Apricot Delight

3 Ingredient No Bake Apricot Coconut Bites (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free) which take minutes to whip up in a blender or food processor! A quick, easy and kid-friendly snack which is completely naturally sweetened and refined sugar free, dairy free and grain free! 

After seeing how many of you guys enjoyed recipes using shredded coconut, I knew I had to bring it back with something a little more seasonal- Apricots!

Apricots were the next obvious pairing with shredded coconut, especially as it’s about to overtake our supermarkets, farmers markets, and grocery stores. With temperatures also heating up, we also need to embrace all the no bake, no cook, and oven-free recipes! 

What could be easier than a recipe involving just a blender or food processor and only THREE basic ingredients? Heck, it can even be two ingredients if you omit the optional sweetener! 

Before we get into the recipe, if you love a good no bake cookie, these super simple, quick and easy unicorn cookies are also a wise choice. 

Now, moving forward.

It’s no surprise that I’m all about minimal ingredients, and this recipe needs just three ingredients-

• Dried, Unsweetened Apricots
• Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
• Granulated Sweetener of choice

The granulated sweetener is completely optional but recommended if you’d like a sweeter no bake bite! 

I was inspired to share this recipe, as it was something my mom made for my sister and I, especially during school time. I remember on weekends she’d let Niki and I roll the coconut and apricot ‘dough’ in some sugar, and creating fun shapes with it. 

That is another fun part of this recipe- You can get the little ones involved and create balls, bites, bars or even cookie cut outs! 

Australian readers may refer to these as ‘Apricot Delight’, a popular store-bought fruit snack available in many grocery stores. However, those tend to include a handful of extra, unnecessary ingredients and up to three forms of granulated sugar! 

American and European readers will find similarities between these snack bites and those little apricot candies often found in trail mixes and fruit and nut packs. Similar to the ‘Apricot Delight’, these aren’t always the healthiest option and often loaded with other forms of sweeteners. 

No bueno!

For the dried apricots, ensure that the kind you use is 100% unsweetened and only have one ingredient on the packaging- The apricots! You’d be surprised at how many dried fruit mixes contain sugar and/or blended to resemble them. 

I used stock standard dried apricots, as I enjoy their tangy flavor and subtle sweetness. If you would prefer to have juicy, sweeter and almost caramelized dried apricots (similar to dates), opt for the Turkish variety. You’ll immediately notice a different feel and texture of the and a very distinct flavor.

Unsweetened shredded coconut is easily available, and usually, comes in two forms- The course kind and the finely milled kind. Texture lovers, use the course kind, as they (as pictured) leave the bites to have an even chewier and doughy texture. if you prefer a softer and more even no bake bite, use the finely milled kind. 

I mentioned earlier that the granulated sweetener is optional, and it totally is. I know some people prefer a slightly sweet snack bite, so roll your apricot coconut bites in it at the end. Alternatively, if you prefer a less sweet and slightly tangy flavor, roll your bites/balls/bars in the shredded coconut!

To keep this recipe 100% sugar free (natural sweetness from the fruit and coconut doesn’t count!), I rolled the bites in a granulated monk fruit sweetener. Feel free to use any granulated sweetener of choice, as long as you enjoy the taste of it- Be wary that many artificial sweeteners leave a bitter aftertaste. 

The beauty of these 3 Ingredient No Bake Apricot Coconut Bites is that they can be made way in advance and in big batches, as they keep for 1-2 months. If you want to keep them even longer, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 6 months and freeze it for up to a year!