Fruit and Nut Coconut Flour Breakfast Bars
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These Coconut Flour Breakfast Bars have a delicious combination of luscious layers: a shortbread-like base, apricot butter middle, and crunchy nut topping make up this easy healthy treat.
These bars are a healthified version of a traditional Slovakian treat (Czechoslovakian Cookie Bars) that's as common in Slovakia as chocolate cake is in North America. And now you can enjoy this delectable layered bar in a wholesome form that's healthy enough for dessert, snacks, or even breakfast.
Unlike snack-style bars that are mixed and pressed together, these breakfast bars are baked in layers with a coconut flour crust, a fruit filling, and a nut topping.
I call these breakfast bars because they're healthy enough to be just that. They’re not the dense, grab-and-go snack bars you might be used to. Instead, they’re baked in a pan and cut into soft, layered squares. Simply put, I think you'll love them as much as we do.
Why You'll Love These Bars
There's a lot to love about these bars. They're:
- made with wholesome ingredients like fruit, nuts, and coconut flour
- flexible so you can use whatever fruits and nuts (and even sweetener) you'd like
- super tasty
Ingredients
- egg yolks
- honey
- ghee (or other fat)
- baking soda
- coconut flour
- apricot butter (or other fruit puree, jam, or fruit butter)
- egg whites
- rapadura (or other sweetener)
- walnuts (or other nut or seed, as desired)
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute Powdered Egg Replacer if avoiding eggs for the crust (if low carb, use a flax egg or chia egg.) However, a replacer won't work well for the topping. You'll have to try another topping perhaps like the crumble for these Raspberry Bars.
- For a low-carb dessert, you can try 1/3 teaspoon stevia extract with 1 tablespoon water instead of honey, substitute xylitol for rapadura, and choose a jam made with berries and xylitol or other low-carb sweeteners.
- It is preferable to soak and dehydrate your nuts or seeds.
- Though any jam or spread can work, it's best to choose a jam or fruit puree on the thicker side.
Other Easy Healthy Treats
- Homemade Protein Bars – Skip the overpriced wrapped bars and have these instead
- Chocolate Avocado Truffles – You'll love how healthy these are and your kids will love how good they taste.
- Snickerdoodles Cookie Dough Balls – These are a great treat that take only 5 minutes (or less!)
- Orange Walnut Cardamom Balls
- Mixed Halvah Treats
Coconut Flour Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons ghee (butter or coconut oil may be used as well)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup water
Fruit Layer
- 2/3 cup apricot butter (or jam; or other thick fruit jam/puree/butter – choosing low carb if needed. See Recipe Notes)
Nut / Seed Topping
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup rapadura (or other sweetener as desired)
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts (or other nut or seed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Beat egg yolks until frothy, then add honey and ghee (or other fat).
- Stir baking soda into coconut flour, then stir into wet mixture.
- Add water, mix until combined.
- Grease and flour a 8×8 pan. Scatter the crust mixture throughout the pan by dolloping the mixture with a spoon, then use your hands to spread and press down the dough evenly.
- Spread the apricot butter (or other butter or jam) on the dough.
- Grind walnuts coarsely.
- Whip egg whites until stiff.
- Add rapadura and whip, then add walnuts.
- Spread egg white mixture over the jam on the crust, bake for 20 minutes or until darkish golden.
- Cool before cutting into squares and enjoy.
Notes
- You can substitute Powdered Egg Replacer if avoiding eggs for the crust (if low carb, use a flax egg or chia egg.) However, a replacer won't work well for the topping. You'll have to try another topping perhaps like the crumble for these Raspberry Bars.
- For a low-carb dessert, use 1/3 teaspoon stevia extract with 1 tablespoon water instead of honey, substitute xylitol for rapadura, and choose a jam made with berries and xylitol or other low-carb sweeteners.
- It is preferable to soak and dehydrate your nuts or seeds.
- Though any jam or spread can work, it's best to choose a jam or fruit puree on the thicker side.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What different food combinations have you encountered and enjoyed or disliked?
Naomi is originally from Canada but is now a wife and mom in Slovakia. She tries to live each day as a follower of Christ in the chaos of caring for children. Using real food and creating an environmentally friendly surrounding for her family is a priority. She dreams of a little farm while living in an apartment, enjoys handmade creations, and still doesn’t like brussels sprouts. Naomi shares her food creations and photos of Slovakia at Almost Bananas.
They sound fantastic but without the nutritional information especially carbs I will not be trying them.
