Fresh Berry Nut Bars

 

My son and I have been toying with this recipe for a week or two, each time adjusting and refining until it was healthier and tastier than before. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com via another blog but have since changed it so much I’m pretty sure I can call it my own.

The original calls for 1 cup of flour, but we kept reducing the amount of flour and replacing it with almond meal (I’ll tell you how), until we no longer felt the need for any flour at all. The original also called for 3/4 cup of seedless raspberry jam but after several different fillings that all tasted too sugary we opted for smashed fresh strawberries. We cut them up and combined them with a squirt of lemon juice and a scant teaspoon of sugar to draw out their juices. We tried frozen but they made the bars too damp and a little gooey. Still good but not the best presentation. If frozen berries are your only option, I’d suggest draining them before using. We also opted to add the teaspoon of organic vanilla.  I think when our own berries are ripe this recipe won’t need any added sweeteners. Yum! I’m also anxious to try other fruits as they come in season; think figs, pears or raspberries!

In our quest for a more healthy dessert we were able to leave out the carbs of the flour while adding in the almonds. We couldn’t quite get away from the butter. We tried coconut oil in one of our trials and it was good but after researching found it has more saturated fat than butter. These are really a nice little bar that as far as my family is concerned ‘hits the spot.’ In some ways it’s less of a bar because its center is soft and the outside crumbly. It’s best eaten with a fork rather than fingers. More like dessert than a grab and go bar. Let me how you like them.

 

Here is our recipe:

1 cup rolled oats + 1/4 cup reserved

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter (1 stick, cut into small pieces)

1 cup fresh strawberries chopped small-combined with 1 teaspoon of sugar or 1/2 packet Truvia

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 cup ground almonds for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 X 8 inch square pan with cooking spray (sides and bottom)

 

Place oats, almond meal, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and vanilla into food processor and process for about 10 seconds to blend.

Add butter while processor is running and continue until mixture is well combined. The dough will be crumbly and dense.

 

 

 

Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in pan. Press. Set 1 cup aside. Place this cup of crumb mixture back in food processor and add reserved cup of oats. Pulse briefly to combine. This will make the topping a bit more crumbly.

Spread the berries over the dough to within about 1/4” of the edge. Press. Spread remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press it into the berries. Sprinkle ground almonds on top and press again.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

 

Notes:

• To make almond meal: Place 1 cup of raw almonds in food processor and pulse until a soft meal is formed.
• For ground almond topping simply do the same as above but for a shorter time. When the almonds are chopped coarsely they are ready.

 

                       Can’t wait till summer! Enjoy!

Comments

[Sunday Taylor]

These look and sound delicious! You were creating a recipe and recipe testing, reminds me of Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa. I think there may be a cookbook in your future! Have a wonderful weekend!

[connie brown]

Next on my list of recipes to try. Thanks, Janet and Sam!