Easy Gluten Free Almond Joy Cookie Bars

Name: Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Joy Cookie Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 1 gluten free chocolate cookie or brownie mix (See Notes); 12 ounces condensed coconut milk (* see note); 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut; 1 cup slivered or sliced toasted almonds

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If you love Almond Joy candy bars, my new gluten free almond joy cookies recipe will become your favorite. There is also a dairy-free version so that anyone can enjoy them! Moist, chewy coconut on top of a chocolate cookie or brownie...one bite, and you will be hooked!

A stack of three almond joy bars on a wooden cutting board.

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Why This Recipe is Great:
Ingredient Notes:
Substitutions:
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Recipe FAQ:
More Delicious Gluten Free Cookies:
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

You are in for a treat with these chocolaty gluten free chocolate almond joy cookie bars.

These gluten free almond Joy cookie bars are a delicious dessert that combines chocolate, coconut, and almonds. They are easy to make with store-bought cookie dough or store-bought chocolate cookie mix, or use my easy Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Cookies or Gluten Free Brownies recipes as the base!

I have hundreds of delicious gluten free cookie and cookie bar recipes on the blog, and enjoy!

Why This Recipe is Great:

The number one reason I think you will love this recipe? They taste so much like Almond Joy candy bars!
These delicious almond joy cookie bars are full of chocolate and coconut flavors.
You can make these regular or dairy-free and make them on a cookie or a brownie.
These bars are easy to freeze for later.

If you are dairy-free and gluten-free, here are two more delicious dairy-free dessert recipes to try. Gluten Free Banana Bars and Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Donuts.

Ingredient Notes:

Photos of the almond joy cookies ingredients.

Chocolate Cookie or Brownie Baking Mix, or use one of my chocolate cookie or brownie recipes (linked above.)
Coconut or Regular Condensed Milk - You can use regular condensed milk if you are not dairy-free. Both are available in most local grocery stores.
Butter - Use unsalted butter.
Shredded Coconut - You will want to use unsweetened coconut because these cookie bars are already pretty sweet from the condensed milk.
Slivered or Sliced Toasted Almonds - Raw almond slivers are also okay as they will toast while baking.
Eggs, Oil or Butter, and Milk are usually needed for making the cookie or brownie base.

Are you ready to give this recipe a try? Gather your ingredients.

Substitutions:

To make this recipe dairy-free, use coconut condensed milk and plant-based butter or oil in the cookie/brownie mix.
To make this recipe nut-free, omit the almonds and top the bars with chocolate chips.

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Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Step 1: Add the cookie or brownie mix to a bowl, or make one of my recipes and make the dough according to the directions.

Brownie batter spread out in a pan, ready to bake.

Step 2: Spread the cookie dough or brownie batter into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper. (Note this photo is from when I made this recipe, but I doubled it because I needed it for a bake sale.)

A small pile of shredded coconut on a counter.

Step 3: Add the shredded coconut in a large mixing bowl and pour the coconut condensed milk over the top. Use a spoon to mix it. Pour the mixture over the cookie mix and spread it evenly over the brownie or cookie mixture.

Step 4: Sprinkle the top with slivered or sliced almonds.

Step 5: Bake the gluten free chocolate coconut bars at 350º F for 30 minutes.

🔑 Sandi says: The coconut topping should be slightly golden and bubbling. It is VERY HOT, so do not touch the topping until it is cool.

Step 6: Let these almond joy cookies cool completely before slicing! I let it come to room temperature on the counter, then cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

An 8x8 baking pan filled with almond joy bars.

Recipe FAQ:

How do you store these coconut cookie bars?

Store these cookie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for up to four days.

How do you freeze gluten free cookie bars?

Allow the bars to cool to room temperature. Chill the bars as directed above in the refrigerator. Slice the bars and then flash freeze the bars. Move them to a freezer-safe zipper bag and store them in the freezer.

The top view of an almond joy cookie bar on a white plate.

More Delicious Gluten Free Cookies:

Gluten Free Chocolate Dipped Macaroons - If you love coconut, this is another awesome coconut dessert to try.
Gluten Free Brookies - This is a combo of a cookie and a brownie. It would also be a great base for these gluten free almond joy bars.
Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies - These cookies are melt in your mouth good!
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (a delicious classic!)

📖 Recipe

Sandi Gaertner

Decadent gluten free chocolate brownie almond joy bars.

4.91 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Additional Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Course Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings cookie bars

Calories 251 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 gluten free chocolate cookie or brownie mix See Notes
▢ 12 ounces condensed coconut milk * see note
▢ 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
▢ 1 cup slivered or sliced toasted almonds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º F.
Make the cookie or brownie mix according to package directions. If you are using my recipe below, mix that up.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add coconut, almond, and condensed milk.
Mix well.
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil.
Add cookie dough to the bottom. Spread to cover the whole bottom and press down. Bake 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven. Spread the coconut mixture on top.
Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is slightly golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
When you take this out of the oven, note the coconut bars are HOT. Let them cool before slicing them.
Let them cool to room temperature on the counter, then move the gluten free almond joy bars to the refrigerator to cool for an hour. Slice them after they are cooled.

Notes

To make this recipe dairy-free, you can use coconut condensed milk instead of regular condensed milk.
You can use a dry gluten free chocolate cookie mix and make it, or use refrigerated gluten free cookie dough. I love using either my Gluten Free Brownies or Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Cookie recipes for the base.
These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Be careful when you take this out of the oven. Allow cooling completely because the coconut topping will be very hot.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 46mgPotassium: 255mgFiber: 4gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 76IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 1mg

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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