulous Fudge Recipes for Gift Giving and Holiday Parties
17 Pie Recipes Perfect for The Holidays
19 Beautiful AND Delicious Sugar Cookies
Merry Mint Recipes
Originally posted on Nov 24, 2012
Lady says
I am going to make the PayDay Chex mix and I have a question. At the end of the recipe it says that you can store it for two days. Why? Why only two? I am curious about whether or not you can store it for longer and why you put that sentence in the recipe. I don’t want anything to spoil but I would love to make this ahead of time. Thanks.
Stephanie Brubaker says
This Chex Mix is a little sticky from the caramel, so after a few days it starts to soften the cereal, and it just doesn’t taste as good. It really is best eaten fresh 🙂
Cheryl L. says
I made these on Dec 19th, 2016 and I have this to say about them. They are awesome. Love them. As for anyone who thought they might be too sweet, here’s what I did. I poured all the coconut into a bowl, I added the sweetened condensed milk, mixed it up real well by hand. Then, I added the powdered sugar to taste. Once it reached the proper taste, I just made them into balls, froze them, melted the chocolate and then dipped them into the chocolate, placed them on parchment paper and let them set up. They taste super awesome. Just like the real deal. Oh, as for the chocolate, I did mix some semi-sweet chocolate chips with the chocolate candy disk for melting. The taste and texture and look is just like the store bought. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Definitely a keeper and will definitely be making these many times over. NOTE** I used sweetened coconut. Also, I did not set aside any coconut for the tops. I used all of it for the candy.
Cheryl L. says
I made these on Dec 19th, 2016 and I have this to say about them. They are awesome. Love them. As for anyone who thought they might be too sweet, here’s what I did. I poured all the coconut into a bowl, I added the sweetened condensed milk, mixed it up real well by hand. Then, I added the powdered sugar to taste. Once it reached the proper taste, I just made them into balls, froze them, melted the chocolate and then dipped them into the chocolate, placed them on parchment paper and let them set up. They taste super awesome. Just like the real deal. Oh, as for the chocolate, I did mix some semi-sweet chocolate chips with the chocolate candy disk for melting. The taste and texture and look is just like the store bought. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Definitely a keeper and will definitely be making these many times over. NOTE** I used sweetened coconut. Also, I did not set aside any coconut for the tops. I just used all of it for the candy.
Cheryl L. says
I made these on Dec 19th, 2016 and I have this to say about them. They are awesome. Love them. As for anyone who thought they might be too sweet, here’s what I did. I poured all the coconut into a bowl, I added the sweetened condensed milk, mixed it up real well by hand. Then, I added the powdered sugar to taste. Once it reached the proper taste, I just made them into balls, froze them, melted the chocolate and then dipped them into the chocolate, placed them on parchment paper and let them set up. They taste super awesome. Just like the real deal. Oh, as for the chocolate, I did mix some semi-sweet chocolate chips with the chocolate candy disk for melting. The taste and texture and look is just like the store bought. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Definitely a keeper and will definitely be making these many times over.
Bonnie says
I made these and they were so easy. I also used a small cookie cutter worked great. Then i got a taste for peanut butter. Sooo i melted peanut butter chips and dipped the bars in that!! Awesome!!every one loved them.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
These look scrumptious and so easy to make – perfect!
Gigi says
OMG! My problem is that I am diabetic and these treats are loaded with sugar. So, I compromised and used unsweetened coconut and only 1 cup of powdered sugar. I put whole toasted almonds on the top before freezing. Then I cut and dipped the pieces in melted bittersweet chocolate. Sweet enough for me and satisfies my need for coconut and dark chocolate.
Gena says
I like this twist on the recipe, thought about almonds myself.
AJ says
I only had one bag of Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut (12 oz) so that was all the coconut I used, and these still turned out great!
Gail says
In your recipe you say shredded coconut and then when answering someone you said flaked, so which one is it???
Stephanie Brubaker says
Sorry for the confusion. I always us sweetened shredded coconut. Enjoy!
Rose Smith says
I made these yesterday because they sounded so delicious. The filling was easy to make although you need to make sure the coconut is thoroughly mixed with the condensed milk or else it does not stick together. I lined my pan with wax paper which made it real easy to get out for cutting. I melted the chips in the microwave as recommended. I found it to be too thick to easily coat the pieces. I added a little vegetable oil which helped a bit. It was not easy to coat the pieces, chunks of coconut would fall off into the melted chocolate. Also, I found that the 24oz bag was not enough to coat all the pieces because it is so thick. I would make it again but I definitely would figure out how to thin the chocolate better.
