Our favorite dessert needs a make over for family members who say no to most types of sugar and the only acceptable dairy is butter.
Let's see how this goes...
Here is the cookie bar layer after it is baked. It is cooling and waiting for toppings. I put the dried cranberries in before they cooled so that was an oops. Tomorrow I will make the topping and finish this. I'll add more photos after the holidays.
Coconut Cream Cheese, Almost Sugar
Free, Cranberry Bliss Bars
by Norita
Coconut Cream
Cheese
Start 4 days to one week ahead.
Scoop solid separated coconut cream from coconut water out
of one can of organic coconut milk.
It may be challenging to find a can that has separated
enough. Ideally, it would be in the
fridge for a several days before scooping out the cream.
Bring solid, separated coconut cream to room temp in a
sterile glass dish with lid.
Add 1 teaspoon pure
maple syrup and 1 capsule probiotic
powder.
Stir and let sit with lid on at room temp for 24 hours.
Refrigerate until use.
Dried Cranberries
(no sugar)
One day ahead:
One bag of fresh
cranberries
Boil a saucepan of water.
Turn off burner and place cranberries in the water so they
split open.
Remove from water with slotted spoon and put on a rimmed oven
proof pan.
Any cranberries that did not split open may be poked with a
sterilized straight pin.
Mix cranberries with 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Dry cranberries for 3 hours at 225 degrees. Leave in oven for several hours with oven
turned off.
Cool completely before using in the recipe.
Cookie Bar Layer
1/2 cup room temp butter
3/4 cup Swerve Brown
Sugar (Erythritol)
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure
vanilla
1 1/4 cup sprouted
whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking
powder
1/2 teaspoon Himalyan
salt
3/4 cup dried
cranberries, chopped
2 Tablespoons zest from clementines
1/2 cup chopped toasted
pecans
Mix together, spread into flat bottom Demarle flower mold 8
to 9 inches in diameter and tuck in evenly spaced:
2.5 ounces Blanc
Satin white chocolate discs from Alexander's Classic Chocolates
Note: This white chocolate is the ingredient that has sugar
in it so I reduced it by 1/2
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Cool completely.
Coconut Cream
Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup softened butter
4 ounces coconut
cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup Swerve
white sugar (Erythritol)
1 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon clementine
zest
Combine ingredients and beat until fluffy. Spread on top of cooled bars.
Topping
3 Tablespoons chopped dried cranberries, sprinkled on top of
frosting
1 Tablespoon clementine zest, sprinkled on top of
cranberries
4 ounces of Alexander's Toasted Chocolate nibs melted in
double boiler and sweetened with
1/4 cup pure maple syrup.
Drizzle over the top of bars.
Transfer to cutting board and cut in small wedges to serve.
Note: This was a total success. Just as good or better than the original recipe full of sugar and flour.