Ooey Gooey Almond Joy Cookie Bars (PALEO)

One of my new favorite pastimes is scrolling through the "food/recipe" section on Pinterest.  So many recipes, so many calories, so many unfortunate ingredients.

Yet, these are the recipes that always inspire me the most.  Because I want to taste that Crescent Dough Pizza Pinwheel, and that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting... but I also want it to be Paleo.  Is that so much to ask?

Well, I figured taking matters into my own hands was my best bet;  especially when it came to these Peanut Butter Gooey Bars I saw from "Crazy for Crust".  The chocolatey goodness oozing out of the middle reminded me that I had Enjoy Life chocolate chips in the pantry, and a really good cookie recipe (I'm looking at you Paleo Pizookie), and that I could actually make something like this...

So I got to work subbing all of my Paleo favorites like coconut milk for condensed milk, almond butter for the peanut butter/bleached flour combo, maple syrup for brown & white sugar, etc.~  & this is what I came up with.  I layered it all in a dish, crossed my fingers, and... it worked.

Now: try it, and taste this ooey gooey deliciousness for yourself!  You will not regret this!  & If you find yourself feeling bad about eating the whole dish... remind yourself that the ingredients list could be much worse.  ;)



Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almond butter (I use the fresh ground almond butter from Whole Foods Market for the best taste/texture)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I use these from "Enjoy Life")
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (light or full fat will work)

Tools:

• 8 x 8" baking dish
• parchment paper, for easy clean-up
• rubber scraper
• mixing bowl
• serving spatula

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Line an 8 x 8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, maple syrup, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and sea salt until smooth.
3. Pour roughly 2/3 of the batter into the baking dish.  Evenly layer the following one at a time:  1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, 1/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup almonds.  
4. Top with coconut milk, and a final layer of the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.  
5. Drizzle the remaining 1/3 of batter over top (you will still see some filling ingredients peeking through-- this is okay!)
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top looks light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.  Slice into squares & serve!

*These bars taste amazing warm, but are still "ooey gooey" and delicious when chilled~  so try them either way.  I stored leftovers in the fridge, and we warmed ours up when we were ready for another serving!