Kay Persico says
Made this recipe today and it turned out perfect. My husband loves mounds bars and was thrilled with the results. I am serving them at a baby shower tomorrow and can’t wait to hear the raves. Great and easy recipe!!!1
Stephanie says
Awesome!! SO happy to hear this 🙂
joannie says
also after you dip them in chocolate, do you put back in the freezer??
Stephanie says
You can freeze them or just refrigerate them 🙂
joannie says
I wanted to know what kind of chocolate you use???
Stephanie says
I usually use chocolate almond bark. You can also use chocolate chips but they are thicker when melted so I add 1 TBS coconut oil to thin in out some.
Flowers says
I would like to say that I think your site is awesome and I think most of your recipes look amazing and are worth a try especially this one which was the first one I tried!! I love coconut and chocolate!! I have completed this recipe and yes it’s easy to make the dipping part was awful I will say I haven’t tasted the final product yet but the coconut mix is awesome!! There is either something I did wrong or some tips you could post because we had chocolate everywhere and our bars look a HOT MESS!! LOL!! Well thanks for the wonderful recipe I’m sure the final product tastes awesome just looks awful lol. If there are any tips you could suggest I would love them if not I’m afraid I will not be making this again. It was just too messy for me.
Stephanie says
I always cut and dip just one row at a time, leaving the rest in the freezer until ready to use. This keeps the bars firm enough to dip and they keep their shape best this way. Hope that helps! Glad you liked them 🙂
mar says
Won’t post a pic of mine because they are not as pretty as yours,but they are delicious. How did you dip in the chocolate ? I had a tough time
Stephanie says
I’m glad you liked them! The easiest way to dip them is to work with one row at a time, leaving the rest in the freezer until ready to dip. I just drop one at a time into the chocolate and spoon chocolate over the top. Then I lift them out from underneath with a fork. Hope that helps for next time 🙂
shelley says
can you tell me if the posdered sugar means icing sugar?
Stephanie says
Yes mam! 🙂
Pat says
Love love. Chocolate and coconut. Can’t wait to make these. Thank you for sharing.
Beth says
Do you think this will work?… line the bottom of my pan with parchment and spread a little chocolate on the bottom then a little of the coconut mixture, then place an almond 4 across & six down to get 24 squares then cover with remaining Coconut mixture, set to freeze and then cut and cover with remaining chocolate. Just saves on the dipping process I think and you get an Almond Joy instead of just a Mound 🙂
Stephanie says
Yes, I think that would work! But you will want to make more than 24 bars. I cut mine pretty small, maybe 48 instead? I’m all about saving time – let me know how it works out for you. Thanks, Beth!
Pam t says
I just made these. They are very tasty!! I have a couple of tips for this recipe. First, add three (3) tbsps of crisco to the chocolate to thin it out. Cut pieces of frozen coconut very small. (Once you coat them they get bigger!). Use a two prong fork, dip frozen coconut mixture into chocolate to cover the bottom, place on fork, spoon over the chocolate, and bang the fork to get rid of some of the chocolate or it is way too thick.
Cathy MacDonald says
Is the coconut sweetened or unsweetened?
Pam t says
I used sweetened
Stephanie says
I use sweetened coconut 🙂
patricia says
could you tell me how much a cup of sugar is in oz please, we don’t have cup measurements in the UK. x
ter says
1 cup = 8 ounces…
Diane says
Can’t wait to make these! And I hear that Coconut is good for Alzheimer’s. So this would be considered healthy right? 😉
shelley says
I was wondering as well if powdered sugar was icing sugar. I cna;t wait to make these. Yummmmy
Stephanie says
Yes, powdered sugar is the same as icing or confectioners sugar. These bars are VERY popular in our house – hope you enjoy!
Lisa says
Is powdered sugar icing sugar?
Stephanie says
Yes, powdered sugar is the same as icing or confectioners sugar. Enjoy 🙂
Cynthia says
how did you “Dip” them in the chocolate?
