Choco-Coconut Bars

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2  cups graham cracker crumbs ( I used a vegan brand;
4 Tbsp.coconut oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is a good brand)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Add coconut milk into a medium-sized pot, and whisk in the coconut sugar. Simmer on low-medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Whisk until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat to cool while you prepare the crust.

In a medium-sized pot, melt coconut oil over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add to a mixing bowl along with graham cracker crumbs and maple syrup. Combine the ingredients.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly. Press the crumbs into the pan.

Pour milk over the graham crust. Add the chocolate chips followed by the pecans.   Press the mixture down with your hands until the milk soaks upward into each layer.

Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

Transfer the pan to your freezer for 2 hours or chill the bars in the fridge overnight.  This was the best method for me.

Cut into squares.  Serve and eat up.

Note:  I substituted coconut milk for dairy and coconut sugar for brown sugar.  You can also add 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut if you want even more coconut delicious-ness.

Makes approximately 12 bars.  I make pretty big squares, so you can stretch it out to 18.