No Bake Coconut Cream Cheese Bars

Cream cheese and butter mixed fast. Almond extract instead of coconut. Two pounds of powdered sugar. Coconut. Chocolate on top. Almonds pressed in. Done in two hours, most of it waiting.

Why You’ll Love These No Bake Chocolate Bars

Takes 35 minutes of actual work—the rest is fridge time, which you don’t have to think about. No oven. Just a mixer and a microwave. No bake means less heat in the kitchen, which matters in summer. Tastes like Almond Joy but better because you controlled the sweetness. Almonds on top make them look intentional. Chocolate cracks in a satisfying way. Lasts three days, freezes longer if you care about that.

What You Need for Almond Joy Copycat Bars

Cream cheese—8 ounces, softened. Not cold from the fridge. Salted butter, half a cup, same deal. Almond extract, a teaspoon. Not coconut extract. The almond changes everything. Powdered sugar, four cups total—one cup first, then three cups after. Sweetened shredded coconut, two cups. The kind that’s already moist. Milk chocolate chips, 12 ounces. Vegetable shortening, two teaspoons. This keeps the chocolate from seizing and adds shine. Whole almonds, 60 of them. You could use halves. Won’t look the same. Powdered sugar for your hands so they don’t stick to the filling.

How to Make No Bake Coconut Cream Cheese Bars

Cream cheese and butter go in first. Medium speed on the mixer. Takes about two minutes until you can’t see any lumps. Scrape the sides. That actually matters here.

Add the almond extract. One teaspoon. Smell it first—stronger than coconut extract, more almond-y obviously, but in a good way. Beat it in. Then add one cup of powdered sugar. Mix until it disappears. Stop there. Don’t keep beating because you’re just making it tough.

Now the other three cups of powdered sugar. Do this in two batches or it flies everywhere. Mix between batches. The texture gets thick. Like a stiff dough but still soft enough to scoop. Should hold a shape but not be rock-hard yet.

Fold the coconut in by hand. Two cups. Get it mixed so the flakes are wet with the cream cheese mixture, not dry and powdery. This is where the whole thing actually smells done.

Cover the bowl. Put it in the fridge. Twenty-five to forty minutes. Cold enough to shape easily, not frozen solid.

How to Get Chocolate Topped Coconut Bars Perfect

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Dust your hands with powdered sugar. Scoop the filling using a cookie scoop—one and a half inches. Shape it into ovals. Like the size of a small egg but stretched. One and a half by two and a quarter inches. The oval shape keeps more surface for chocolate.

Press two almonds into the top of each oval. Push them in hard. They stick better if they’re actually seated, not just sitting there.

Freeze the bars for about 55 minutes. Check one. Should feel solid but bend slightly if you pressed it—not rock hard, just firm. Loose cover if you want, keeps odors out.

Melt the chocolate next. Milk chocolate chips—12 ounces—with two teaspoons of vegetable shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 25 to 30 second increments on medium. Stir between each one. Takes maybe three intervals. Should be glossy and smooth. Shortening stops it from cracking when it cools. You could skip it but the chocolate coating gets thicker and more fragile.

Dip one bar at a time. Fast. The filling melts if you take forever. Spoon chocolate over the top so it’s fully covered. Use a fork to lift it out and tap the side of the bowl to drop excess chocolate back.

Put it on clean parchment. Use a toothpick to nudge it off the fork prongs if it sticks. Chocolate cracks if you’re rough about it.

Refrigerate the dipped bars at least 15 minutes. Until the chocolate hardens. Warm hands and warm kitchens melt chocolate fast once it’s set.

Almond Joy Bars Tips and Storage

Store them in an airtight container. Parchment between layers so they don’t stick to each other. They’re best within three days. After that they’re fine—just slightly softer. Freeze them for longer storage. They last weeks frozen. Thaw at room temperature for about five minutes before eating or the chocolate’s too hard.

Shortening matters more than you’d think. It’s the difference between chocolate that melts smooth on your tongue and chocolate that cracks. But if you hate shortening, skip it. The coating just gets thicker.

