These Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chunks are a Copycat Heavenly Hunks Recipe. Chewy no-bake squares made from oats, healthy sugars, coconut, nut butter, and dark chocolate chips as the main ingredients.
Homemade Heavenly Hunks: Your new favourite
- Easy to make: Simply blend the ingredients in a food processor, press into a pan and cut into squares! Think oatmeal cookie dough bar. Follow the step by step photos below.
- Real ingredients: These bites are made with whole food ingredients you can easily find at the grocery store. This recipe contains less sweeteners than the original recipe.
- Oatmeal: Using oatmeal as a base makes these naturally gluten-free and another great way to include this grain in your everyday diet. Just like my recipes for chewy honey flapjacks (a oat bar), cinnamon oatmeal granola bars, and rhubarb oatmeal cookies try them too!
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I have been working on this recipe over the last year and have tested it again and again. My first tries were a bit too crumbly and dry. I tested some more and this recipe came to be: a healthier version of heavenly hunks.
Ingredients You'll Need for Heavenly Hunks
To make these copycat heavenly hunks I used ingredients that are commonly found in either your kitchen or easy to get from the grocery store.
- Quick oats: This is the main ingredient. If you want to make this gluten free be sure to use gluten free oats. You can also use rolled oats for a denser chunk.
- Shredded Unsweetened Coconut: Use unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened coconut as it is quite sweet for this recipe!
- Coconut Oil: This oil helps hold the bars together. In the original recipe they used palm oil however coconut works great.
- Maple syrup: We will use maple syrup to sweeten these bars. The original store-bought recipe brown rice syrup is used.
- Sea Salt: Boost the flavor of these hunks with some sea salt.
- Coconut Sugar OR Brown Sugar: These sugars give a deep rich flavor which we are using instead of the cane sugar, and brown cane sugar in the store-bought heavenly hunks.
- Chocolate Chips: are needed to complete this recipe! I like to use dark chocolate chips. To make this recipe dairy free use enjoy life chocolate chips.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's 6 simple steps with photos to make your very own heavenly hunks.
In a small saucepan place the coconut oil , almond butter, maple syrup. Stir over low heat just until everything is melted and well combined. Set aside to cool.
Place oats in a food processor or blender, and pulse 30-40 seconds on low until it resembles thick crumbs, there will still be some unblended oats that's fine (see photo). Remove 1.5 cups of these blended oats and pour them into a medium bowl, set aside.
Continue to pulse the rest of the oats in the food processor or blender until it becomes flour (it may look like thick sand) about 1-2 minutes. Then add this oat flour to the bowl too.
To the oats in a bowl add: the shredded coconut, sea salt, coconut sugar or brown sugar, and chocolate chips, stir until well mixed.
Pour the coconut oil mixture onto the dry oatmeal mix, add the vanilla. Stir until everything is evenly covered with the wet ingredients.
Dump the oat chocolate mixture into a 8x8 greased pan and press into place. Cut into 36 squares (6 by 6). Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Top tip
After testing this recipe many times I discovered an important trick: Cut the oat bars into squares before refrigerating!
Ingredient Swaps and Additions
- Maple syrup: You can use brown rice syrup or honey instead of maple syrup.
- Oats: I have tested these bars with both rolled oats and quick oats. Both work.
- Cranberry Almond: Add ¼ cup dried cranberries and ¼ cup chopped almonds to add flavor, making these chunks more like a granola bar. Omit shredded coconut.
- Almond Butter: Use peanut butter instead of almond butter, note it will taste more nutty like peanut butter. Cashew butter would work as a great alternative to almond butter.
- Nut Free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter to make heavenly hunks nut-free.
Equipment (if you don't have a food processor)
You will need a food processor or a blender to make these bars. As we blend part of the oats into a powder (oat flour) for making this recipe. If you do not have a blender or food processor you can buy 1 ½ cups of oat flour to use and then you will need 2 ½ cups of quick oats to use instead of the rolled oats.
Storage and Freezing
Fridge: Keep these bars in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
Freezer: Keep these chocolate oat chunks in an airtight container (to maintain freshness) up to 3 months.
FAQ
Heavenly hunks are commonly sold at grocery stores such as Costco, and walmart, or you can buy them from amazon.
Here is a list of ingredients for the original heavenly hunks. Gluten-free whole rolled oats, chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa butter, palm kernel oil, cocoa powder, sunflower lecithin, salt), brown rice syrup, palm oil, coconut shreds (coconut, sugar, salt), sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, cane sugar, sea salt.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you enjoyed this heavenly hunks copycat recipe! Take a pic and share it on Instagram & tag @besidethemountain. I’d love to see it! And make sure to leave a star rating so others know what you thought of this yummy treat!
Heavenly Hunks Recipe (Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chunks)
Equipment
- 1 food processor (or blender)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup nut or seed butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups quick oats
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small saucepan place the coconut oil (⅓ cup), almond butter (½ cup), maple syrup (⅓ cup). Stir over low heat just until everything is melted and well combined. Set aside to cool.
- Place oats (3 cups) in a food processor or blender, pulse 20-35 seconds on low until it resembles thick crumbs. there will still be some unblended oats that is Remove 1.5 cups of these blended oats and pour them into a medium bowl, set aside. Continue to pulse the rest of the oats in the food processor or blender until it becomes flour (it may look like thick sand) about 1-2 minutes. Then add this oat flour to the bowl too.
- To the oats in a bowl add: the shredded coconut (½ cup), sea salt (½ tsp), coconut sugar or brown sugar (2 tbsp), and chocolate chips (¾ cup), stir until well mixed. Pour the coconut oil mixture onto the dry oatmeal mix, add the vanilla (1 tsp). Stir until everything is evenly covered with the wet ingredients.
- Dump the oat chocolate mixture into an 8x8 greased pan and press into place. Cut into 36 squares (6 by 6). Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Store in the fridge or the freezer. Enjoy!
Notes
Ingredient Swaps and Additions
- Maple syrup: You can use brown rice syrup or honey instead of maple syrup.
- Oats: I have tested these bars with both rolled oats and quick oats. Both work.
- Cranberry Almond: Add dried cranberries and chopped almonds to add flavor, making these chunks more like a granola bar.
- Almond Butter: Use peanut butter instead of almond butter but it will taste more like peanut butter. Cashew butter would work as a great alternative to almond butter.
- Nut Free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter to make heavenly hunks nut-free.
Jane B
Very very good. Made with peanut butter, brown sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, sweetened coconut (bcuz that’s what I had) and quick oats. Followed the recipe exactly. They hold together perfectly. Not sure if they should be stored in the fridge…but I am.
Danika Vanderpyl
Great to hear Jane! They will last longer stored in the fridge.