Stephanie says
I melted the chocolate in a long shallow bowl and just set the bars in it. Then I spooned the chocolate over the top. Hope that helps 🙂
Mona Theriault says
trying them later today>…
Gwen Angel Sadler says
My grandma made these at Christmas for us. I hadn't thought about them in years. Thank you so much for posting them. They are DELICIOUS!
cindy says
what kind of chocolate of chocolate?
Stephanie says
Hi Cindy,
You can use chocolate chips or chocolate Almond Bark or any other chocolate you like! Enjoy!
marcia says
Considering your recipe for chocolate easter eggs! Would you say this is gluten free? I’m new at the whole gluten free diet thing…
Stephanie says
HI Marcia! Yes, these are gluten free 🙂 I would add just a bit more coconut to make them more stable if you want to shape them into eggs. I hope you enjoy them 🙂
April Solomon says
These look great! Do they have to stay cold? I’m looking for something to make for a cookie exchange, but if they have to stay cold, I don’t know if they would work. Thanks!
Stephanie says
Hi April! No, these do not have to stay cold. After they have been dipped in chocolate and have set up, it is fine to keep them at room temp 🙂
April Solomon says
great thanks!
Adrienne bernsen says
Thank-you. Love Love coconut..
Kelsey says
These look so yummy! Thank you for sharing at our link party and check back soon as I am including you in the feature post 🙂 -Kelsey
cherie says
I had really bad luck melting regular choc chips one year. Is there a good process for melting chocolate. My chips turned into a big thick ball of tough chocolate. Did I have the heat too high? Sadly these ingredients can be expensive and there in no room for messing up. Any brand or process you recommend?
Stephanie says
Hi Cherie, you may have better luck with chocolate Almond Bark. You can find it in the same aisle as chocolate chips at the store. The easiest way to melt chocolate of any kind is to use the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Heat another 30 seconds, stir. Then heat and stir at 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. If you over heat chocolate it will seize up and be unusable. I hope this helps!
Phyllis says
These look great. One question, is it unsweetened coconut? Also, would love to know about your hobbies, your dreams, and your favorite places to visit.
Thanks.
Stephanie says
I used sweetened coconut. Thanks, Phyllis!
cindy says
Hi these sound really good, wondering if they would be able to be made into balls? Or is it just easier to use the pan?
Stephanie says
Hi Cindy! I think you could make them into balls, but you may have to use extra powdered sugar to help them hold together better. It sure is easy just to make bars though 🙂 I’d love to know if you try making balls. Thanks for stopping by!
Yoli says
Do you think almonds or cherries could be pressed into the coconut before cooling, (I prefer almond joy..lol).
Stephanie says
Oh yes! My husband wants me to use almonds next time 🙂 Enjoy!
Courtney says
Quick question. It says to stir together coconut (but in the ingredients it says “divided”, so how much should be stirred originally? Later it says to add the remaining coconut, so I’m not sure what the division of coconut should be.
Also, should you be using sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
Thanks! They really look good! Can’t wait to try them!
Stephanie says
Hi Courtney! I’m so sorry about that…I just edited the recipe with more specifics. Initially you will stir in about 20oz of coconut, leaving 4oz to sprinkle on top at tthe end. I used sweetened coconut. Thanks for your question! I’m glad you brought it up so I could fix my mistake. Hope you enjoy the bars! 🙂
Trudy says
These look amazing. I’m thinking some could be dipped in white chocolate, too. I have a question – how much of the coconut is held back to be sprinkled on top? And, do 2 cups of powdered sugar equal 20 ounces?
Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolates says
Yum!! Sounds fabulous! I love coconut and chocolate.
Theresa says
These look so divine! I want to make these for Christmas.
I have a question, do you think these could be made early, then frozen?
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Stephanie says
Absolutely! I actually love to freeze them and eat them straight out of the freezer 🙂 Enjoy!
emily says
those look seriously amazing!!! Thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays at Nap-Time Creations. You are going to be featured at the party this week! Stop by and check it out. http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2012/12/juneinspired-by-guest-post-delightful.html the link will be live tonight at 8:30 central time.
Tiffany says
I know it would be more work, but could this recipe be used to make balls rather than bars?
Stephanie says
Yes! I almost went that route, but I got lazy and made bars instead 🙂
Carol ( Answer Is Chocolate) says
Only my favorite combination! Featuring these as part of my link party wrap up on Monday.
Betty Mc Gaughey says
what kind of chocolate? my guess is chocolate chips but I do VERY little baking so I am asking.
