Peach Cranberry Bars
 

Something "fruity", if not traditional fruitcake, for the holidays. I bake these this morning and the one I ate this afternoon right from the fridge was even better! Getting mellower for sure! I suspect this recipe might take kindly to 1-2 T. bourbon being added for the holidays, if you're of an inclination. :)

I bought two of the largest, prettiest peaches this week I have ever seen in my life (see below). It only took 1 of them to make this pan of wonderful bar cookies, as each one weighed a full POUND!

Go to my website to see this 15.75 oz. peach in perspective! :lol:

These were very good and I will be making these again for sure! I didn’t find them too sweet and they sure did satisfy my craving for a bit of fruit and nuts today. These would be lovely with a cup of coffee at breakfast, for a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream on top, or just as a snack. These are not suitable until the grains rung of OWL. I'm sure other low-carb bake mixes can be subbed in, but lower the butter a bit if using Carbquick.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid Low-Carb Bake Mix made with unsweetened, plain whey protein powder: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2...stomize-to.html

½ c. unsweetened coconut
1 T. coconut flour
2/3 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. chopped fresh cranberries
½ c. + 2 T. erythritol
Dash salt (1/8 tsp.)
6 drops liquid stevia (or 4 drops liquid sucralose)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1¼ c. fresh peach, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 medium)
6 T. melted butter TOTAL (1 T. to grease pan, 5 T. for recipe)
1 beaten egg
3/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Peel and finely chop the peaches (or pulse until coarsely chopped in processor). Melt butter in an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan. Tilt pan and grease sides and bottom of pan well with butter. Pour the remaining butter into the chopped peaches. Now beat in the egg and extracts. Chop cranberries coarsely and add to the peach mixture. Set the wet ingredients aside for now.

In a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients. Spoon the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to moisten all into a smooth, thick batter. Spoon evenly into the greased baking pan and level with a spatula or fork. Bake in preheated 350º oven for about 40 minutes or until dry to the touch in the center. These do not rise very much. When totally cool, cut into 16 squares (4×4) and serve or store in an air-tight container in refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 16 bars, each contains:

123 calories
10.26 g fat
5.64 g carbs, 3.04 g fiber, 2.6 g NET CARBS
2.87 g protein
25 mg sodium

Jennifer Eloff has a number of excellent bake mixes (I've tried most now) and even a gluten-free mix. A visit to her site to check them out is well worth your time if you're a baker. :)