These healthier chocolate candy bars are made with a hidden healthy ingredient but you won’t be able to tell. The candy bars are just 2 ingredients and easy to make. The center is soft, chewy, and fudgy, just like classic candy bars.
Chocolate candy bars with salt on top

These candy bars are made with healthier ingredients but taste just as good as classic chocolate candy bars. They are coated in dark chocolate and have a soft, creamy, chewy center that tastes like a chocolate nougat filling.

Ingredients

  • Dark chocolate chips
  • Cottage cheese

Dark chocolate chips: This recipe uses 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips, which are also sometimes labeled bittersweet chocolate chips. Make sure to use 60% cocoa chocolate chips. If you have too little cocoa, the filling won’t set as well. If you use a higher percentage of cocoa, the filling will be too firm.

Cottage cheese: I used 1% cottage cheese for this recipe. Cottage cheese is the key to the soft, creamy, chewy filling. When it is mixed with the dark chocolate, you won’t taste the cottage cheese but it makes the chocolate so creamy, soft and a little chewy.

How to Make Healthier Candy Bars

  • The cottage cheese is added to a blender and blended until smooth. It is then mixed with melted dark chocolate. The mixture is transferred to a parchment lined loaf pan and placed into the freezer to set.
  • More dark chocolate chips are melted for the outer chocolate coating.
  • Once the filling is frozen, cut into 1 inch squares with a large sharp knife. Place the squares back into the freezer briefly to firm up. Then dip the squares in the melted chocolate to coat. If desired, you can also drizzle more melted chocolate on top for decoration and sprinkle coarse salt for garnish. Put the chocolates in the fridge until the chocolate coating is set.

Chocolate candy bars drizzled with chocolate and topped with coarse salt

Texture

These candy bars have a chewy, soft filling, very similar to nougat, but not as dense as nougat. You won’t taste the cottage cheese if you use bittersweet chocolate because the cocoa flavor overpowers any cottage cheese flavor. The candy bars are not as sweet as classic chocolate candy bars since they are made with dark bittersweet chocolate and are meant to be healthier candy bars. If you prefer sweeter, you can use a sweeter chocolate variety to coat the candy bars.
Soft filling of chocolate candy bars

Expert Tips

  • If you prefer a thinner chocolate coating, you can add a few teaspoons of melted coconut oil to the melted chocolate being used for coating the candy bars.
  • Make sure to use 60% cocoa chocolate chips for the filling. If you use a lower percentage cocoa, your filling won’t set. If you use a higher percentage cocoa, your filling will be too firm and won’t be soft and chewy.
  • You can use a different type of chocolate for the outer coating. If you want your bars to be sweeter, you can use white chocolate, milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate for the outer chocolate coating.

A stack of chocolate candy bars

More Healthier Candy Recipes

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2 Ingredient Healthier Chocolate Candy Bars

These healthier chocolate candy bars are just 2 ingredients and made with a hidden healthy ingredient but you won't be able to tell. The candy bars have a soft, chewy, fudgy center just like classic candy bars.
Servings: 24 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (234 g) cottage cheese, 1%, see note before starting
  • 3 1/2 cups (535 g) dark chocolate chips 60% cocoa, divided (see note before starting)

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal later.
  • Add cottage cheese to a high powered blender and blend until completely smooth. You will need to stop and scrape the sides a few times to help the blender blend the cheese. Touch your cottage cheese and make sure it is room temperature. If it is still cold, let it sit for a few minutes until it is room temperature. You can also blend the cottage cheese in a personal blender, see notes section for adjustments to recipe if you choose this method.
  • Add 1.5 cups of chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between with a spatula, until it’s completely smooth and melted (mine took between 1.5-2 minutes total). While the chocolate is still hot, add it into the blender. Blend until chocolate is fully incorporated. Stop and scrape the sides of your blender as needed. I recommend starting on low speed and once the chocolate is incorporated, blend on higher speed for a few seconds just to make sure everything is evenly blended.
  • Working quickly, transfer the mixture to your lined loaf pan and spread it evenly across. You do want to work quickly because as the chocolate cools, the mixture starts to thicken and set, which will make it difficult to spread evenly.
  • Place the pan in the freezer for about 1 hour, until the mixture is firm enough to cut.
  • Remove the pan from the freezer. Lift the mixture out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and place it on a cutting board. Cut into approximate 1 x 1 inch squares with a sharp knife. Add squares to a parchment lined baking sheet and place back to the freezer to firm up a little more, about 20 to 30 minutes.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring with a spatula in between, until chocolate is smooth and melted (this should take around 2 minutes total). Optional step: If you prefer a thinner chocolate coating or want to help ensure a very smooth coating, you can add a little melted coconut oil. If using, add 1 tsp at a time, stirring it in, until the chocolate reaches your desired consistency.
  • Using your favorite dipping tool, dip each square into the melted chocolate, ensuring it is fully coated. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing the square back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Try to wipe or break off any excess chocolate that will pool a little at the bottom of each chocolate bar. If desired, add thin chocolate drizzles on top of each chocolate bar for decoration. You can also garnish with coarse salt.
  • Place candy bars back into the fridge until the chocolate coating is set. The candy bars are then ready to serve. Store any uneaten candy bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • Dark chocolate note: Make sure to use dark chocolate chips (sometimes labeled bittersweet chocolate chips) that contains 60% cocoa for the filling. Also make sure your dark chocolate chips contain dairy or a dairy substitute. Brands like Enjoy Life that don't contain any dairy or dairy substitute do not work well because they lack an ingredient to keep the mixture creamy and will cause the batter to seize up when the chocolate is mixed with the cottage cheese.
  • I tested this recipe with Amazon Fresh 60% cacao bittersweet baking chips and Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (Amazon | Walmart | Target)*
  • Cottage cheese note 1: Avoid using a high protein cottage cheese (like Good Culture brand which contains 14 grams of protein per 1/2 cup). You want to use a cottage cheese with around 12-13 grams of protein per 1/2 cup. I used 1% cottage cheese but it should also work with 2%. I used Amazon Fresh 1% cottage cheese.*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Cottage cheese note 2: When working with a small amount of cottage cheese, like with this recipe, I stop my blender every few seconds to scrape the sides to help the blender blend. I also found it helps to start at a very low speed to first break up the curds and then increase the speed once the curds are very small. You can also blend the cottage cheese in a personal blender. However, I don't recommend trying to add the melted chocolate to a personal blender. You can either blend the cottage cheese in a personal blender and then transfer the cottage cheese to a larger blender to blend it with the chocolate or you can transfer the blended cottage cheese to a large mixing bowl and try folding in the melted chocolate with a spatula until uniform.
  • Candy Sweetness Note: Please note that these candy bars are not as sweet as classic candy bars since they are made with bittersweet dark chocolate. If you prefer sweeter, you can use a sweeter chocolate for the outer coating (but not for the filling). For example, you can coat the bars in melted white or milk chocolate.
  • Estimated nutrition assumes 3 cups of chocolate is used because not all of the chocolate ends up on the candy bars.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 97kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 40mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, NET CARBS: 10
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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