Keto coconut macadamia bars might just be my new favorite low carb treat. Buttery almond flour shortbread crust with a gooey sugar-free coconut and macadamia topping. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
I am currently obsessed with these keto coconut macadamia bars. And believe me, friends, when you try them, you will be too. Obsessed, I tell you. You know I love my keto desserts and I have so many wonderful recipes. And so many of them are my “favourites”. Really, ask me one day what my favorite low carb dessert recipe is and you will get one answer. Ask me another day and you will get an entirely different answer altogether.
Here’s the deal. Creating low carb desserts is fun. It’s beyond fun. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the joy of my life. Besides my kids and my husband, of course. Honestly, what gets my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping is coming up with a new delicious keto dessert creation. Especially one that has people oohing and aahing at the first bite. And this one is definitely Oooh and Aaah material.
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Nothing delights me more than finding a conventional high carb recipe that piques my interest and seeing if I can make a comparable low carb version. I actually have a Pinterest board dedicated to conventional recipes that have caught my eye and that I want to try to make over. It’s a very very very very very very very large board and it would take me many lifetimes to make all the recipes I have pinned there. It’s such a long board, with so many inspirational recipes pinned to it, that I can’t even scroll to the bottom of it anymore. I’ve lost sight of many wonderful recipes I’d like to try making, because I can’t stop finding new recipes I want to make.
It’s a sickness. One might call it an obsession. But at least it’s a healthy one.
The science of sugar-free baking
I also love the science behind adapting a regular recipe to make it sugar-free and grain-free. It’s not so simple as basic one-to-one substitutions. Sugar does more than just make things sweet; it attracts moisture, it caramelizes and browns, and it helps create a syrupy gooeyness that low carb sweeteners can’t quite accomplish on their own. So my job, as I see it, is to find ways to achieve the same results without sugar or grains. Thank goodness for low carb ingredients like Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and Swerve Sweetener.
These bars were inspired by some conventional Coconut Macadamia Nut Bars I spied on my friend Liz’s blog, That Skinny Chick Can Bake. I knew I had the crust part down, no problem. I have a low carb shortbread crust that is to die for, it’s from my Keto Tagalong Bars. It’s amazing the way this crust comes out of the oven so soft but firms up into a perfect shortbread texture as it cools.
The filling of the original coconut bar recipe takes flaked coconut and macadamias, and that was an easy low carb swap. I love Bob’s unsweetened flaked coconut in a recipe like this. The original recipe also takes sweetened coconut cream, the sugary Coco Lopez stuff that’s often in pina coladas. I went with REAL coconut cream, the creamy thick stuff from the top of a can of unsweetened coconut milk. Knowing that my low carb sweeteners don’t always have the gooey factor of sugar, I added an egg yolk to the filling to help it have the right consistency. And then I popped in the oven and hoped for the best.
Well kids, the best is what I got. I actually took the whole pan on a girls’ weekend trip to the Oregon Coast, and I had no idea what to expect. They looked and smelled good but we didn’t cut into them until that evening. And then we all sighed and oohed and aahed as we tasted. They were gooey, they were sweet, they were nutty and rich. And my non-keto friends, who have tried and loved a lot of my desserts, declared this to be the one of best I’d ever made. I have to be honest, I’d be hard pressed to disagree with them.
And then I just had to take a photo of the lilacs because I love them so much!
I got home from our trip and made another pan the very next day, just so I could get some photos and share the recipe with you. You’re going to love it!
Keto coconut macadamia bars might just be my new favorite low carb treat. Buttery almond flour shortbread crust with a gooey sugar-free coconut and macadamia topping.
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (thick part from the top of a can of coconut milk)
- 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
- 3/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine almond flour, sweetener, and salt in a food processer. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle the butter over and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
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Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan and bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Set aside and let cool while preparing the filling.
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the sweetener and the coconut cream until smooth.
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Stir in the coconut, macadamia nuts, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the filling over the crust.
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Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars. The centre will not seem set but it will firm up as it cools.
Use raw macadamia nuts or ones that have been roasted but not salted.
Judi says
Do you think it would work to just make the filling and place dollops on parchment paper to bake like cookies??
Carolyn says
I think it would be too gooey and spread too much but it would be fun to try!
Stephanie says
Hi, can I use regular shredded coconut or should I run out for flaked? lol…thanks!
Carolyn says
You can probably use shredded just fine.
Anne says
This looks wonderful, but I’m deathly allergic to almond flour. What can I use as a substitute?
Thank you, Anne
Carolyn says
Sunflower seed flour might work.
