Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars
Bananas are the surprise ingredient in these yummy, coconutty treats. Substitute cashews or pecans for the walnuts for some great flavor variations.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 24 (2-inch) bars
Ingredients
CRUST
1/2 cup unsalted butter or nonhydrogenated butter substitute
1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour or sprouted whole wheat flour
Pinch of sea salt
FILLING
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup light agave nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour or sprouted whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips or carob chips
1 cup dried unsweetened coconut
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
To make the crust, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, flour, and salt. Pat into a 9- by 13-inch unoiled baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes and remove. To make the filling, mix all the filling ingredients together and pour over the crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly golden. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars. Keep refrigerated.
Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.
