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 bars sound great. Peanut butter banana is one of my favorite flavor combos!
Is there any way to replace the almonds….I’m allergic to them
Hey Stephanie, You might be able to use ground rolled oats, but you’d have to play around with it.
OMG, I WILL be making these this weekend! Supposed to be back in the 100’s again in LA, so I’m with you on the cold goodies. Thank you for such AMAZING recipes and ideas.
Almond butter is my favorite nut butter and I’ve always preferred banana & PB sandwiches over ones with jelly! These looks simply amazing and I love the chocolate drizzle replacement to bacon.
It is has been over 90 F here the past two days so I totally hear you on the heat (I am melting!) However, I also know that soon enough it will be fall and quickly winter around these parts so am trying to not complain too much about the heat.
I love the Vegan Mofo stint you’re on. I am always so antsy while waiting for another OSG recipe, so the everyday blogging run is awesome for the impatient foodie that I am!
I know what I’ll be doing – And eating – This weekend! <3
Angela,
I can’t tell you how satisfied I’ve been with all of your recipes. Everyone one I try, I am just like “wow, this is so good.” It gives me a lot of confidence in my abilities in the kitchen now! I am finally back in my own kitchen after being away all summer and I’ve been making time to try out more and more recipes. We have a heat wave here in New Hamsphire today too, and while I was planning on doing one of your cupcake recipes, it was just too darn hot. The no bake elvis bars were perfect substitute and so delicious. The middle layers was just like ice cream! Thank you so much for your determination and all of your fun, simple, and mouth watering recipes. You are a solid writer and I love your sense of humor. Good luck on your Vegan MOFO challenge. Thank you!
i so need these today. its sohot and i dont want to stand in the kitchne.. just munch on some of these goodies!
these look so delicious….and so pretty too!
I made these tonight and they were a hit (not as beautiful as yours since mine just kept sweating due to the heat wave). Thanks for all the easy yet fabulous recipes that even the simple cooks can follow! xo
Glad you enjoyed them Kandi!
Thank you for this simply magical concoction:]
Three letters – O, M, G. Making these like tomorrow! Morning!
Oooh these look super tasty! I was looking at the picture and praying that they didn’t have dates in them (as I am fresh out and want to make these NOW) and I have all of the ingredients =) Score!
Oh these look amazing. I must try them. I’ve been enjoying no bake cookies!
*drools* Um thank you for making these peanut-free. And perfect. ::)
omg so excited I have everything to make this!!!
Oh man, these are being added to the list for sure. Wish I had this recipe all summer.
Angela, these look AWESOME! I LOVE that you are participating in the Vegan MoFo cause you create so many amazing dishes, yay! Keep up the good work!
wow. these look absolutely amazing! I know mine won’t turn out as pretty as yours, but this is a definite for the must make list. Thanks!
I am going to make these ASAP. They look amazing! You have the best recipes…
Looking awesome yet simple to make! Love it! Thank you for sharing great recipes.
Those look great! Can’t believe how hot it is there. It is cold and rainy and a bit wintry here in London, although that doesn’t stop me from wanting to eat these frozen treats! :)
Wow, this is certainly one of my must-try-soon recipes! I love that it is low ig and grain-free. I just found out your blog, it’s full of interesting recipes and great looking pictures. It’s been two years now that I’ve changed cooking for my husband that has diabetes 1. We eat only 100% organic and natural, low glycemic index and low insulinic index + superfoods. In six months his daily insulin intake dropped by 60%, we see improvements day by day and he never felt better! So i’m always in search for inspiration for sweets and treats and this recipe of yours just seems perfect! Thanks! Ivy
Thanks Ivy, I hope you enjoy it!
I just wanted to pop in and say that I love your more frequent blogging! …and you totally rock because your new posts and recipes as of late have all been so, so awesome. Thanks for working hard to make this such a fabulous blog.
I made this in a raw pie form last night – with a top chocolate layer from your raw almond butter cup recipe. completely amazing!!
Love this idea :)
YES! This is everything I’ve always wanted and more ;-) hahaha
Whoa. All I have to say is whoa… and that I want these haha. I love your style of photography- very inspiring!