Hello Kay,
I have consulted with many people about putting nutritional information on my site and am still considering it. However, with all of the substitutes that I offer for special diets, it would not be feasible. Additionally, so far I have not found a source that is reliable enough. You are, of course, free to take the ingredients that you would use and plug them into whatever online source you trust. Thank you for reading and I hope you do try them.
Can’t wait to try these! I have never liked sweet and savory together. My brother and I always eat our French toast with butter, salt and pepper with bacon on the side. It is delicious this way but probably foreign to people that are used to the syrup version.
It’s funny how we perceive foods based on what we are used to, isn’t it? Slovaks often ask me how I can eat sweet and savoury together (pancakes and maple syrup with bacon) but eat meat with canned fruit all.the.time. French toast your way sounds good to me!
These look absolutely decadent! I don’t have any coconut flour on hand at the moment, but am bookmarking this to try when I do! Thanks for sharing 🙂 ~Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Thanks Aubree! Hope you like them!
Just a few important facts regarding the use of zylitol:
The sweetener is derived from xylan (a polysaccharide), which is present in the plant cell walls of birch and beech trees, rice, oat, wheat and cotton seed hulls, corn cobs and stalks, along with sugar cane bagasse. Due to cost factors, most xylitol today is made from corn, rather than beech or birch. Chemically, all xylitol is the same, although GMOs are often present in non-organic varieties.
Organic chemist Shane Elison explains the production process of the sweetener in “Xylitol: Should We Stop Calling it Natural?”:
Elison continues, “[x]ylitol will rip up your insides, namely the digestive tract. It’s being touted as a natural product, most likely so that it can bypass regulation. Thus, very little studies exist on its side effects.” As anyone who has been overly enthusiastic about ingesting xylitol in large quantities can attest, the sweetener certainly lives up to its reputation of causing stomach distress, flatulence and loose stools. This alone is enough for anyone who cares about well-being to cast a weary eye upon the sweetener.
Moreover, it’s interesting to note that polysaccharides are forbidden on a GAPS diet since the sugar encourages leaky gut syndrome. Digging a little deeper, another disturbing fact comes to light: Danisco (a worldwide supplier of xylitol) is owned by DuPont – the same corporation who concealed evidence that Teflon non-stick coating is a highly toxic carcinogen and substantially disrupts the reproductive system. Not exactly a company with a stellar track record for holding health in high regard.
And then there’s the issue of xylitol that originates from China – a country known for its lax food standards, ranging from melamine contaminated milk to hidden GMOs. Even certified organic products from the country are suspect according to this article. Chances are, if your xylitol is from China, it’s sourced from GMO corn and has questionable processing practices.
This is NOT a good products to use. I would advise the use of the listed rapadura over zylitol in any form or recipe.
Here is a great source of info regarding rapadura/sucanat (which is no longer being recommended and why)
https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/08/10/a-sweet-sweet-summer-unrefined-dehydrated-whole-cane-sugar-sucanat-rapadura-panela-and-muscovado/
Hi there, Carol. I appreciate your commenting.
I know Katie of KS and in fact, we are friends and live near each other.
About xylitol, it isn’t ideal and I only use it from birch. I would consider using it from corn that is non GMO but I haven’t done that yet. I also don’t use it much now since I am on a gut healing diet.
The problem is that I have candida and sweeteners that feed it exacerbate my problem so I really have very few choices. I am trying to make decisions the best I can. I have done a lot of research into it and can’t figure it all out.
I don’t know if Elison is right or not. There are folks saying it’s fine.
I do find the Danisco information troubling but just b/c a company is fraudulent about one product doesn’t mean they are about all. I say that having a husband who lived in China for 2 years and is very hesitant to buy anything from there. That being said, not all from China is bad.
I can’t use rapadura b/c of candida. The option for xylitol was given since so many of my readers have candida. The only “OK” sweeteners are xyl, erythritol, stevia, inulin (which doesn’t really work), lo han & yacon (in small amounts), and glycerine.
I hope that helps you understand where I am coming from but I do really appreciate the dialogue.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
These bars look delicious and the ingredients list is something I have on hand. The ingredient list is not lengthy, which is a plus, and these bars appear to go together like a breeze. All the way around a keeper!
Thank you for posting!
Joanne
Thanks much Joanne! You are such an encouragement. I am sure Naomi will be thrilled.
I am thrilled! It’s always so nice to hear that someone appreciates what we put out here. Hope you enjoy!