When I wrote this post yesterday afternoon I was sitting at my desk with a mini fan blasting ten inches from my face. My wrist rested on a frozen gel-pack and my hair was a lovely style of poof. Please remind me not to bother blow drying my hair when it’s this humid out. We always get a few hot days in September, but 36 Celsius with a humidity of 44C is a bit much. As much as I don’t want the colder weather to arrive, this heat wave makes me slightly happy fall is approaching. Bring on the boots, jeans, and crunchy leaves. Just don’t bring the snow, wind chill, and black ice, mmm kay?
All I could think about was making something cold and refreshing yesterday. Smoothies, fruit, salads, and no bake snacks are the perfect heat wave foods. I figure if I’m sticking my head in the freezer, I might as well be eating something from the freezer at the same time! I’ve always been good at multitasking.
This simple, cool-you-down snack is my take on the ever popular Elvis Pie. Apparently, Elvis used to enjoy banana and peanut butter sandwiches (sometimes with bacon as well). Instead of using peanut butter, I made this a banana and almond butter combo complete with a delicious almond-based crust. The bacon is replaced by chocolate, of course.
Photographing this frozen treat in 36C, standing beside huge windows with the sun beaming in on me was not very fun. Total hot flash moment. After each shot, I had to race the squares back to the freezer because they melted in seconds. Needless to say, I demolished a row of squares immediately after the shoot to avoid heat exhaustion. Or at least that’s what I told myself.
No Bake Elvis Bars
Yield
16 small squares
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
1-1.5 hours
Total time
A quick and easy, minimally sweetened frozen dessert square inspired by the popular Elvis Pie. My version uses almond butter instead of peanut butter and replaces the bacon for chocolate. Be sure to enjoy these straight out of the freezer as they melt really fast!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1.5 cup whole almonds
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut nectar syrup (see note)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
For the middle layer:
- 2 medium ripe bananas, peeled
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened slightly
- 2 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
For the chocolate drizzle:
- 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
- Line an 8-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. This makes it easy to lift out the bars later on.
- For the crust: Add the almonds into a food processor and process until a fine crumb forms, slightly larger than sand. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and process until the mixture comes together, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be a slightly tacky and should stick together when pressed with your fingers. If it's not, add a very small splash of water and process again for a few seconds.
- Dump the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth out evenly and then press down firmly and evenly into the pan. You can lightly wet your fingers if the crust sticks to them. Use a pastry roller to roll it very smooth, compacting it as much as possible. Place in freezer while you prepare the middle layer.
- Middle layer: Give the processor bowl a quick rinse. Add all the middle layer ingredients into the processor and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the middle layer on top. Smooth out. Return to the freezer for at least 1-1.5 hours to set, until the middle layer is very firm to the touch.
- Chocolate drizzle: When the middle layer is completely solid, prepare the topping. In a small pot heat the chocolate and coconut oil on the lowest heat, stirring to combine. When half of the chips have melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir until completely melted. Remove the bars from the freezer. Lift slab out of the pan and slice into squares. Spread out the squares on a plate lined with parchment paper. Drizzle on the melted chocolate and return bars to the freezer until the chocolate is firm and the bars are solid.
- Enjoy these bars frozen, straight from the freezer. They melt very quickly so I don't suggest leaving them out for more than a couple minutes. Wrap leftovers and store in the freezer.
Tip:
1) Brown rice syrup will work instead of coconut nectar. I haven't tried any other liquid sweeteners yet, but I assume maple syrup or honey (if you eat it) would work too, although the crust might not stick together as much since coconut nectar is so thick. 2) There is no substitute for the coconut oil that I know of. It solidifies when freezing helping to make the bars very firm.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
These look delicious!
The photographs you take are SO nice. I pulled out my old point and shoot digital camera from like 5 years ago to take pictures and they certainly don’t compare! Keep up the good work :)
Also, I will be adding these to my list of things to try out soon.