This recipe sounds great! I am making them this weekend. Also, some feedback for your new recipe printing. I know you are using a new system so we can print your recipes. I do not like it. To print this recipe, it takes 6 pages! and 4 of them are all ads. Also, the title is very faint I don’t know if it’s supposed to be gray, but on a black and white printer it’s unreadable so glacing at the page I don’t know the name of the recipe. It’s great you’re trying your own system, but it may need some tweeks. Thanks!
Hey Kirsten, I’m surprised that you say the ads are printing! That shouldn’t be happening – I don’t get any ads when I print. What browser/operating system do you use? Thanks for your help.
I figured it out! I am so sorry, but I think it was my doing for why I was getting a 6 page recipe. I normally use internet explorer, but I just tried firefox. When I press the ‘print’ icon from the home page, the printer confirmation box would come up, and I would press ‘print’ I need to exit out of that and click on the ‘print’ icon again. Sorry for any confusion!
No bake you say? It’s still about 100 where I am, so a no bake recipe is a must for me! This looks so delicious :) Even the person next to me at Starbucks commented on them ;)
I’ve been trying to get my mom to eat vegan foods more for awhile. She’s so reluctant which breaks my heart, but THESE would be amazing to make for her since she loves all things banana, PB and chocolate! I know she would adore these! They are gorgeous!:) You’re so talented Angela! Glad to see you’re back in the game!<3
Hi Angela,
I just made these and used honey instead of coconut nectar for the base, and the consistency was great and it worked out perfectly. These are so yummy :)
Thanks for your feedback Jessica! Glad you enjoyed them
OMG. Just sampled the creamy middle. Delicious. Way more delicious than I ever thought it could be. Can’t wait for these guys to be ready! Gonna lick to food processor bowl while I wait.
My mind is blown by how pretty these bars look. And they’re no-bake, which is even better. Gorgeous!
Oh my gosh – something yummy that doesn’t have flour in it! I can eat it! Yay! I can’t wait to try coconut nectar – am ordering some right away!
I made these this morning for my afternoon dessert, and they are absolutely delicious. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
They look beautiful! Great combination of things. And I hear you – I haven’t blow-dried my hair in 4 months, no joke.
hoooooly crap. these look freaking amazing!!! must. make. immediately.
Just made these for dessert tonight, they were amazing! Thanks for posting such another great recipe!
I made these last night for my fiance! His favourite flavours are bananas and peanut butter! He also enjoyed the cool treat on his sore throat! Hit it out of the park, Angela!
Whoa. These look amazing. You really outdid yourself! I’m happy to hear you survived the photography bit of the post preparation. I can relate to that….
These look amazing and I NEED to make them, like NOW :)
Does the coconut oil need to be melted before measuring for the crust and the chocolate drizzle? I always wonder about this when using coconut oil. Can’t wait to try them!
Hi Susan, I never melt is first unless stated. Hope this helps!
Making them today! I am so excite to take these Elvis bars to share with my family tomorrow! Thank you for sharing!
Made these last night and they are already gone ! They are delicious and I will be making them again for certain. I put them in a silicon muffin pan and they just popped right out.
Angela, these are amazing! They remind me of Snickers ice cream bars, which I sadly cannot have anymore. Sniff! But here is a perfect replacement, but with banana and SO much better! We made these for a party one hot day and then the day of the party ended up being super chilly and fall-like, but I’m not complaining! I think the cooler weather must have been brought on by me making these chilly bars- like a delicious dessert rain dance of sorts. ;)
P.S. that chocolate drizzle could compete with the Dairy Queen hard chocolate shell that I have nostalgic memories of from my childhood! But way better for you! That’s two not-so-good-for-you treats that you officially made healthier and tastier! Way to go!!
Hey Amanda, yay – so glad you enjoyed them! hah yea, I think I totally jinxed it with this recipe. It’s been chilly ever since!
I made these yesterday…Sooooooo good. I used honey and they turned out great. Awesome recipe. Thank you so much Angela
‘I demolished a row of squares immediately after the shoot to avoid heat exhaustion’
funny! :)
These were perfect. They were delish. They were a wonderful, decadent treat. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
These look so good…..can’t wait to try them out!
These look absolutely amazing!! I love the flavor combo going on here, and now that the weather is getting a bit cooler, maybe they won’t melt as much as they did for you ; )