If you’re unfamiliar with them, Heavenly Hunks sort of sounds like a calendar filled with shirtless firemen or something, so just to clear things up quickly they are NOT that. Instead, they’re bite-sized chunks of chewy, oaty, chocolate chip goodness — decidedly addictive and a perfect snack or treat. They definitely live up to their heavenly moniker! You can find bagged versions at the grocery store or bulk-sized bags at Costco, but those have some oils and flours that don’t work with my dietary restrictions. So I recreated them into a version that I can enjoy guilt-free and this — Heavenly Hunks Copycat Recipe — was born.
Sprouted Rolled Oats
Oats work for some people and are tough for others. The thing that changes oats for me is not only using gluten-free oats of course, but using gluten-free sprouted oats. Sprouted oats are much easier for many stomachs to digest, including mine. You can likely find some version at your grocery store, definitely at a Whole Foods-type store, and on Amazon. My favorite one is a certified gluten-free brand called One Degree and you can find them here.
Substitutes for Honey
The combination of honey and coconut sugar works really well here. You could use maple syrup instead, but it will change the flavor profile as a part of these bites is their honey-ish flavor. I like using a very light-colored creamy honey. My favorite one is this one. Plus, you’re also getting sweetness from the chocolate chips and they are key here! I’ve been loving a Guittard version sweetened with coconut sugar, but my kiddos prefer the Enjoy Life brand. You can choose either one or use what you have already at home!
Easy Sweet Snack
Warming the coconut oil and honey together on the stove is an important step here to get those ingredients fully mixed with all the others. But aside from that step, these come together in minutes in the food processor. You also don’t HAVE to pulse them and if you’d prefer the oats remain whole, you can just mix up the ingredients in a bowl and then press into the pan before you freeze.
Freezer Cookies
No matter how you cut them — you can make squares, roll them into energy balls or make them granola bar-sized — these gems freeze beautifully. I recommend cutting these or making them into their final shape before you freeze them though. They’ll store in a stasher bag easily in the freezer for up to a few months. I love them straight out of the freezer and find the cool nibbles make the treat last longer. But if you don’t want them cold, you can pop one on a plate and warm it in the microwave for 8 seconds. Or, just leave it on the counter for a few minutes and let it come up to temperature before you enjoy.
Easy Dairy-free Desserts
Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Dairy-free Chocolate Pot de Creme
Apple Pie Bars
Shop the Recipe
PrintHeavenly Hunks Copycat Recipe
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 1/3 cups rolled oats divided (my stomach tolerates the sprouted oats from One Degree best. They’re much easier to digest)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I love Guittard keto chips but my kids prefer Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- Warm the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan over low heat, until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a small food processor, grind 1/3 cup of the oats into a fine flour.
- Add the remaining oats, shredded coconut, arrowroot, coconut flour, coconut sugar, and salt. Pulse 3 to 5 times to combine. Pour in the melted coconut oil and honey mixture, and pulse a few times to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into a parchment lined loaf pan and freeze it until set, about 1 hour. Remove the parchment and cut the loaf into 1.5- inch squares.
- Alternatively, this mixture can be rolled into energy bites.
4/26/23
Heavenly Hunks Copycat Recipe
The recipe looks delicious, but I cannot even print it out properly because it is covered in Google ads!? I understand having adds all over your blog, but it is a huge turn off to have to print out a three or four page recipe just to accommodate add in the middle 🙁
Hi Joy! Thanks so much for your feedback. It might be your printer settings – we’ve double-checked our print function and it’s printing without ads for us. However, we’ll forward this to our tech team and have them check as well. Thank you for your support & I hope you give this recipe a try!
I had the same issue. It was cutting off step 1 and 2 with a box that looked like possibly an ad.
I picked “SMALL” in printer options and got it to print but I could not get it to print with out the box in medium or large.
Thanks for letting us know, Christine! We have our team taking a look into it.
You have to click on “print” or “print recipe”, then print it.
OMG! As soon as I saw this I knew I had to give it a try. We bought the original once from Costco and they last a day or two. This recipe is awesome! My daughter says it’s better than the ones from the store!
My daughter says these are better than the store bought ones! So yummy!
Yay! Love that!
Can I just use oat flour instead of grinding the oats and if so do I use the same amount, 2 1/3?
Hi Linda! 1 cup of rolled oats = 3/4 cup of oat flour; using this conversion, you can sub grinding the oats with oat flour! Enjoy!
Hello,
If you “X” off the ads you will not get them in the printing part. I understand it’s a pain bc I hate all the ads to and the ads that come up are what the algorithm uses to see what we have googled. I took a picture to show you but there is not a place to put a picture in this comment.
What’s a sub for arrowroot powder?
You can sub with tapioca starch (flour). Enjoy!
I love heavenly hunks but I don’t recall there being any coconut in them? Can you leave the coconut out?
Hi Marla! You can omit the coconut if you’d like!
These are fantastic! Made them tonight as a double batch and chilled in a jelly roll pan. Hi reviews all around!
Thank you Danielle! These were so good and so easy to make. My son kept asking for more. Delish!
These were delicious and so simple to make. My kids devoured them, probably didn’t hurt that they contain chocolate chips. Thanks Danielle for another great recipe
You’re so welcome!