BJMc
Stephanie says
You can absolutely use chocolate chips 🙂
Debbie says
Semi-sweet or milk chocolate?
Stephanie Brubaker says
I use semi sweet but you can use whatever you prefer! Enjoy!
Dawn Dillingham says
I LOVE anything coconut and so does my father. He had surgery last week and I think these just might be the perfect ‘pick me up’. Thanks for sharing!
Randi - Dukes and Duchesses says
My family would LOVE those …. I can’t wait to try them!
Jill @ Create.Craft.Love. says
These look fantastic! And I love that they are so easy to make! Thanks for linking up to the Keep Calm and Link Up! Hope to see you back next week!
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
Oh my word these look fantastic…I love that they are no bake!!
Kelly says
These sound divine! I think I’ll be making these this year. Too bad for my sister since she doesn’t like coconut…oh well…more for me! 🙂
Kelly
chelsea says
Oh my goodness! These look like a little piece of heaven!! Thanks so much for sharing, I want to make these like.. NOW! The Family will be in love:)
Ginger says
I L-O-V-E coconut. These look so easy and delicious!
I’d love for you to come link up to my Show & Tell party. http://www.gingerlymade.com/2012/11/show-and-tell-3.html
Rachel Johnson says
I am making these ASAP! I love coconut stuff!
Words Of Deliciousness says
Yum, this is my kind of treat. I could eat the whole pan myself.
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen says
I Love Love Love this recipe! So going on my Christmas Goody making list this year!
Meghan @ The Tasty Fork says
This is a winner recipe! My hubby has a big certification exam on Saturday. He LOVE coconut, so I think he’ll be getting a special coconut cream bar treat when he gets home. 🙂 Thanks for posting.
Caroline says
I’d really like to make this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
A quick question: Do 2 cups of powdered sugar equal 20oz?
Jana says
These look so simple to make. Can you believe that this past week I was searching my cookbooks high and low for a recipe that I did years ago for Mounds candies and this looks pretty close to it. Since I can’t find my recipe, I’m going to give these a try soon for Christmas candies.
Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
Wow….these look amazing and only 3 ingredients?? I’m sold! I would be honored if you shared this at my Ginger Jamboree Link Party!
Anita says
These look like a wonderful holiday treats, not sure I’ll be waiting on Christmas to make them! Beautiful photos too!
Tanya says
I always make coconut balls for Christmas, but those are work! I like these much better!!!
Steph @ Silver Boxes says
These sound Heavenly! Pinning to make SOON!
~Steph @ Silver Boxes
Sarah C. says
I love coconut and the pictures are wonderful!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
These look amazing!! Just found your site and tweeted and pinned these
Stephanie says
Thank you so much, Alison! I’m so glad you came by!
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
there is honestly nothing in this world quite like the combo of coconut and chocolate! And I love coconut and sweetened condensed milk together – kind of like a mounds bar, which are one of my very favorites.
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
Kinda sorta FREAKING OUT(!!) over these bars, Stephanie! Almond Joys/Mounds are my FAVE candy bar EVER and these look so scrumptious and dangerously simple to make 🙂 I want the whole pan and then some!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says
If I could have these right now for breakfast, I would! Guess I’ll have to at least wait until I get home…I’m pinning these for sure.
Penny says
Hi, from New Zealand, just found your blog and it’s great. It’s Sunday night in Auckland and I just showed my husband your lovely coconut cream bars, he said YUM make those, they look so nice. So I’m getting the coconut tomorrow and will give them a go. Thanks for the lovely blog. Penny
Stephanie says
Oh that’s awesome! I hope you enjoy them, thank you!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl says
OMG. I am totally making these!! And eating them all myself! 🙂
Kim says
I love anything with coconut! I can’t wait to make these. Thank you for sharing!
Jeanette says
Oh my goodness! Coconut and chocolate, plus no bake and only 4 ingredients = HEAVEN! I’m pinning this one and will be making it for Christmas!
Sally Johnson says
In the recipe for the 4Ingredient bars… what kind of Coconut.. sweet unsweetened… I see this recipe has LARGE flakes of coconut. I would like to make these but, am unsure of this point. tks
Stephanie says
I use sweetened. I think the flakes look bigger in the photo – they are just regular sweetened flaked coconut 🙂 Enjoy!
Ann says
Turned out just like Mounds bars. Easy to make and YuMMY.