Danielle Boudreaux says
Try Coconut flour but I think you’ll need to add some additional liquid
Catherine says
These look amazing (as all your do). Can I sub whipping cream for the coconut cream?
Carolyn says
I think you should be able to although I didn’t try it myself.
Cassandra says
Did you end up trying with the whipping cream? How did it go?
allison says
I just ran to amazon to get the macadamia’s I cant wait to make these!! I will return back with my review even though I know they will be phenomenal!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Allison!
Sienna says
These are delicious! My mom loves these. She was upset that her diet was meaning she couldn’t eat my baking and these made her really happy
Karen says
Seriously Drool Worthy. Dayuuuum Girl – you outdid yourself on this one. (As an aside, your photography is just gorgeous!)
Lugenia says
We don’t like the ‘cooling effect’ of Swerve alone. Could I add another sweetener along with the Swerve to eliminate that? If so, what and what measurements?
Thanks!
Mandy says
You can use powdered Monk fruit, but you’ll have to cut the measurements in half because it is twice as sweet.
Gabriela says
How about erythritol or Pyure?
Mellissa says
These look amazing!!!
Liz says
You are a genius! I’m happy to send you my mailing address if you have any leftovers! xo
Kathleen Christen says
These look de-lish! I want to make them, but I’ve had terrible reactions to macadamia nuts. Is there another nut I may use? I hope! Thank you! Yum!
Carolyn says
Use whatever you want.
Jackie says
I am on vacation in Hawaii and now I feel like I can bring the taste of the Islands home with me, when I get back to my structured eating plan next week. Thank you so much, your timing couldn’t have been better. (or as they say here Mahalo!)
Maria moreno says
Hello, sounds amazing!! Any substitute for butter please? Thank you
Carolyn says
Ghee would be the best sub to give it the right flavor.
Pam Bradley says
Can you use powdered swerve ?
Carolyn says
That should work!
Heather says
Made this last night. 35 mins was a bit too long in my oven but still so delicious! Thank you for sharing such wonderful keto dessert recipes!
Natasha says
I am making this right now and I’m having a hard time stopping myself from eating the filling! So yummy
Carolyn says
Hahaha not surprising!
Mandy says
I made these today and they were so yummy! Thank you very much for the recipe. The husband is alreadly asking me how we can change it up. (he isn’t a fan of coconut, but he didn’t dislike this. He liked the taste but the texture of coconut is too much for him.) I thought it was perfect as is! Thanks again!
Marie says
Made these today, using Pyure as the sweetener. Turned out great! Especially after fully cooled, and I put them in the fridge after that. Love the shortbread crust.
Ranita says
Marie, did you use the same amount of Pyure as the Swerve requested in the recipe? I am in the process of switching to Pyure in my recipes instead of Swerve. Thanks
Erica says
Swerve measures like sugar, and Pyure all-purpose blend is twice as sweet as sugar. Probably best to start with half the amount of sweetener, subject to your personal preferences.
Claudia Arbaugh says
I made these and they are cooling…my house smells so wonderful!!!!
They were easy to make!!!
I can’t wait to try one!!!!
Anne O says
Yuuuum. Just made these! Winner! I love to read all comment here and on IG before baking. Your followers have such good tips.
I ran into a sale on Mac nuts last week, then saw your IG feed, and just returned from Hawaii…..so, I knew I had to make these.
‘They are perfect as is and I will try them with a few Lily’s choc chips at some point. Thank you Carolyn!
sandi says
i made these yesterday, they are great. had the caramelized onion/bacon pork chops last night. thanks for such great recipes.
wanted to let you know, i have 2 of your cook books and waiting for the third, purchased them through Barnes and Noble so was not able to leave a review on amazon.
oma
Carolyn says
No worries about not leaving an Amazon review, I appreciate this so much!
joanne stjames says
Maybe I missed it but would like to know the size pan you used and how many bars does this recipe yield?
Carolyn says
Yes, you did miss it. The number of bars is right at the top of the recipe card and the pan size is in the instructions, as is usually the case for recipes.
DEBBIE R ARCHIBALD says
These are so amazing! I made them for this weekend since I was going to my sons house. I can only make your delicious recipes when I visit someone or I have company to share with. I don’t have a lot of will power when it comes to your desserts. Every one I have tried, is over the top (according to my son). I have been keto for 1 1/2 yrs, thanks to all your hard work on creating your wonderful recipes!!! Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them. And I agree…desserts are meant to be shared! 🙂
Stacy says
Can I use my Blendtec instead of a food processor?
Carolyn says
If it has a chopping function, sure.
