No-Bake Passion Fruit Coconut Bars

No-Bake Passion Fruit Coconut Bars

Contrary to what one might believe, passion fruit’s name has nothing to do with emotions. The egg-shaped fruit was discovered in South America by Spanish missionaries who thought its flowers resembled “Christ’s Passion on the cross”. They recognized three nails, five wounds, a crown of horns and the Apostles all on one flower. For a while, the missionaries called it flor de las cinco llagas, which translates to “flower of the five wounds”. But since time has passed, only the word “passion” stuck.

Passion fruit prides itself on beautifully combining subtlety with intensity. Its refreshingly tart seed-filled pulp is almost always bright orange. Its edible seeds are crunchy and as black as pitch. You can use its juice as a “perfume” to elevate the aroma of any dish, as you would with other aromatics like vanilla extract and brandy.

Steven Raichlen, American culinary writer, describes the fruit to a tee in his food novel Miami Spice: The New Florida Cuisine. “Passion fruit flesh has the tartness of lime juice, the sweetness of honey, the fragrance of jasmine, and a perfumed flavor reminiscent of guava, lychee and pineapple”, he says.

Sure, passion fruit may not be the most visually-appealing fruit, but it provides a rich source of Vitamin C for a healthy immune system, beta-carotene for improved eyesight, and polyphenols that are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Passion fruit’s skin is smooth and hard when young and turns from green to purple, red, and yellow as it ages. After some time, it shrivels up so much that it looks as though the fruit is spoiling—except it’s not. When buying passionfruit, search for ones with wrinkled skins—that’s when they’re perfectly ripe and much, much sweeter. If you buy one that’s smooth, store it at room temperature until its skin begins to pucker.

PASSION FRUIT COCONUT BARS

Serve this sweet, healthy treat for dessert at morning or afternoon tea—either way, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

PREP TIME: 40 mins
COOK TIME: 4 hrs
TOTAL TIME: 4 hrs 40 mins

INGREDIENTS
  • For the base:
    •  1/2 cup cashews
    •  1/2 cup walnuts 
    • 1 cup shredded coconut 
    • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 
    • 1 tablespoon honey 
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • For the filling:
    •  1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
    •  1 14-fluid ounce can coconut milk
    •  1/2 cup shredded coconut
    •  1/4 cup strained passionfruit juice
    •  2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • For the topping:
    •  1/2 passionfruit pulp 
    • 1 tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS
  1. Soak the cashews in water overnight, or for four hours.
  2. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. To make the base, combine cashews, walnuts, shredded coconut, coconut oil, honey and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the mixture sticks when pressed between your fingers.
  4. Pour the nut mixture into the baking pan and press down on the base until it’s flat and even.
  5. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until set.
  6. For the coconut cream filling, add the cashews to the bowl of a food processor and blend for a few minutes.
  7. Add the coconut milk, shredded coconut, passion fruit juice, and maple syrup to the bowl and process again until it’s smooth and creamy.
  8. Pull the nut base out of the freezer and fill with the passionfruit-coconut filling.
  9. Return to the freezer for 4 hours, or until set.
  10. To make the topping, place the passion fruit pulp and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
  11. Cook for 5 minutes, or until it boils and thickens. Let cool and set aside.
  12. Defrost the bars approximately 15 minutes before serving, so the cream can soften.
  13. Drizzle the passion fruit syrup over the filling and, using a sharp knife, carefully slice into 16 or 25 squares.
  14. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or store in an airtight container in the freezer for two weeks.