No-Bake Low-Carb Bars (w/lots of coconut)

[egglady]

Here's a recipe I invented for no-bake low-carb bars. They make a satisfying quick breakfast with a cup of coffee.

This was my first time attempting such a recipe, and I was pleased at how moist, coconutty, and chocolatey the bars turned out. I plan to continue adjusting the recipe with each new batch, but this is the original.

With 8.4 net carbs per bar, these would be unsuitable for Atkins induction. You get a lot of value for the carbs, though: these bars are dense and one will keep you full and energized for hours. They're full of good fats and fibre, and healthier than the store-bought bars which are full of sugar alcohols. Feel free to suggest improvements!

No-Bake Low-Carb Bars
1 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup ground flax seed
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup coconut flour (If you can't find coconut flour, use 2 cups shredded coconut instead)
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder, or to taste
Splenda or stevia to taste (optional)
Approx. 1 cup canned coconut cream (not "coconut milk" or "coconut water")

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the coconut cream. Mixture will be dry and crumbly.
Stir in enough coconut cream to make a smooth, dough-like mixture.
If mixture becomes too wet, add more protein powder or other dry ingredient.

Press mixture into a 9”x13” baking pan. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Cut into 16 bars.

Wrap each bar separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or store in freezer.

Counts
Note: Counts were arrived at using a combination of package labels and FitDay, and assuming no sweeteners were used
Calories / carbs / fibre / net carbs
Entire recipe: 6510 / 366.7 / 233 / 133.7
Per bar: 407 / 23 / 14.6 / 8.4

Reducing the carb count
Any or all of the following will reduce the carb count. I don't have the counts for these options.
- Cut into 20 bars instead of 16. (Pretty obvious, huh? :D)
- Use macadamia butter instead of peanut butter.
- Replace the shredded coconut or ground nuts with ground flax seed.
- Omit the cocoa powder.
- Also, I believe ground pecans would be lower in carbs than the ground almonds.

[Bat Spit]

This recipe sounds brilliant.

My only question is where do you get coconut cream? Or what could you use as a sub?

A lot of the recipes for bars that I've seen either use soy flour or cream cheese, so this sounds like a winner for me!

[LadyBelle]

For almost all coconut products I use www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com They have a coconut cream that is very thick and rich.

In many places you can find coconut cream in regular grocery stores or in asian stores. I'm in Wyoming though, so I can understand how sometimes in this region shopping onlineis the only choice. You might try Whole Foods or Vitamene (sp) Village depending on your area.

[Nancy LC]

You can also find coconut cream in Asian markets.

[egglady]

I can almost always find coconut cream in Asian (esp. Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai), Indian, and West Indian markets. Most supermarkets in Toronto cater to an ethnically diverse clientele, so I can usually find it in supermarkets too. Check the "international foods" aisle. There are also on-line sources like Wilderness Family Naturals and Tropical Traditions.

Coconut cream comes in cans, or in solid blocks (shelf-stable or frozen) or powder that you reconstitute with water. I use mostly the canned type. It's such a handy (and delicious) substitute for dairy cream. It has a slightly sweet taste too, so requires less Splenda.

I have read that canned brands may contain sulphites and cornstarch. None of those ingredients have been listed on any of the brands I've tried, but that could be due to differences in international labelling laws. In any case, I haven't noticed any adverse effects.

If you can't find coconut cream locally, I'm sure heavy cream or even plain water would work well in the recipe. Basically you just need some kind of liquid to moisten the mixture enough to make it pliable. Good luck!