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Healthy Seven Layer Bars

Filed Under: 50-100, Almond Milk, Chocolate, Chocolate, Coconut, Cookies and Bars, Desserts, Erythritol, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Low Carb, Recipe Makeover, Recipes, Sugar Free, Vegan, Whole Wheat Flour

By 16 Comments Jump to Recipe

Warning: do not lick the screen.

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When I was little (okay, shorter but bigger around the middle), my mother’s colleague would bring seven layer bars into the office.  My mother would then proceed to graciously hoard and bring them home, knowing that, to her 9 year old daughter, these bars were the edible equivalent of Disneyland.

First she gave birth to me, then gave me chocolate-happy taste buds, and now this. I’m a lucky kid. Little Kelly expresses her gratitude by sticking her head in the cookie jar.

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In case I didn’t know how unhealthy traditional seven layer bars are, my pants were always there to remind me. Luckily we’ve come a long way since then. Now I have a 27 inch waist, an obnoxious(ly wonderful) trend that allows us to wear leggings in public, and a recipe for healthy seven layer bars so good they could make a grown man cry.

So good. I repeat. SO good.

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But now I have a problem. The problem is that I am madly in love with these bars and I have 10 of them calling my name from the kitchen. Wait, this recipe made 16 bars. Oops. *wipes chocolate from fingers*

I mean it’s okay because they’re healthy (only 80 calories each!), but I need something more balanced than a bar in each hand. Just enjoy a few of these after chowing down on a salad and you’re golden. Just like the perfectly golden tops of these bars. They’re waaay too good.

Then my friend invited me over for pie, so naturally I said yes because duh! Bonding and pie. Plus I can shove these bars off on her! Can anyone way PIE DATE? I can’t because my mouth is full… of both pie and seven layer bars. But I already ate a salad, so mission accomplished.

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First, whip up the simple crust. The beauty here is that you can use whatever flour you so desire.

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Layering time!

1. Crust

2. Nuts

3. Dark chocolate chips

4. White chocolate chips (or semi sweet chocolate)

5. Butterscotch chips (or milk chocolate)

6. Coconut

7. Sweetened Condensed Milk

Okay yeah, that makes seven. I have been very busy this summer forgetting all basic math.

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Compose an interpretive dance or full-scale musical to express your love for sweetened condensed milk.

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Or simply enter these bars in a beauty pageant.

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The secret to clean-cut bars is using a pizza cutter. Do this if you want to live. (Okay, if you want the bars to live. But after tasting one you’ll know what I mean.)

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See? This proves my hypothesis that pizza is the prime source of great human innovation and world peace.

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Cut yourself a giant slice and indulge in a seven layer miracle.

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inspired by Desserts with Benefits

Yield: 16 bars

Healthy Seven Layer Bars

10 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

1 hrTotal Time:

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Ingredients

    For crust:
  • 6 tablespoons chickpea flour (or flour of choice, such as whole wheat)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons sugar or erythritol
    • For the filling:
  • 1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used sliced honey roasted almonds.)
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips or semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup butterscotch chips or milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup ( homemade ) sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust and whisk until no pocket of flour remain. Evenly spread the crust mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.
  3. After you’ve fetched the crust from the oven, evenly layer the ingredients over the crust in order: chopped nuts, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or semi sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or milk chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk (make sure to pour it so that it covers all the coconut).
  4. Bake in the oven at 350 for 40 more minutes, until the top is golden and beautiful. Let the bars cool completely. I repeat: let the bars COOL. This will take about 2 hours. Because I have exactly -0.7% patience when it comes to dessert, I usually just stick the bars in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Now cut into bars (a pizza cutter is the secret to clean cuts!) and devour.

Notes

Nutritional information calculated with erythritol, reduced fat coconut, and homemade sweetened condensed milk.

7.8.1.2
352
https://www.foodiefiasco.com/healthy-seven-layer-bars/

Nutrition

Calories: 80 cal
Fat: 4 grams g

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What is your favorite kind of chocolate?

Responsible answer: dark chocolate. Real answer: white chocolate. The beauty of the seven layer bar is that you can use whichever chocolate chips you want, responsible or otherwise.

 

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Comments

  2. Funny - the sweetened condensed milk was what brought me to your site! I was looking for homemade dairy free sweetened condensed milk, and there I was. Have to try a seven layer bar - never had one in my life! Sounds yummy :)
    Reply

  3. Hi Kelly! I looovvveeeee your blog and you are a real inspiration! One thing, why did you change the design of the blog?? It's really hard to navigate :( :( but I love you and your writing/recipes! I've tried all of them :)
    Reply

  4. Hello my sweets, I have perused this page up and down and I cannot find the nutritional info anywhere and no link in site. Is your other mother (me) getting too old to find things? Please assist me> Much warm regards, Your other Mother, Marleen xxoo
    Reply

  5. Hello Talented Lady, I LOVE your writing style...warm, humorous, real...I've never visited a food site where I want to make EVERY recipe!...Always a treat when I see there's a post from you...Going out tomorrow to gather ingredients for this one...Loved the Muffin for One recipe...It was actually big enough for 2...I'm going to try a fruit topping next time.
    Reply

  9. Hi, I am NOT an experienced baker, so pardon if the answer to this question seems obvious to you...have you ever tried (or do you think it's possible to) switching out the sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk? With all the other deliciously sweet layers do you think they would have enough sweetness to keep the bars healthier but still mmm, mmm, good? :-) Thanks!
    Reply

    • Hi Kim and thank you for the question! Here is an article on the difference between evaporated and sweetened condensed milk (the Kitchn explains it better than I would). Because evaporated milk is unsweetened, I don't think it will taste great in this recipe. One thought I'd have is to maybe add the evaporated milk along with your sweetener of choice (erythritol, coconut sugar, honey, etc) into a pot. Then cook it enough so the sweetener has melted and stir to combine, then probably cook down a bit more just to thicken up the mixture. I haven't tried this method but I think it might be along the lines of what you're looking for. Please let me know if you give it a try! :)
      Reply

      • Hi Kelly! Thank you for the idea and the link and your detailed explanation! It has helped me realize that in this stage of the game maybe I should just stick with your original recipe until I get a little more baking experience - haha! But now I understand things a little better and have some ideas in mind for when I am ready to do some experimenting of my own. ;-) There's definitely an art and a science to baking!
        Reply

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