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I know I’m all about the vegetables in this column, but I would be completely remiss if I didn’t share this fabulous recipe for a great summer dessert.

A healthy summer dessert, of course. But a great one, nonetheless.

I love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, though I never eat them anymore. They just have too many ingredients I’d rather avoid. But luckily for me (and you), I’ve found this awesome healthy recipe that uses all-natural ingredients, healthy fats and unrefined sugars to create the same delightful flavor combination as those little cups of heaven.

Even better, they can be whipped up in 15 minutes, and just need an hour to freeze. That’s right, they don’t even need an oven or stove. A major bonus as temperatures get into the 90s.

I’ve made them many times and each time they haven’t disappointed. My hubby and the kiddo love them too. So much so that I’ve had to announce I’ll only make them once a week. Yes, they’re that good.

Note: To melt the coconut oil, stick it outside. Kidding. Sort of. What I tend to do is boil water in my electric kettle (avoiding the stove, of course), pour the hot water into a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and then place a 1-cup measuring cup full of coconut oil over the water. It’s a sort of easy double-boiler method.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Chocolate crust:

3/4 cup ground almond meal

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt

Peanut butter filling:

1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt

Chocolate topping:

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set it aside. In a medium bowl, stir together all of the chocolate crust ingredients until a moist dough is formed. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the lined loaf pan, and place it in the freezer to set.

To prepare the filling, you can use the same bowl to stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt. Depending on whether you’re using salted or unsalted peanut butter, you may want to add more salt to taste. Store-bought peanut butter cups are quite salty, so I like to add a generous pinch of salt to mimic that flavor. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the peanut butter filling over the top, using a spatula to spread it out evenly. Return the pan to the freezer to set.

Rinse the mixing bowl, and use it again, if you choose, to make the final layer. Combine the cocoa powder, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup, whisking well to break up any clumps. Once the mixture has become a smooth chocolate sauce, pour it over the peanut butter layer, and return the pan to the freezer to set until firm, about an hour or two.

Once the bars are firm, grab the edges of parchment paper to easily lift the solid bar from the pan, and use a sharp knife to slice the bars into your desired size. Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to a month. (The bars become very firm if frozen for too long, so I prefer serving them from the fridge after the initial firming-up time.)

Makes about 15 bars.

• Recipe from www.detoxinista.com