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Soft and Fruity Coconut Bites

Stack of fruity candies
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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
  • 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

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

Find it online: https://www.veggirlrd.com/soft-and-fruity-coconut-bites/