Chocolate Paleo Magic Cookie Bars With Strawberry [Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free]

Februar 21, 2017

Chocolate Paleo Magic Cookie Bars With Strawberry [Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free]

These bars are crunchy, crispy, and packed full of magical flavors and nutrients. They combine silky-smooth melted chocolate, deep, nutty hazelnuts and bursts of fresh strawberries make them absolutely delicious. Plus, they are good for you so they're a total culinary victory.

Chocolate Paleo Magic Cookie Bars With Strawberry [Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free]

Serves

Ingredients

2/3 cup hazelnuts,
1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup agave, divided
2 cups strawberries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup coconut oil, room temperature
3/4 cup coconut flour, Sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips ^[1]

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Spread the hazelnuts onto a small pan and bake until browned and toasty smelling, about 8-11 minutes, finely chop them and set aside.
In a large, high-sided pot set over high heat, whisk together the can of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of agave, reserving the remaining agave for later.
Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Then, turn the heat down to medium and simmer it for 16-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced by about half, and you end up with 1 cup of super thick liquid. This really varies based on the size of the pot you use.
Once you’ve turned the sauce down to medium heat, place the strawberries, 1 tablespoon of the agave and the water in a medium pot set over medium heat.
Cook this, stirring occasionally, until all the water evaporates and you can mash the strawberries. You want the sauce to be really thick – this takes 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your pot.
Set it aside
While the sauce reduces, it’s time to make the crust by lining an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little bit of an overhang up the sides of the pan to use as a handle later.
Spray the sides generously with coconut oil spray.
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the remaining 3 tablespoons of agave with the coconut oil until smooth and creamy.
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and pinch of salt until a wet dough forms.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. This will be a little bit tough, just be patient with it.
Do not bake the crust until the sauce is done reducing, as you want to time it so the sauce can thicken a little more while the crust bakes.
Once the sauce is done reducing, and you’ll have 1 cup of liquid, set aside to cool.
Then, bake the crust just until the sides darken slightly, about 8 mins. When your crust comes out of the oven, it will have risen a little bit. Use a small spoon to pack it down, making sure to not leave cracks in the crust.
As soon as the crust comes out of the often, sprinkle the chopped nuts on top, and lightly press them into the crust.
Then, sprinkle on the chocolate morsels evenly.
Pour the coconut sauce evenly over the top of the surface, making sure to really get it into the edges of the bars (but not between the parchment paper and sides of the pan!) Then, gently shake the pan around until the coconut milk mixture begins to sink between the layers.
Spoon the strawberry sauce over top and use a sharp knife to it swirl around, being careful not to cut into the crust.
Place it into the oven and bake until the sides are lightly golden brown, about 27-28 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Cover them with tin foil and refrigerate them overnight before you cut them into bars.

AUTHOR & RECIPE DETAILS

Over-the-top dinners and desserts that are deceptively easy to make. Taylor is the blogger, recipe developer, photographer and general mess maker behind the blog Food Faith Fitness ^[2]. Her blog aims to show that eating healthfully does not have to break the bank or equal bland and boring! It can be easy to make and totally delicious. Taylor believes in living a balanced, whole life so Food Faith Fitness also focuses on fitness/nutrition tips and working on keeping Christ at the center of daily life. However, Taylor also believes that moderation is key, so sometimes it’s ok to just go and eat a cookie! When she isn’t blogging or messing up her kitchen, Taylor leads a pretty simple life. Places that you could find her include: the gym, her Bible study or just snuggling up on the couch with husband and doggy, watching The Food Network (Chopped in particular!) Taylor also has not-so-secret obsessions with all things peanut butter, cookie dough (even better if they are together!) pink and leopard print. Keep up with her on Facebook ^[3], Twitter ^[4], Instagram ^[5], and Pinterest ^[6].