It is not lost on me that this entire recipe club could be dedicated to upgraded desserts that benefit, instead of detracting, from well-being. No one would complain, especially not me and my classically trained pastry heart. And so, it is with much excitement this week that I have the opportunity to share these Hunky Coconut-Toffee Cookie Bars that I’ve been working on + craving for weeks now.
They’re gooey, chunky, decadent, rich, thick, and just the kind of thing that I find myself craving after a long walk in the woods, a long bike ride, or a long day where something that feels like a treat is in order, but something that makes me feel overloaded is not.
Quite a few weeks back, my friend (+ client) Michelle Parker was skiing and shared a picture of the toffee cookie she had at the top of a mountain before ripping a clean line back down the chute she’d climbed up. The whole thing just sounded delicious. And so, I got after it. I didn’t just want a Not just a hunky cookie bar that would serve at the top of a mountain, but a homemade toffee that would fit the bill as well. Both recipes turned out to be favorites, separately AND together, and when they married + had babies, these incredible cookie bars are the result!
Let’s be honest. You can pull a cookie bar recipe from just about anywhere these days, and not much but the author, or their preferable or pitiful food photography might be the only thing that sets it apart. But these are not those cookie bars, predominantly because these cookie bars use a smart sweetener: coconut sugar.
Now, there is NOTHING wrong with using brown sugar and granulated sugar!! All things are medicine in moderation, including these two foods! These sugars are referred to as “refined,” because they’re both processed in such a way that their “impurities” are removed, and along with them much of their nutritional value. (Yes, sugars have nutritional value!) And to be clear, all sweeteners require some refinement to make them edible and usable. But I find that baked goods containing less refined sugar help my body feel more even keel, keep away gut rot, and prevent a super sugar spike. All good things. And when you plan to be out on an all-day mission, as Michelle was, keeping your body and gut balanced is key.
Coconut sugar is made from the dehydrated sap of a coconut palm tree, and still has all of the minerals and nutrients that fed the coconut tree intact. These minerals and nutrients are critical in helping our bodies to digest the carbohydrates in the sugar and do other vital benefits to our bodies as well. Additionally, coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 34, while granulated sugar has a glycemic index of 65. Both serve their purpose in moderation, and full disclosure the recipe for this cookie bar uses both. BUT, because only half of the sweetening here is done with coconut sugar, these cookie bars will deliver a lower blood sugar spike while also loading the body with vitamins and minerals that are lost on bleached, refined sugars.
And so, as I set out to make these bars, I employed as much coconut sugar as I could – to keep the nutritional value up, the glycemic index down, and the flavor out of this world.
It is also not lost on me that making your own toffee to stir into these bars may feel like a stretch. But hear me out. Candy making is easy easy easy, AND, in this case, it helps keep your cookie bars impacting your well-being in a positive way — without empty sugars or fillers.
Nearly all conventional candy – including the toffee chunks that you can buy at the grocery store – are all made with granulated sugar. And dairy products, which means that no toffee cookie bar could ever be vegan or dairy-free (and I know some of you out there are all about that!) And so, I decided to make my own using coconut sugar, coconut milk, and dairy-free butter. It worked like a charm! And while it was an extra step standing between me and these dreamy cookie bars, it was worth it and I hope you feel that way too.
As I said, making homemade toffee is EASY, and requires only a few ingredients, a candy thermometer, and a little patience. The result is a truly impressive and delicious treat, and a little stash of toffee that you can toss into cookie bars, onto ice cream, and more. Give it a try if you’re feeling like the impressive being that you ARE, and if you aren’t feeling it, you can skip it and use a storebought toffee instead.
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