True No-Bake Blonde Bars

(Originally known as the No Bake Chocolate Cookie)

If you ever did ANY  “Sweet treat” cooking in your house, you probably, at one time, whipped up those great little no-bake chocolate cookies that had peanut butter, cocoa, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla, oatmeal and nuts were optional.  Some people even put shredded coconut in them. If you fixed too many of these tasty morsels, you probably over-cooked, under-cooked or just in general had BAD batches.  OR Maybe I’m just the only one.

They were fairly quick to fix and yummy to eat, bad batch or not.  HOWEVER, they aren’t the most healthy thing, ranking pretty high on the Glycemic Index charts, what with all that sugar.

When I started cutting down my sugar intake, started educating myself on what those things on the label of our foods we buy at the store really mean and stopped buying processed foods (for the most part), my already limited ability to have something sweet declined even more. So, the hunt started.

I can’t honestly say where I got the original recipe for these great tasting No-Bake cookies and I’ve messed with the recipe more than once, but can tell you they will be more kind to your low glycemic needs than the original recipe. So, here we go.

Even if you are diabetic, you’ll be able to eat these delicious little cookie / candy bites.  I use Raw Honey most of the time (see below for substitutions).  Since the mixture never gets heated, we’re not cooking the health benefits of the Raw Honey out of the mix.

Here’s also the breakdown:

 

blondie-bites1/2 c Sunbutter, Almond Butter or Peanut Butter

1/2 c Raw Honey or Agave Syrup (if using Stevia, just flavor to taste, they’ll be fine. If you use Stevia and need more liquid to replace the honey, add a little more coconut oil.)

1/2 c Melted Coconut oil

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla

A sprinkle of Sea Salt

2 c Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (or flaked)

Mix everything together in a bowl except the coconut.  Once you’ve got it all blended, stir in the coconut.

— Optional: 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (regular or dark works just as well.  So does a mix of the two.) And you’re back to the original (healthier style-Low Glycemic) No Bake Chocolate Cookies. (See that recipe here)

I use a round Tbsp to scoop out rounded balls, place them on a tray lined with plastic or parchment paper. Freeze for about an hour then eat. These can be kept in the freezer or refrigerator, but because of the coconut oil, they will get soft if left out on a warm day.

Makes about 25 cookies .(If you noticed in the picture below I’ve got my Dark Hershey’s Cocoa version ready for the freezer.)

no-bake-balls

These are great little power balls packed with nutritious, fresh ingredients that will NOT blow your diet program.  As with anything, do eat them with moderation.  I’d hate for you to write me and say my sweet treats ruined your diet. LOL

By the way, if you’re a dark cocoa fan, jump right in and do the substitution.  You may want to cut back the cocoa to 1 1/2 Tbsp though and if you’re not only a cocoa freak but a sweetie too, you can increase the honey by adding up to 2 more Tbsp without making it an ooie-gooie mess that won’t keep its shape.

I only use Sunbutter. Peanut butter has more oil and may make them a bit more runny, so to be on the safe side, you might want to add your oil a little at a time.

If it IS ooie-gooie, just pour them out on a lined cookie sheet, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, score with a dinner knife in the sizes you want, then freeze.

Here they are in bars along with some of the chocolate version. And remember —— Keep them either in the fridge or freezer, otherwise, on a warm day, you might need a spoon. LOL


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BON APPETIT

Til the next time!

You’re never too young or too old! So…

Live Every Moment,
Love Beyond Words,
Laugh Everyday,

~Jennifer

Food & the Glycemic Index

 

What do you know about the food you eat & how the carbohydrates in it affect your body?

As a society, we are eating more & more carbs without increasing our activities. This is a formula for disaster for us! More & more of us are becoming diabetic and NOT just adults!

As a diabetic, that means we can no longer have the sweet goodies, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, etc., that we used to eat. So, I ask again, what do you know about the food you eat & how does it affect your body?

I found this really neat site from “Self” magazine!

http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index

There is good general information about diabetes & how the food we eat affect us.

Hope this helps someone!

 

Love always,

Deb