This is the year you take back the Christmas cookie platter! Wow your friends, family and co-workers with these festive gluten-free Paleo Cranberry bars.
Ingredients
- CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (200 g) almond flour
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) coconut flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- 1 cup granulated coconut sugar, or maple sugar for a lighter color
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract
- ½ cup liquefied coconut oil, ghee or unsalted pastured butter, melted
- ¼ cup fruit-sweetened dried cranberries
- ¼ cup dairy-free white chocolate chips or chunks, optional
- FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup palm shortening
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon or orange zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon or orange extract
- ¼ cup fruit-sweetened dried cranberries
- COCONUT DRIZZLE #1 INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 2 teaspoons full-fat coconut milk
- 1½ teaspoons raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon lemon or orange extract
- COCONUT DRIZZLE #2 INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup dairy-free white chocolate chips, melted together with ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Directions
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 8-inch square pan and place a layer of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan long enough to come up two opposite sides.
Weigh the flours and sift together with the ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir in the coconut sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the lemon extract and coconut oil.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
Stir in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, if using.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift out of the pan by using the sides of the parchment paper.
To make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, whip the shortening, honey, lemon zest and lemon extract together in a small bowl. Smooth the frosting over the cooled cake and top with the dried cranberries.
Mix together your choice of drizzle and drizzle over the frosted cake.
Cut the cake into quarters, then cut each square diagonally to get eight large triangles. For smaller servings, cut again to get 16 pieces.
Nutrition Analysis (with Coconut Drizzle #1): 280 cal, 22 g fat, 25 mg chol, 95 mg sodium, 21 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 4 g protein.
Nutrition Analysis (with Coconut Drizzle #2): 280 cal, 21 g fat, 25 mg chol, 95 mg sodium, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 4 g protein.
Lea Valle creates delicious Paleo recipes on her popular blog, paleospirit.com. Recipe reprinted with permission from Sweet Paleo: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Delights, by Lea Valle, The Countryman Press, 2015.
