Coconutty Bars

This little bar I came up with today was a total winner. I love bars--last week found me making Kind bars. Do you know the bars I'm talking about? I love them, but yes, they are a tad spendy. Ends up they are crazy easy to make. Just like Lara bars, which I like, but they're more like a breakfast bar, whereas Kind bars are more of a treat. And I like treats, as you know. Here are two links, among so many, that I liked:

Homemade TRIO and Kind Bars: The recipe I worked from for the Kind bars I made.
Lara Bars:  I loved the thoroughness of this post from The Kitchn.

But I was in search of a coconutty kind of bar. That's what I thought to myself: I need something coconutty. Do you live your life like that? Thinking of what you are craving and finding a way to cook it? It doesn't always come out well, you may know, if you are like me. There is a moment I have when I'm mixing something, and I say to myself: This is going to be so good! But I'm not always right. This time, I was right. I was inspired by this recipe for Almond Coconut Bars by The Paleo Mom, which doesn't look far off from my final product, but mine's a bit different.

I mistakenly said hashtagged these as Paleo today on Instagram, and the way I made them (with brown rice syrup) they are not. They also won't work with a GAPS diet, for the same reason. Somehow, I don't think these would hold together well with honey, but it might be worth a try. Let me know if you do! I wonder how these would come out without any sweetener at all? Brown rice syrup does have this magical glue quality when baked. I think without the syrup, you could just chill the pan, and call it a Lara bar kind of thing.

Coconutty Bars

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8 square pan with olive oil.

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups mixed nuts (I used a mix of almonds, walnuts, and pecans)
1 cup deglet dates
1 tablespoon of olive oil or liquid (warmed) coconut oil
1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup

Put coconut, nuts, and dates in a food processor, and run it until they are all very finely ground, a minute or two. Then, while the machine is on, slowly pour in the oil. I used very good olive oil, but I'm sure coconut would be tasty. Then, because the brown rice syrup is so gloopy, stop the machine, add it, then turn it on to fully blend. Tip: Use the oil-slicked tablespoon for the brown rice syrup--it will slide right off the spoon. Then, pat the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for fifteen minutes, or until the sides are golden. It will have puffed up a little, too. Take it out and let it cool a good fifteen minutes or so. To get it out of the pan, I gently covered it with wax paper and inverted it on a cutting board, then flipped it again, so it was right side up. Do this gently! Let it cool.

For the chocolate layer on top, chop up about two ounces of dark chocolate and heat slowly until liquid. Use a double-boiler, or a microwave for a minute or two, if you have one. Spread it on top of the bar "cake" with a spatula, and let it cool and harden in the fridge for about an hour.

Squash Nut Muffins (No sugar added)

I don't know what else to call these muffins. They are a riff on morning glory muffins, and I made them because I wanted a satisfying muffin with no added sugar. They have everything in them: squash, nuts, raisins, coconut, bananas and applesauce. And a bunch of other stuff. When I have one, I don't need to eat another thing for a while. They satisfy my sweet tooth even though they are not sweet. I've been noticing: the best thing about changing your sugar habit is that things don't need to be too sweet to calm your sweet tooth anymore.

I used two recipes to guide me in making these muffins. One is from Rebecca at Cakewalk, who made these carrot banana muffins which are very good, and the other was from Paleo Comfort Foods for morning glory muffins, which are also good but I would add the cider vinegar to make them a bit lighter. Do not leave out the vinegar! It activates the baking soda, and you won't taste it. Not only do these muffins have no added sugar, but they are also gluten free. By the by, I've been noticing an uptick in the paleo craze. Is it just me? Maybe I'm noticing it because it creates some interesting ideas in making desserts.

Squash Nut Muffins
(makes 12 muffins)

2 cups of nut meal (I used a blend of almonds, pecans and walnuts blended in my food processor)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup raisins or dried currants

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

3 eggs
1 teaspoon of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of olive oil or coconut oil
1 cup of squash puree
1 small ripe banana
1/2 cup of applesauce, unsweetened
1-2 tablespoons of honey or brown rice syrup

Preheat oven to 325. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I usually don't do this, but for these muffins, I think it's worthwhile.)

Mix together dry ingredients (first five ingredients). Whisk up the eggs with the rest of the ingredients. Add the wet to dry quickly. Fill the muffin liners up to the top--they won't rise too much so they can be quite full. Bake them for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops have formed a golden shell.