The almond extract is non-negotiable. Makes these different from regular Almond Joy. Coconut extract is too much on top of two cups of actual coconut.

Cold filling is the secret. Even five minutes longer in the fridge helps. Cold bars don’t fall apart when you dip them.

If almonds keep falling off, the bars aren’t cold enough. Put them back in the freezer. Five more minutes usually fixes it.

No Bake Coconut Cream Cheese Bars

By Emma

Prep:

35 min

Cook:

0 min

Total:

2h 5min

Servings:

30 servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup salted butter softened
• 1 tsp almond extract instead of coconut extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• Milk chocolate chips 12 oz
• 2 tsp vegetable shortening
• 60 whole almonds
• Powdered sugar for dusting hands

Method

1. 1 Cream softened cream cheese and butter using medium speed paddle attachment or handheld mixer until creamy and no lumps visible. Scraping bowl sides helps.
2. 2 Add almond extract. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar until absorbed. Stop mixing; don’t overbeat here.
3. 3 Incorporate remaining 3 cups powdered sugar in two batches. Texture should become very thick, almost dough-like but still pliable. Thick enough to hold shape when scooped.
4. 4 Fold shredded coconut in evenly. You want moist flakes, not powdery. Odor of coconut peaks here.
5. 5 Cover bowl, chill in fridge between 25-40 minutes. Not long enough to freeze but enough for better shaping—cold filling holds together, less sticky.
6. 6 Line baking sheet with parchment. Scoop mixture using 1 ½ inch cookie scoop. Shape quickly into 1 ½ by 2 ¼ inch ovals. Use powdered sugar on hands; otherwise sticky mess. Oval shapes keep more surface for chocolate and almonds.
7. 7 Place shaped ovals on parchment. Press two whole almonds firmly onto each bar. If loose, push extra with finger; almonds stick better if bars are cold later.
8. 8 Freeze bars for about 55 minutes or until bars feel solid but not rock hard. Fewer freezer odors if covered loosely.
9. 9 Melt milk chocolate chips with shortening in microwave safe bowl. 25-30 seconds increments on medium, stirring between each until glossy and fully melted. Shortening smooths and adds sheen; skip only if you want thicker chocolate coating but risk cracking after chilling.
10. 10 Dip one frozen bar at a time, spoon chocolate over top to cover fully. Do this fast to avoid melting bars. Use fork to lift bars out, tapping side of bowl to drop excess chocolate back.
11. 11 Transfer bars onto fresh parchment. Use toothpick to carefully nudge bars off fork prongs—avoid chocolate cracks and marks.
12. 12 Refrigerate dipped bars at least 15 minutes until chocolate firms solid. Warm hands or kitchen heat melts chocolate easily, so keep cool once dipped.
13. 13 Store bars in airtight container with parchment layers between to prevent stickiness. Best eaten within 3 days but freeze well too for longer storage.

Nutritional information

Calories

242

Protein

1g

Carbs

32g

Fat

12g

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Frequently Asked Questions About No Bake Chocolate Coconut Bars

Can I use almond butter instead of almond extract? No. Different thing. Almond butter adds fat and texture. You’d have to change the whole recipe to make it work. Extract is what you want.

How long do these actually last? Three days in a sealed container at room temperature. A week in the fridge. Freeze them for a month, probably longer. Haven’t tested past that.

Can I use a different nut on top? Sure. Whole hazelnuts work. Pecans work. Cashews look weird but taste fine. Almonds look best though.

What if I don’t have vegetable shortening? Coconut oil works. Adds a slight coconut taste which you probably already have enough of. The chocolate gets thicker without it—not terrible, just different.

Why does the chocolate sometimes crack? Too thick. You didn’t use enough shortening, or you melted it too hot and it seized slightly. Temperature matters. Medium power, short bursts, stir between. Takes longer but chocolate stays smooth.

Can I make these ahead? Absolutely. Make them up to three days before you need them. Keep them cold until serving. Or freeze them for later. Just thaw five minutes before eating.