Operation Health Up Coconut Bars

First off, as you read this, I'm sitting waiting to be called in for jury duty... that's right... after 28 years on this earth they finally realized I've never been called to jury duty *sigh* As you may be able to tell from this blog, I'm pretty feisty... and I get more feisty when I'm hungry... these poor civil servants have no idea the handful they are about to get today :) Anyone want to bet how long I last before they kick me out!? My guess is I don't even make it into the court room :D

OK back to operation health up! My awesome friend Val who I met through playing ultimate frisbee (this girl is fiercely good!) emailed me the other day asking if I was up for a challenge. Challenge you say? What kind of challenge!?! A health it up challenge!! She had a recipe she loves, but she knows it's totally bad for her, she wanted to know if I good make it any better for her... or at least not as bad :)


I started looking over her original recipe... It was a shortbread base, baked, then you add a sugary coconut topping and bake it again... 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup flour... ummm wow there isn't anything redeeming in there LOL. Then the topping: more sugar, coconut, eggs, almonds... Hmmm ok getting some ideas...

I needed to get rid of that cup of fat in the base... and who needs a 1/2 cup of sugar? I decided to take the almonds out of the topping and add them into the base to replace some of the fat with healthy fats. Then I subbed in some agave to get some moisture back, plus a little unsweetened apple sauce. The cookie base was dense for sure, but had a nice nutty flavor to it. I may try adding an egg white next time so they aren't so dense. (will let you know how it goes)

As for the topping, I was amazed there was so much sugar! Really do we need a cup of brown sugar?? I think not. Out went 3/4 of the sugar, and the two eggs were replaced with egg whites. The results a totally delicious gooey topping!


The verdict:
I loved them, totally sweet and gooey.

My roommate wasn't a fan of the cookie base but said "I could eat this topping for days!"

My coworkers all agreed they loved them. One said the base wasn't flaky like a shortbread would be... but she still liked how it tasted and the more dense texture.

Want to make them for yourself?

Coconut Almond Bars
recipe redo by steph chows

cookie base:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs whole wheat flour
2 Tbs organic zero (or splenda or white sugar)
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 Tbs unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup almonds (toss them in a food processor and get them to a flour like texture)
1 egg white (didn't try this out, will next time, I think it will lighten the dough a bit)

Mix it all together in a bowl and then press into the bottom of a greased pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Now make the coconut topping:

Mix together:
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs whole wheat flour
dash of salt
2 egg whites (beaten until slightly foamy)

Remove the golden crust from the oven and spread topping over the top. Place back in oven and reduce temperature to 325. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top (and center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan.


OK who's next!! What recipe can I health up for you!!! Don't worry I'll keep it tasty! Email it to me at stephchows at gmail.com :)