Basic Coconut Fruit Energy Bars **Vegan** **Sugarfree**

I have been experimenting with making my own fruit bars, partly because they are pretty expensive to buy here in Europe and partly because I am so picky and want to make some with flavors I love. The chance came along when I was making a batch for my German class, and I had a special request to make something diabetic friendly. So, I figured no added sugar meant I could use some dried fruit, like apricots. Dates would be too dense.

This came out very mild yet tasty. Also seems like a great idea for a raw dessert base. Imagine whipping up some cream topping and making little pie squares.


These are very easy, HOWEVER a key ingredient is coconut butter (my new found lover!). It keeps them together at room temp, and adds in healthy fat. I think these are great for kids to snack on, especially since you can tweak it to your child's preferences.


Ingredients:

- 1 cup oats (not the instant kind!)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 200 gm dried apricots
- 4 Tbsp boiling water
- 1 cup almonds
- 120 gms coconut butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon



Preparation:

Chop the apricots by hand then place in boiling water to soak. In a blender, blend the oats until as fine as possible. add in the cinnamon, coconut and almonds and blend until fine. Add in the coconut butter and the apricots and blend again until well incorporated. The mixture should turn into a ball in the blender.

Place the mixture in a square pan and press down. Try to make it as even on top as possible. Cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to set.

Enjoy!