Aw thanks for the nice words. :)
Thank you for leaving out the bacon. Elvis may have been King but the bacon thing always made me shudder. Almond butter and bananas and chocolate? ohHECKyes! Superyumful freezer treat and you totally deserved to demolish as many as you like. :)
Cheers!
What is up with the heat everywhere? I’m ready for the cool weather too!
That is so funny you had to keep running to the freezer with these. Ah, the joys of food blogging.
I’ve never heard of Elvis Pie but I love the way your vegan version looks. I wish I could shove one in my face right now.
These look delicious! Damn my almond allergy!
these look delicious, angela! these are the perfect no-bake treats filled with the most delicious food combo ever. and i hear you about the heat and humidity- it’s pretty gross out today!
Wow these look great!
These are the most mouth-watering treats I’ve ever seen!
We’ve got autumn arriving in the UK. I was looking for a gorgeous snack bar recipe – I think I’ve found it! You don’t happen to have the nutritional values do you?
These bars look so amazing! The fact that they’re no bake is a huge plus too!
We had our fair share of those hot days in Winnipeg in August – they went away for a while and I think might be gone for good now but last week we definitely had a scorcher! No bake treats are a must for those occasions and these look wonderful! I’m pinning them for holiday treat ideas :)
these look so good!!! i cant even describe. thank you!
I am so happy we are not having a heat wave, we are in the 90’s so I am happy.. I love these elvis bars, and we know Elvis loved his cookies and pies so the title is perfect!
These look amazing! Will have to try them. I will likely try it with maple syrup since I don’t have coconut nectar and am not a huge fan of honey. Thanks for sharing!!
Did you try them with maple syrup? I was going to substitute the ingredient as well. How did they turn out?
As a girl who is from Memphis (land of Elvis), I need to make these. It’s like a requirement, right? Great, glad I could justify this.
These looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness Ange, you’ve outdone yourself! These look absolutely delicious, and that’s coming from someone that doesn’t eat a whole lot of sweets. Love the chocolate drizzle on top! I agree – yesterday was smokin’! I’ll take it though – I really, really don’t want it to get cold outside! (Pumpkin and warm weather can co-exist, I know it!)
Wow. All I can say is I love your blog, I make a lot of your recipes (love them!). But I don’t usually comment.. But these photos look SO AMAZING. I have to make this. I love your food ideas!!! :)
Almond butter, bananas, and chocolate? Ohh ya. Sounds like the perfect way to beat the heat! Seriously, what was with that weather yesterday?
So loving the looks of these!!!! The ingredient list is fabulous and I especially like the addition to almond butter in the crust. Gorgeous photos as always!
These look so great! What do you suggest as a substitute for coconut oil? I’ve been meaning to try it, but it seems quite expensive (maybe I’m not looking in the right places!) Would regular canola oil still work the same way?
Coconut oil solidifies when cold. As far as I know, I don’t know of any other oil that works the same way
These sound delightful. I am also ready for some cooler weather but in the meantime, these should get me through. Your pictures are FAB and I wish I could just reach through the screen.
Thank you for another recipe that looks amazing! All the recipes I have tried so far have been fabulous. Whenever we go out to a restaurant we don’t even order dessert anymore. They can never hold a candle to the ones we make ourselves! So many of those are off of your website now. Who knew being vegan could be so awesome! The other recipes I have tried have been wonderful too, but I truly am a chocoholic!
Thank you Shelley, I so appreciate your kind words!
Angela….I know you named these Elvis Bars for me right? Cuz ya know I love Elvis and I love anything chocolatey that you make! :-) wink wink! Well…I shall pretend you named them for me! ha ha!
These are delicious! had them last night! Thank you thank you for being you! <3
Of course you have another drool worthy recipe : ) I totally agree about shooting in the heat! I decided to shoot popsicles in the middle of a heatwave this summer and our AC is a joke..needless to say they were gone in NO time!
I needed these yesterday. I think I melted all over Guelph yesterday!!! I need more coconut oil. Where are my endless pantry and fridge supplies when you need them ;)
you, my lady, are pure genius. I can’t wait for your book.
