Want to taste the holidays in one tantalizing, bitter-sweet bite? These bars bring the flavors of candied orange, toasted hazelnut, cookie crust and bitter-sweet, dark chocolate together to create a dessert experience that you’ll want to repeat! Proudly serve these on a fancy platter for guests, generously put a few out on a plate with milk for Santa, or hide ’em in your freezer and nibble on one when no one is around…the choice is yours!
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup palm shortening
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
3 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blanched almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
6 tablespoons coconut oil
⅔ cup coconut palm sugar
6 tablespoons coconut cream
¼ cup raw honey
1 tablespoon Orange Zest
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
¼ cup fruit-only orange marmalade
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate pieces
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 casserole pan with coconut oil and cover the bottom with a large piece of parchment paper, having the paper stick up on both of the shorter sides, to use as handles to assist in removing the bars after baking.
In a large mixing bowl beat the coconut oil and palm shortening with an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add coconut palm sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in the almond flour, coconut flour and starch.
Press the cookie crust on the bottom of the prepared casserole pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.
For the Hazelnut Orange Filling: In small saucepan bring the coconut oil, coconut palm sugar, Tablespoons coconut cream, honey and orange zest to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to monitor when the mixture registers at 230 degrees F. Remove from heat and mix in the hazelnuts and marmalade.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, then place the pan in the freezer to harden for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and loosen around the edges with a knife. Use the parchment paper handles to transfer the whole thing to a cutting board. Use a large knife to cut into 30 even, square bars.
Line a tray with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate over low heat and dip half of each square into the chocolate and place onto the parchment paper. Place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Enjoy!
Calories: 123
Fat: 9g
Carbohydrates: 9g
Sodium: 50mg
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 8g