Delish, made as written. easy recipe! I found them a tad too sweet and “oily” but still great. I’ll reduce the honey and coconut oil next time 🙂
It’s safe to say I’m properly obsessed with these – I’ve just finished making my second batch in 5 days! The first time I didn’t have any coconut oil so I subbed avocado oil and they still turned out great. Both batches I omitted the coconut sugar; between the honey and chocolate chips they came out sweet enough for my whole family to enjoy as a treat. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love that! Thank you so much for this review and sharing how you modified it! So glad it was enjoyed by everyone.
Thanks for that! I was going to ask if the sugar can be reduced. I found them a tad sweet (kid didn’t mind!)
I also found them too sweet. Good to know if I leave out the coconut sugar they will be fine. Thanks for the review. Plus, thanks Danielle for the recipe. I have never had Heavenly Hunks but they looked good so I made them!
What brand Coconut Oil do you use?
Hi! This is my go-to; https://shop.daniellewalker.com/products/virgin-coconut-oil-gold-label-1-pint/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=shopify%20plugin
Do you think maple syrup would work in place of the honey? I have a toddler and a weaning infant that would probably love these but the baby isn’t supposed to eat honey yet.
Yes! You can use maple syrup as a sub for honey. Enjoy!!
Hi..
So excited to make these for my daughter and I!!
Do u have the amount of protein and remaining nutritional info?
Hi Michele! I don’t have the nutritional information for this recipe. I’ve seen readers comment that they use an app to assist them in calculating the info. they need – one I’ve seen recommended is My Fitness Pal. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I’ll have to try these! The Costco heavenly hunks are delicious, and I love the idea of a healthier alternative.
I think you’ll enjoy these!
This is the recipe I have been waiting for! These are so easy and delicious! These are better than the original. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
You’re so welcome, Penny!!
I was really excited to find this recipe since I have bought the Costco version (but didn’t love some of their ingredients.) Once again, you have crafted something delicious and nutritious that I can feel good about giving to my kids! I don’t know how you continue to do it! Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us!!
Wow, so quick and easy!! Had everything in my pantry and prepared in 5 mins. The hard part is going to be waiting that hour to devour them!
Yay! Thank you so much for this review and support! I hope you enjoy them!
Thank you for this recipe!! I have trouble digesting coconut so I subbed with cassava flour and avocado oil but left the shredded coconut and coconut sugar. Mine came out very oily, still delicious though and didn’t hurt my tummy. Will try making them as the recipe is next time.
Thank you for letting us know how you modified it – another reader might be curious and they’ll find your feedback so helpful! I’m glad you enjoyed them and planning to make them again!
Just finished making my second batch! These were supposed to last my husband for 4 days as his work snack, but they lasted 2! They’re a huge hit at our house. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
You’re so welcome!
I just finished making these and I got 5 stars all around. Only issue was they crumbled really easily. I did not remember to cut them first, so I figured I would try that next time and if not maybe up the oil or honey? Great sub for the real deal and my kids too thought they tasted better than the original!
So glad you all enjoyed them!
Hi! I’m wondering how these would freeze? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Finally tried these, and they were a hit with my husband and I! I left out the coconut sugar like a few others mentioned, and the batch is perfectly sweet without it, IMO 🙂 I also subbed almond flour for both types of flour because that’s what I had on hand, and it turned out nicely. The bars also remind me of a chocolate chip Chewy bar ☺️
I make these into granola bars..Chocolate chip and cinnamon and cranberry. They are great.
Yum!! Those additions sound amazing. Thank you so much for this review and I’m thrilled you’re enjoying them!
Danielle does it again! THANK YOU!
Absolutely delicious and I wouldn’t change a thing! They are a bit addicting however. My son loves them and they are the perfect snack when you need to hold yourself over or before a workout!
They certainly are!
They turned out great. Delicious!! My kids loved them.
Mine love them too!
Hi!
Just wondering the purpose of the arrowroot powder in this recipe and also why arrowroot instead of tapioca starch?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Hi! Tapioca comes from the cassava plant, which I don’t tolerate so I don’t use tapioca. But it is a easy sub for arrowroot!
Hi!
First off, I just made these and they are so good! My mom told me they are better than the Costco ones!
I wanted to ask what the arrowroot is helpful for in this recipe and also why you chose to use arrowroot instead of tapioca flour.
Can’t wait to make these again and get creative with different mix-ins!
Hi! Tapioca comes from the cassava plant, which I don’t tolerate so I don’t use tapioca. But it is a easy sub for arrowroot! But it is helpful to hold them together, yes. So glad you love them!
Hi! What could I use instead of coconut flour?
I prefer the cranberry white chips bites. Any chance you have tried a recipe for those?
HI! I haven’t tested that specifically but it sounds delicious!
Good Morning! Can you utilize organic unbleached flour instead of arrowroot and coconut flour? I would love to make just haven’t switched our flour yet 😊
Hi Sara! Thank you for writing in! I am not sure as I have not tested it with the unbleached flour since I can not tolerate it. If you do decide to experiment, I hope it works!
I wouldn’t make that substitution. In general, flour needs to be cooked before eating to reduce risk of salmonella. In this recipe, these alternative flours don’t have to be cooked to be eaten safely.
Thank you for this! Turned out great