Kim says
These were very good but the cooking times were definitely too long for my oven and it was a bit too browned. Mine came out dry and crumbly (still very tasty though!), do you think that’s because I over cooked it? I’m going to make it again and add Lilly’s chocolate chips.
Tania Alameda-Lawson says
Just made these tonight. The taste was wonderful but, mine, too, came out dry and crumbly. I timed the convection oven for 25 minutes to make sure that I wasn’t over doing it. Could the convection oven be the culprit for why they crumbled? Mind you, they were so good that every one had seconds, including me. I would like them to be gooey and not fall apart, though. Thank you so much.
Carolyn says
From other readers, I am coming to understand that some people are using thin watery coconut milk and not the coconut cream that I have specified in the recipe. That seems to be the issue if these are coming out dry.
Betsy says
thank you for this recipe! i’m excited to try it, but cannot use swerve. which pyure are you moving to?
Michel says
These bars are insane. I thought my favorite dessert was your blender chocolate mousse that we eat at least three times a week!
I love the crunch, the soft center and the crust that almost resembles a graham cracker crust.
Thank you for all your hard work and time in creating these mouth watering healthy treats.
Chris says
Can anyone tell me how much Pyure you used. I can not tolerate swerve after taste. Love the Pyure sweetener! Thanx!
Erica says
Swerve measures like sugar; Pyure is twice as sweet as sugar. I haven’t made these, but halving the sweetener amount would be the best place to start.
alejandro says
These bars are insane. I thought my favorite dessert was your blender chocolate mousse that we eat at least three times a week!
I love the crunch, the soft center and the crust that almost resembles a graham cracker crust.
Thank you for all your hard work and time in creating these mouth watering healthy treatshttp://3b2f96sdxzml4gkyotk9sv7r35.hop.clickbank.net/
Doreen says
How can I make this paleo?
Carolyn says
No idea. Dairy free subs, I guess!
allison says
They were just so delicious! Will be making these often!
Amanda L Grimes says
I’m excited to make these! Would the coconut cream from just 1 can of coconut be enough for 1/2 cup? I have 1 can of Trader Joes coconut milk but not sure if I should buy another can. Remembering from past coconut milk use, it doesn’t seem like the creamy stuff on top would equal a half of a cup. Thanks for your time! 🙂
Carolyn says
Just one can is enough and you probably wont’ use it all.
Jan says
Absolutely the best low carb treat ever! I drizzled mine with melted Lily’s dark chocolate.
Next time I’m going to make with toasted almonds .
Bet it will be like an Almond Joy bar.
Thank you for such a great recipe!
Christina says
These were amazing without the nuts!
Jennifer says
Mine came out dry and crumbly. Should I have reconstituted the coconut? They are amazingly delicious, but don’t hold up. Any ideas?
Carolyn says
No, you don’t reconstitute the coconut. I think perhaps your oven runs hot and they need to be baked less. Or are you using shredded coconut instead of flaked coconut? These are definitely not dry and crumbly and I’ve made them 3 times.
Lisa McGraw says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it the other day and they are almost gone. My husband couldn’t believe something so delicious could be good for him to eat. He’s just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and I’m learning a new way to cook. Your recipes have been such a big help thank you so much!! We’ve reversed it in 5 months with diet and low dose of meds.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Bethany says
I made these tonight. They are so so good. I didn’t realize until I was putting it in the oven that I used Hazelnuts instead of Macadamia Nuts. Still so good. It’ll be hard to make 16 servings out of it…I want to eat too much of it. I keep walking past it and breaking another little piece off and eating it up. 🙂
Bethany says
I forgot to rate it!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Hazelnuts would be GREAT!
Colleen says
Salted or unsalted Mac nuts?
Carolyn says
Unsalted.
Robin Rodgers says
WOW, DELICIOUS!!! I used pecans as macadamias aren’t in our budget. I used half xylitol and SweetLeaf Stevia (the concentrated kind where 2 T = 1 c.) and it’s probably the best dessert I’ve made to date! Thank you! Great with whipped cream or lc ice cream. Oh my!
Heather says
Don’t know where you live, but Kroger sells a 12oz bag of store brand macadamia nuts for $8.99 in their produce section. That’s a buck more than the other nuts. I have yet to find them anywhere cheaper. They are roasted and salted, but I just rinse the salt off if I need unsalted. Hope that helps you.
Christine says
Makes for the first time and they are amazing.
Thank you for all your wonderful work developing these recipes. I look forward to seeing what your next
Creation is!
