Delicious Low Carb Snack Bars with a Berry Filling
Have you ever met a child who doesn’t love snacks? I sure haven’t.
We’re trying to help our kids make better, low sugar choices as they grow. But snack time is a hard obstacle to overcome.
These Low Carb Berry Snack Bars are a delicious treat for them that won’t cause those sugar monsters to pop out as the day progresses.
Encouraging our kids to eat more nutrient dense foods can be tricky.
Which means we have to work a lot smarter (and maybe a little harder)!
Kids can have a limited range when it comes to foods they’re willing to eat with gusto. And that’s totally fine. The unknown or different can really disrupt their little lives.
But we really want them to work their way to a healthy lifestyle.
The process may be long, but it’ll be worth it!
If you can start by swapping one familiar ingredient with a low carb alternative each time you prepare a recipe for them, it’ll be a smoother shift to a healthier option!
Sure, we’d love them to just embrace the better-for-them recipe instantly. But we’re realists and sometimes we have to use a little more strategy to reach our long-term goals.
Make these Low Carb Berry Snack Bars at the beginning of the week to have at the ready when a snack-attack happens!
The ingredient list seems a little long, so let’s break it down:
The baking blend is my recipe that works beautifully as a wheat flour substitute. You could easily use almond flour if you’d prefer, but I really love the texture of my baking blend.
The sweetener called for is an erythritol blend, which can have a slight cooling effect if you use a lot. You could easily use allulose instead, which behaves similarly to regular sugar and helps add a little softness to these bars.
If you don’t have the Swerve brown “sugar” on hand, add about ½ tsp of black strap molasses. It’ll create a great depth of flavor.
Glucomannan powder, a.k.a. Konjac Root powder, is an excellent binder and I use it in loads of recipes. Plus, the jar that I buy lasts well over a year because I use it in very tiny quantities. Xanthan Gum is a great swap that is 1:1 with the glucomannan powder.
Wrap individual bars in a bit of parchment paper if you send these along with your kids’ lunch!
LOW CARB BERRY SNACK BARS
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1½ cups DIY Baking Blend
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup erythritol-stevia blend divided
- 2 tsp gelatin divided
- ¾ tsp salt divided
- ½ cup cold butter cubed
- 1 tbsp Swerve brown sugar
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½-2 cups frozen berries of choice
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp glucomannan powder can substitute xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1½-2 cups pecans
- 6 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In food processor, combine baking blend, baking powder, ¼ cup erythritol blend, 1 tsp gelatin, and ½ tsp salt. Pulse until well mixed.1½ cups DIY Baking Blend, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ cup erythritol-stevia blend, 2 tsp gelatin, ¾ tsp salt
- Add cold butter, Swerve brown sugar, and vanilla to the processor. Blend together until the butter is fully cut into the dry ingredients. You should be able to pinch some of the mixture and have it stick together.½ cup cold butter, 1 tbsp Swerve brown sugar, 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- Press ⅔ of the dough into the parchment lined pan in an even layer. Make sure to get the crust firmly packed. Reserve the other ⅓ of the mixture for the topping.
- Bake crust layer in oven for 10 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, water, remaining gelatin, remaining erythritol blend, glucomannan, lemon juice, and remaining salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer.½ cup erythritol-stevia blend, 1½-2 cups frozen berries of choice, 1 cup water, ½ tsp glucomannan powder, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp gelatin
- With the immersion blender, blend the strawberry mixture. Set aside to cool.
- With the reserved curst mixture, add the pecans to the processor bowl. Pulse a few times to break up the pecans but don't blend them into a fine powder.1½-2 cups pecans
- Pour the strawberry gel over the crust layer, top with the pecan mixture, evenly.
- Pour the melted butter evenly over the pecan mixture.6 tbsp melted butter
- Bake the bars for 35 minutes or until the top layer is a light golden brown.
- Allow the bars to cool on the counter until room temperature. Refrigerate over night if possible. Slice into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