I’ll take 12…err…I mean, two?
I could picture you trying to get the perfect shot! We appreciate it, if that helps? :)
It’s been painfully hot here, too, but is supposed to cool down by tomorrow. I must make these TONIGHT so I can enjoy their frosty coolness appropriately :)
That banana and almond butter combo in the middle looks insanely good! Rich, creamy, just sweet enough, and with coocnut oil; and the texture from the crust. I am so sold! I love the images, especially your lead off pic. Pinned!
do you think I could use dates instead of a liquid sweetener for the base? I have dates around but no liquid sweetener besides maple syrup, and i would looove to make these! :)
I just made them with maple syrup. The peanut butter helps to hold it all together so the maple syrup worked nicely.
It’s been hot here too, so I completely understand about not wanting to turn the oven on!
These little treats are so beautiful! I would love to dazzle my friends with them at a potluck or party!
Maybe I can add Phoney baloney’s coconut bacon and they will be true Elvis bars..these look amazing either way… yum
Ohmygosh. I want to face plant into these! I must make. Thank you so much for always bringing it! These looks too good to be true! You are a rock star vegan goddess!
These bars look amazing, Angela! Clearly Elvis knew his flavor pairings well, because chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas never fail to please. I can’t wait to try these. The contrasting flavors and textures sound so satisfying!
Oh my gosh these look so yummy! Love that they’re no bake!
Angela!!! You’ve really done it with these. Oh my gosh do the look + sound outstanding! We are finallyyyyy over our month-long heat wave. However, it’s been raining for 3 days straight and now we have water seeping in the foundation of our new house! Fun times…haha
I’m allergic to almonds – is there another nut I can replace with for the crust?
Hey Amy, What about hazelnuts? Or maybe ground rolled oats?
I used mulberries for the crust and it was delicious! They can be a bit sweet though so maybe an oats/mulberries combo would work too.
Angela, these are TOO good! So perfect for warmer days.
Hey Amy! I was out of almond butter so I used sunflower seed butter instead and they turned out SO amazing:) I buy mine at Tradee Joes but I’m sure you could also get it at most health food stores :)
Good luck!
I want one of these right now! It was so hot in Colorado all of last week and all of a sudden the weather turned and it’s foggy and raining. I’ll have to make these when we have some sunshine!
You had me at no-bake, but I’m stayin’ for the chocolate! Nom nom nom.
These look so yummy…will have to get coconut nectar and try making them! And hey, I’m just reading the new Canadian Living and there you are! What a nice little profile! (Did I miss you mention this?). Also, I’m glad you take blogging breaks when you need, but it’s nice to be getting so much from you lately! ;)
Yes, yes, and more yes. I’ll take 4!
Can you use almond flour instead of grinding up almonds? I have a big bag of almond flour I need to use!
Yes Im sure that’s fine :) 1 cup whole almonds usually makes about 1 and 1/3 cups meal.
I want to go to there.
These look incredible. I wonder if you can use date paste instead…I’ll give it a try! :) Have a lovely day!
Wonderful photography as usual :)
I always find the combination of banana + chocolate + nuts amaaaazing!
Oh wow… these (and really ALL your recipes) are amazing!! You are an inspiration, I’ve started my own food blog due to all my food allergies. Thank you for what you do and all your DELICIOUS recipes!!! :) :)
Carole
These look amazing! Will be trying them as soon as my whole30 is up! Thank you!
Yup, it’s 95 degrees here today. My hair is a mess and my upper lip is sweating. I sure could go for one of these sweet treats.
such beautiful photos in this post! I love the split shot of the squares before and after chocolate drizzle. can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
These look so great! I have a gazillion bananas in my freezer that I need to use up. Do you think it would be ok if I use thawed frozen bananas since they’re going back in the freezer anyway, or do you think the texture would be off?
Hmm…in my experience, thawed frozen bananas tend to be more watery? Not sure though! Maybe if you drained off the excess liquid it would be fine.
Love these! Such a fun recipe!