Soft and Fruity Coconut Bites

I recently wrote a post about home-delivered snacks, but I’m a big proponent of homemade snacking too. After a visit to Fred Meyer a few months ago, I was inspired to try recreating a cubical little snack I found in their bulk bins: Coco Mango Pomegranate Chews. I did a little recipe modifying here and a little recipe renaming there and the result? Soft and Fruity Coconut Bites.

They’re essentially a sweet and chewy coconut base to which all manner of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds can be added. I chose dried mango, dried tart cherries, freeze-dried strawberries, and pumpkin seeds but I’d encourage you to change these up to fit your preferences.

I followed the lead of the original recipe and included some dry sweetener in addition to the brown rice syrup because it gives a satisfying crunch. My bag was labeled “organic turbinado raw sugar” and the only ingredient was listed as evaporated cane juice. But if you want to reduce the overall sugar in this recipe you can simply leave it out and they’ll still be plenty sweet.

Brown rice syrup has an advantage over other sweeteners since it has the perfect consistency to hold these healthy ingredients together, but it can sometimes be hard to find. Lundberg Family Farms Sweet Dream is the brand I find on shelves most consistently. If you have a natural foods store or local co-op they should definitely have it. Or it might be at your regular grocery store either in the natural section or alongside other sweeteners like maple syrup or corn syrup.

These are definitely a collection of energy-dense ingredients. Coconut, dried fruit, and seeds, not to mention brown rice syrup, all pack a real calorie punch. So you’ll want to be careful with portion control. Luckily, with their sweet-tart flavor and perfectly chewy texture, just a couple of bites can be quite satisfying, for only 120 calories.

I’ve been enjoying them as an afternoon snack at work, or as a tiny bite of something sweet in my bento lunch box. But I bet they’d make a fairly sturdy traveling snack as well for long car trips or your favorite hike.

I found the square shape appealing for some reason but these could just as easily be rolled into balls if that strikes your fancy. Or molded into trapezoids, pyramids, or rectangles. Once you get the mixture made, the shape possibilities are endless.

Whether they’re store-bought, mail order, or homemade, having healthy snacks on hand can set you up for success with good choices throughout the day. When the hunger hits, you’re already prepared with a reasonable choice instead of being tempted by candy bars, chips, and cookies. I’d encourage you to make a batch of these Soft and Fruity Coconut Bites this weekend and pat yourself on the back as you start next week armed and ready for the afternoon snack attack.

What combination of fruit, nuts, and seeds would you choose for your cubical coconut bites?

Soft and Fruity Coconut Bites

Print Recipe

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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5 from 1 review

A soft, chewy sweet treat full of dried fruit and pumpkin seeds.

• Author: Veg Girl RD
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Yield: 70 pieces 1x
• Category: Snack

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons turbinado or raw cane sugar
• 1 cup chopped unsweetened dried mango
• 1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped freeze-dried strawberries
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown rice syrup

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Instructions

1. Put first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add brown rice syrup and stir until completely coated and sticky. You can use more or less brown rice syrup to get the right consistency, depending on the moisture level of your fruit and coconut. When you press a small amount of the mixture between your fingers, you want it to hold together.
2. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment or wax paper.
3. Press mixture into pan. You want it very compressed so the bites will hold together. My trick is to cover the mixture with parchment or wax paper, place a second 9-inch square pan on top, put the whole mess on the floor, and actually stand in/on the second pan. I know it sounds crazy but it works compression magic that I can’t get from just pressing down hard with my hands on the counter.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Cut into 70 squares (10 across x 7 across). I like to remove the whole giant square from the pan first and cut them on a cutting board with a very sharp knife.
6. You can store them uncovered and they’ll develop a pleasant dry exterior, or you can keep them in an airtight container and they’ll stay soft like a macaroon.

Notes

I tried making this recipe on a noticeably colder day and ended up with noticeably different results. The brown rice syrup was much more stubborn about being stirred in by hand. So I dumped the entire mixture into the stand mixer, mixed on low for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and ended up with a more uniform product. So this can be your back-up plan if the recipe doesn’t work for you as written.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 square
• Calories: 60
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 5 mg
• Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Carbohydrates: 6 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Kristine Duncan, Registered Dietitian

I’m a Registered Dietitian, the author of Veg Girl RD, and a vegetarian who loves to eat. I’m a nutrition nerd who teaches at the University of Washington and Skagit Valley College. I also write about nutrition professionally for magazines and books. If you want to know more, check out my About page.