Mississippi Mud Bars go keto and sugar-free. Rich brownie crust, keto marshmallows, and boiled cocoa frosting. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
When it comest to baking, I may have a slight obsession with all things Southern. I have to take my hat off to these folks, because they know dessert. More specifically, they know over-the-top dessert.
And I love over-the-top dessert. Especially when it’s keto friendly.
I’ve ketofied so many Southern desserts, like my famous Keto Kentucky Butter Cake, Keto Caramel Cake, and of course that ultimate southern treat, Keto Pecan Pie.
And now we’ve got a delicious keto version of Mississippi Mud Bars. Southern chocolatey happiness!
What are Mississippi Mud Bars?
You may have heard of Mississippi Mud Cake and Mississippi Mud Pie. There are so many variations of the Mississippi Mud theme. It’s often some sort of mash up of chocolatey flavours, with a brownie base, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream.
How can you argue with that kind of deliciousness?
The bars, sometimes called Mississippi Mud Brownies, usually feature a brownie base topped with mini marshmallows and pecans, and then a rich chocolate topping.
Creating a keto version
Making over Mississippi Mud Bars to be keto friendly wasn’t a huge stretch. I used several recipes as a guide, most notably this one from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
The brownie base was similar to my Fudgy Keto Brownies, with a few changes. One was to switch up the sweetener to a brown sugar substitute like Swerve.
I also stayed true to the original by using milk (in this case, non-dairy milk), and adding more flour. And of course, my favourite keto flour for a recipe like this is Bob’s Red Mill almond flour. I know I can trust it to result in the best keto desserts.
The base is then topped with marshmallows, and I used my own homemade Keto Marshmallows. But you do have at least one store-bought option. I got some Max Mallows in a Keto Krate recently, and they’d be great in these keto Mississippi Mud Bars.
Then pour over the boiled cocoa frosting and let it set!
Tips for making Keto Mississippi Mud Bars
You are going to have so much fun with these! But they do need some advance planning, especially if you want to make your own marshmallows.
But it’s worth it, believe me. A few tips for getting these right:
- The brownie base will be very liquid as you pour it in the pan. Don’t panic about this. It takes a while to bake through but it results in a super fudgy base.
- I recommend letting the base cool a bit before adding the marshmallows. Keto marshmallows melt easily, and if you put them on right away, they melt and don’t hold their shape.
- You do need to boil the frosting to firm it up. Don’t add the sweetener until after the butter, cream, and cocoa powder have boiled. Erythritol based sweeteners will recrystallize more when cooked, so this will help keep it from becoming gritty.
- You need some patience too, as the bars need to set for a few hours to firm up.
Ready to make some deliciously chocolatey Keto Mississippi Mud Bars?
Keto Mississippi Mud Bars
Ingredients
Mud Bars
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup unsweeted almond or hemp milk
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve Brown
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups chopped keto marshmallows (about 1/2 batch)
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
Chocolate Frosting
- 6 tbsp butter
- 6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
Instructions
Mud Bars
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9×9 square metal baking pan.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, almond milk, and cocoa powder, whisking frequently until the butter is melted and the cocoa powder is well mixed in.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the almond flour, sweetener, and baking soda.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until just set. Remove and let cool about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the chopped marshmallows and the toasted pecans.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a medium saucepan over medium, combine the butter, whipping cream, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and let cook 1 minute, whisking frequently so it doesn't boil over.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and the sweetener until smooth. Pour over the bars.
- Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to help set the chocolate before cutting into bars.
