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Brianafinger Bars


Description

These Brianafinger Bars are one of the most popular recipes on my website – with good reason. This is one of the recipes that I myself actually make over and over again. They’re that good and easy. THM S, low carb

Check the notes section below for a crust option without almond flour.


Ingredients

CRUST

 

TOPPING

  • 3/4 cup (125g) sugar free chocolate chips (I used Lily’s Milk Chocolate Chips)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (96g) natural peanut butter (I used Smuckers brand)
  • 2 tablespoons THM Gentle Sweet (to taste – you may need more if using chocolate chips that are less sweet, such as THM brand)
  • 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil

Instructions

CRUST: Mix the crust ingredients together and press into a greased 8” x 8” glass baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. Bring the crust to room temperature before adding the topping.

TOPPING: Microwave the topping ingredients together in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until they can be whisked together. (You could also heat slowly over a double boiler.) Taste and add more sweetener if desired. Whisk until smooth. Spread the topping over the cooled crust with an offset frosting spreader, then jiggle the pan to smooth it out.

Chill the bars before cutting into 12 pieces. Store in fridge or freezer. I really like these bars at room temperature because the chocolate is softer. They’re also good out of the fridge. The freezer is good for long term storage but I like to eat the Brianafinger Bars when they’re a little softer.

Notes

Make a double batch of this recipe for a 9” x 13” pan (24 servings). Bake the crust for 12 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges.

Original chocolate topping made with coconut oil: This is a half batch of the original in the cookbook to fit the 8″ x 8″ pan in the recipe above. I much prefer the version above using sugar free chocolate chips, but I’m including this here as a more budget friendly option. INGREDIENTS: 6 tablespoons refined coconut oil, 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter, 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon Truvia (powdered in a coffee grinder after measuring). INSTRUCTIONS: Melt the coconut oil and peanut butter together. Whisk in the cocoa powder and sweetener. Taste and add more sweetener if desired (most people will want more). Let cool to room temperature. Chill the crust completely in the fridge before pouring the chocolate on top. Refrigerate until firm before cutting into bars. This chocolate topping will be thinner than the one in the recipe above.

I also tried a 9” x 13” inch pan (24 servings) version without almond flour, using more coconut. CRUST: 1 cup salted butter (softened), 2 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup Briana’s Baking Mix, 1 1/2 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend, 1 teaspoon molasses. TOPPING: use a double batch of the topping in the recipe card above. Follow the same instructions as above. Bake the crust for 12 minutes. I prefer the main recipe just a bit more, but depending on what ingredients you have on hand this option is a good substitute.

Finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes: These do not make the bars taste super coconutty, but they do provide nice texture. You could probably use more oats in their place but that would add more carbs. If using the regular size unsweetened coconut flakes I recommend grinding them up a bit before using in the recipe, otherwise the crust will be more – flaky.

Quick oats: I prefer quick oats to old fashioned oats in this recipe. Quick oats used to be considered off plan for Trim Healthy Mamas, but the stance on that changed in 2015 (as long as you have protein in your meal to help blunt a blood sugar spike). Oats are considered a THM E ingredient, but occasionally it’s ok to add a small amount to THM S recipes as long as you watch the carb count. In this recipe the oats add only 2.58g net carbs per serving.

Sweetener: Feel free to use your favorite low glycemic sweetener to taste in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend and THM Gentle Sweet. Many people like more sweetener than I do, so adjust to taste to make sure you get a result you like. I DO really like THM Gentle Sweet in chocolate things like the topping for these bars. Gentle Sweet is already powdered, but if using a granulated sweetener you may want to powder it in a coffee grinder before using in the topping.

Molasses: This is allowed on the Trim Healthy Mama plan in small amounts (1/4 teaspoon per serving) for flavor. I like Grandma’s molasses from Walmart or a local grocery store. Blackstrap molasses is recommended I believe, but the nutrition info isn’t that different from Grandma’s and I don’t like the taste nearly as well. Molasses IS technically a sweetener, but it’s not refined sugar and is only used in a small amount for flavor so I’m still calling this recipe sugar free. 😉

Sugar free chocolate chips: If you don’t want to splurge on sugar free chocolate chips you could try using 85% dark chocolate in their place, but you will definitely need to add more sweetener and the texture of the topping will probably not be as nice. Maybe try adding a bit more coconut oil and/or peanut butter to smooth it out?

Allergy info: gluten free (use gluten free oats), egg free – make sure your chocolate chips are allergy friendly

This recipe has been updated as of March 2022. You can find the original website recipe on page 328 of Necessary Food.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: THM S, low carb, sugar free, gluten free

Keywords: thm, trim healthy mama, sugar free butterfinger bar, low carb butterfinger bar, cookie bar recipe