Just Good Energy

Pina Colada Squares

I had a client ask me to make her a healthy raw snack with coconut and pineapple.  Luckily I wrote down the recipe as I made it because they turned out so delicious – tangy and sweet!  All you need is six ingredients.  Easy to make and great for the digestive tract while satisfying your sweet tooth :)

These have an amazing butter flavor because most of the coconut will be ground into a thick paste that tastes like creamy butter with a similar consistency.  The creamy coconut paste balances out the sweetness of the fruit in the batter.  With the pineapple you should only use dried pineapple (no sugar or sulfur added) – which you will soak in warm water for about 15-20 minutes. 

I dehydrated these squares to keep them raw in my dehydrator but if you don’t have one you could bake on low heat for about half the amount of time or if you don’t have the time simply bake at 350 degrees and begin checking at 20-25 minutes.  Also, I recommend using a blender but if you don’t have one you could also use a food processor.

These are great for snacks, are the perfect dessert even in the evening, great for kids, amazing for your skin health, and helps to keep the colon clean and happy!

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 pound dried pineapple
  • 1 pound raw/dried coconut – I like to use the coconut chips which are larger pieces comapred to the shredded coconut
  • 6 large dates, pitted
  • 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water 5-10 minutes
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 – 1/4 tsp Celtic Sea salt

Directions:

  1. First add about 2/3 of the dried coconut into a blender and grind on high for about a minute.  If your blender has a plunger, such as the Vitamix, you will need to push the coconut down consistenly.  Otherwise you might have to stop the blender every 5-10 seconds to stir the coconut and press it down.  Try adding a few Tbsp of water at a time while grinding to help the coconut grind up smoother if needed.  Place the coconut butter in a mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Strain the water from the soaking raisins and the pineapple.  In the blender add the rainsins, dates and pineapple and blend on high for about 20-30 seconds.  Should be smooth and slightly chunky.
  3. Add the fruit blend and remaining ingredients to the bowl of ground coconut and mix well with your hands.
  4. Now add the remaining 1/3 pound of dried coconut to the batter and mix well.
  5. If using a dehydrator spread the entire batter onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and smooth out evenly using a rolling pin or a spatula until you have a large rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. 
  6. Take a knife and lightly draw lines into the batter creating either 2″ x 1″ bars or 1″ x 1″ squares.  This will help create the individual bars or squares when they are finished drying.
  7. Dry at 115 degrees for about 9-10 hours.  Remove the parchment or wax paper and break the pieces apart at the dented lines that you created with your knife.  Serve!  They don’t need to be refridgerated.
  8. FOR BAKING: Grease a cookie baking sheet and spread the batter out as detailed above.  It will probably take 2 baking sheets.  Still indent lines into the rolled out batter with a knife before baking.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees and begin checking at 20-25 minutes.  You might need to bake another 15 minutes.
  10. FINISHED PRODUCT: Whether you dehydrate or bake, they should come out very moist and break fairly easily.
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