I don’t believe in those extremely silly short term healthy eating plans. They annoy me to be perfectly honest. I believe in healthy eating year round.
You see, by following the paleo diet I don’t have to count calories, nor do I have to worry about how much I eat. I enjoy what I eat and wake up the next morning fitting into my skinny jeans just the same as I did the day before.
Its all about choosing the foods that make you feel best. A high protein low carb, sugar free diet is what makes me feel light, clear minded and energetic. No bloated belly, slow digestion nonsense. Once you feel the difference in how you can feel, any desire for old food habits will disappear.
The other day I was working on a recipe for grain and sugar free Swiss Rolls. During this process I accidentally made Grain and Egg Free Brownies.
I did a quick search online and discovered there were limited recipes like this. I held on to my notes thinking at some point I might use them. Last night at midnight the idea for these bars popped into my head. So.. here they are.
Also read: Sugar Addition […and How To Break It!]
* If you are looking for just a everything free Brownie or Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe- feel free to snag half of this recipe and bake it alone. If you want to make brownies I suggest doubling the recipe, otherwise you will end up with some super thin brownie bites. *
To make this recipe sugar free use xylitol in place of the granulated sugar. All chocolate chips, even the allergy free brands contain sugar. Feel free to leave them out or try using some raw cacao nibs instead. Xylitol sometimes acts a little different than sugar and I am still learning the ins and outs of it.
A reader tried this recipe today using it and she gave great feedback. She said the bars were very moist and that she loved them that way. If you are concerned about this and would prefer a dryer bar you might want to try using 1/2 -1 Tbs less of milk in each recipe.
Please note that Hain’s Featherlight Baking Powder is corn free. Other brands may not be. It was also brought to my attention that Vanilla Extract often contains corn. In the case of this recipe feel free to omit it and use extra milk instead. You might also consider adding some fresh Vanilla Bean instead.
Also, I wanted to mention that I like to use a small 6 x 6 pan for my almond flour recipes. I do this as I know Almond Flour is not the cheapest. I’d like for you all to be able to make my recipes for a reasonable price. In the case of this recipe, if you do not have a small pan, that’s ok. Just fill a portion of a larger pan. (This cookie dough will not spread- it should hold its shape during the baking process).
For those sensitive or allergic to almonds- I suspect that most of the other nut/seed flours should work in this recipe. This is just an educated guess as I have not tested it out myself.
One more thing worth mentioning. If you just want to use regular inexpensive white sugar.. that’s fine. But, if you do this I would suggest removing 1/2-1 Tbs of milk from both the brownie and chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Highly refined white sugar contains a ton of moisture and it ground finer than any of the natural sugars. It may make your bars come out a little undercooked. Lowering the liquid amount should help balance the moisture content.
These bars are extremely good. One of my best creations to date. Hope you love them as much as we do!
Gluten Free Layered Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Gluten/Grain/Starch/ Egg/ Corn /Soy Free)
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 1 1/2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder or Carob Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar. (any variety should work refined or unrefined)
- 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tbs Nondairy Milk or Water.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
- 2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- Any variety of sugar, though keep in mind that Palm or Sucanat sugar will darken the dough
- 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 2 Tbs Oil (or melted butter, melted coconut oil etc (I love Garden of Life!))
- 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
- 3 Tbs Nondairy Milk or Water
- 1/2- 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips (Such as Enjoy Life)
- Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Line a 6 x 6 inch Baking Pan with Parchment, leaving a bit of an overhang to aid in removing the bars after baking.
- Make the Brownie Dough. Combine all the ingredients and use your hands to mix. The dough will be thick and may not come together just using a spoon. Press this dough evently into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Using a clean bowl make the Chocolate Chip cookie dough. Combine all the ingredients. Like the Brownie dough this will need to be mixed together by hand. Adding in the Chocolate Chips last. Press the cookie dough on top of the brownie layer in the pan.
- Place in the oven and bake 26-29 minutes. Around the 18 minute mark you may want to cover the top of the pan with a sheet of tinfoil as at this point it will start to become golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing. (I like to throw mine into the freezer to speed up this process).
Notes Store at room temperature or freeze for a later date. I personally LOVE eating cookies straight out of the freezer.
Great! I’m excited to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing Melanie! ?