Cherry Ripe Chocolate Bars; gluten and dairy free
These Cherry Ripe Chocolate Bars are a real treat for the senses. A popular sweet treat in Australia and seldom found here in the UK, these dark chocolate bar filled with cherry and coconut are the perfect flavour combination.
Servings: 5 bars
Calories: 670kcal
Ingredients
- 180 g glacé cherries
- 100 g desiccated coconut
- 80 g coconut flour
- 40 g condensed milk if making dairy free use natures charm or make your own – see notes
- 20 g coconut oil
- 3-4 tsp cherry flavouring I use a coffee syrup – link at bottom of page
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 1-2 drops of red food colouring (this is optional the original bar has added colour, my version is naturally a mid-pink so a little lighter
Instructions
- If making your own condensed milk [see notes] you need to add 30mins boiling time and cooling time to the overall recipe timings.
- In a food processor add the glace cherries, coconut flour, condensed milk, coconut oil and cherry flavouring, blitz until combined.
- Scrape the sides of the processor and add the desiccated coconut (you want to keep the bits so don’t blitz to a smooth paste) blitz for a few seconds at a time until thoroughly incorporated.
- Line a small baking tray or rectangular dish with grease proof paper (I use a 1/4 sized baking tray, perfect for making 5 chocolate bars).
- Spoon the cherry and coconut mixture into the tray and smooth down into all the corners evenly with the back of a spoon, this can get a bit sticky so I keep my spoon dipped in water.
- Melt just under half of your chocolate and pour over the flattened cherry and coconut mix - this will be the bottom side of your Cherry Bliss Chocolate Bars. Pop into the fridge for 30mins or until the chocolate has set.
- Once set remove from fridge and gently run a knife around the edged to free the block, turn out onto a flat surface and carefully cut into fifths.
- Leave the bars to warm a little to room temperate (this will make adding the last lay of chocolate easier).
- In the meantime melt the remaining chocolate and pour over each bar (one at a time) and using the back of a spoon or smooth side of a knife tease the chocolate to the edge of the bar to cover all your cherry and coconut filling.
- Decorate the top with a swirl of your spoon or use a fork to create lines...it's entirely up to you.
- Return to the fridge and chill until completely set.
- Store in fridge to keep for longer, these will last for a couple of weeks - yeah right, they'll last an hour!
Notes
Notes… To make your own dairy free condensed milk simple add a 400g tin of coconut milk to 200g caster sugar in a saucepan (make sure you get a high coconut milk percentage, 65% and above works best) Stir over a medium heat until all the coconut lumps have dissolved and then turn the heat up to create a rapid/rolling boil. Boil for 25 minutes, don’t leave unattended, you could end up with the liquid escaping all over your cooker. Pour into a jug and leave to cool, the condensed milk with continue to thicken as it cools. Once you have your condensed milk you can use it for several of my recipes including my three flavoured Bailey’s recipes; original Bailey’s, Chocolate and Orange Bailey’s and Pumpkin Spice Bailey’s
Nutrition
Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 7mg