The perfect snack, these bars are SO EASY to whip up. No baking required, WAY healthier than store-bought, super low-carb, made of real food. With blueberries, high-omega chia seeds, flax seeds, shredded coconut, and your choice of zero-glycemic sweetener or honey, these satisfy my daily chocolate requirement. Ha Ha! Just mix, press into a pan, and chill.
These bars were inspired by hunger at Whole Foods check-out counter, I almost grabbed a chia bar. But then I saw the ingredients. Uh oh! Agave syrup, brown rice syrup, apple juice concentrate – 3 high-fructose sweeteners that would send anyone’s liver into metabolic mayhem. I came home and made these delicious babies! Spirulina is the optional superfood
Just for fun, I compared the nutrition facts of the 2 recipes. Both bars weigh 25 grams. Mine has 3.9 grams carbs, compared to 15 grams carbs in the store-bought bar. My bars have 0.1 grams sugars compared to 5 grams sugars in the grocery bar. My recipe uses healthy fats from coconut and nuts, and no extracted “vegetable oil” as in the commercial bar. I don’t know how to compare the “Qi” or life force, but I’m sure these are off the charts, and the flavor is divine!
These bars are quick to make in minutes with a food processor. Or you can blend the blueberries with the sweetener in any blender, and then stir the rest by hand in a mixing bowl. I made a large 9 x 13-inch pan, as these freeze beautifully, so I can enjoy them for several weeks. Or keep them in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Makes about 24 to 36 bars depending on how you cut them.
Spread the mixture into the pan quickly, while it’s soft. Then refrigerate to thicken completely.
No need to bake! The natural pectin in blueberries combines and thickens with chia and flaxseeds into a solid bar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2/3 cup Just Like Sugar Brown natural chicory root sweetener, or 2 tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or ½ cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2/3 cup nut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons pure cacao powder or carob powder
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon spirulina powder (optional)
- 2/3 cup nuts, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts)
- 2/3 cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons flaxseeds freshly ground
Instructions
- Use a 9 x 13-inch pan, and cover with parchment paper so it hangs over the sides like handles.
- In a food processor, add the blueberries and sweetener. Process until completely liquefied.
- Add the salt, cinnamon, nut butter, vanilla, cacao or carob, and mix again until it becomes a thick chocolate ganache that you’ll want to eat with a spoon. But don’t do it - it gets better!
- Next add the coconut and optional spirulina powder and process well.
- Last pulse in the chopped nuts, chia, and flaxseed meal briefly. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- Working quickly while the mixture is still soft, press into the pan and smooth flat. Chill for an hour. Then remove from the refrigerator, cut into bars, and eat.
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