Pam Bradley says
I have never used coconut milk or coconut cream. I see that you refrigerate the coconut milk , then use the hard part. Is 1 or 2 cans needed for the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe ?
Seghi says
Hmmm… I don’t know why but I made them today and they turned out very crumbly too. A little bit like granola. Delicious though but unfortunately very dry I can’t cut them they’ll break. Maybe it has something to do with the coconut cream? Or do you think it’s just the baking time? I would love to give it another try….because I like the taste, it’s great!
Carolyn says
Which part is crumbly? The topping or the crust. Trying to identify the issue here. They are ANYTHING but crumbly when I make them.
Pam Bradley says
I finally made these. They are delicious !! My oven must run hot. The crust was a bit past golden at 15 minutes. So I reduced the cook time to 30 minutes after adding the filling. It still came out a bit dark. The the taste is great. I am not sure whether to reduce the cook time more or to lower the temp. on my oven.
Ping says
i have a question, first step of the instruction you said ” Combine almond flour, butter, sweetener, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle the butter over and continue to pulse…”, what does it mean by “Sprinkle the butter over,,” the butter is already combined with almond flour…” and “sprinkle over what?
Carolyn says
Thanks for the catch. It’s not supposed to say butter right at the beginning. I will fix it.
Seghi says
Dear Carolyn,
it’s definitely the topping! That’s why I think it could be the coconut cream. Maybe it’s not creamy enough? What do you think? The shortbread crust is perfect- like always in your recipes… 🙂
Carolyn says
Hmmmm, really not sure. Definitely you don’t want to bake them too long. Take them out when the topping looks gooey still
Marianne says
Hi Carolyn!
I love your bestselling book, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. I’ve followed so many recipes and brought it to work. A lot of my coworkers are doing Keto in every which wY and have been bringing their creation. I have sort of a following with my brought to work goodies since I pride myself with following ingredients measurements and time well. And just to let you know, 6 people have now bought your book because of what I have made from it :). I am part of your Marketing team.
But I have to say, I am stumped at what happened when I followed this recipe. Way too dark and siding on burnt. Did I need to spray the pan before I placed the base? It stuck on my pan. And the texture was strange some I can still taste the granular sugar. Wondering what I can do to make this work better? Interesting too that I am not the only one who had this experience—should I shorten the time? Lower the temp from 350 to 325? I just want it to look like your photo 😔.
Carolyn says
Okay talk to me about every single ingredient you used here. Most people find this turns out perfectly but a few have had the same trouble you did. Mine turned out perfectly 3x so I know the recipe works so SOMETHING has to be off and I’d love to identify what that is.
Casie says
These are amazing! I have been making my husband treats apx once a week for four years now and he said this one is by far the best. In fact, he had a day off work the day after I made them. . . after I got home from work I asked him what he had for lunch, and he said, “my food for the day was basically a lot of those treats.” Superb recipe, and great instructions. Thank you!
Karen Thompson says
Is there a reason you need to use unsalted nuts. I only have salted. Also…can monkfruit be used as the sweetner.
Carolyn says
You can use salted if you like but the end result may be too salty. You need an erythritol based sweetener here, though.
Pam Bradley says
I have made these twice. The second time I cut down on the cook time. They were fantastic. My non Keto husband was sneaking them. I sent some home with my daughter. She loved them.
Christine says
I have trouble digesting sweeteners like swerve so I made these with Splenda which I do better with. They came out delicious albeit a little gooier maybe than intended. My crust part was quite moist and I had previously understood Splenda to cause baked goods to be a little dry so that surprised me. Overall the flavor is fantastic. Any suggestions for the second time I make them to get that crust to firm up a bit more? I am thinking of using pecans instead of macadamias this time for thanksgiving. Thanks.
Carolyn says
I wish I could help but I don’t bake with Splenda at all so I can’t really identify the issue. Maybe a bit less butter?
susan says
Question;
The coconut flakes, are they unsweet or sweetened? Trying this today!
Carolyn says
Always unsweetened. This is a sugar free food blog! 🙂
Liz says
These were easy to make and the crust dough was good and the filling was good but the cooking times are way off. 15 minutes for the crust burnt the crust and the last baking time for the filling was way to long at 35 minutes. 40 minutes would completely destroy it. Maybe 20 minutes at the most or maybe a 300 degree oven?
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say what happened for you but I have made this recipe several times, as have many readers. The baking times are correct and should not be changed. Your oven may run hot. Any chance you used a 9×9 pan instead of 8×8? Or a glass pan instead of metal?
Agnes Peter says
I tried this recipe today. The filling is super yummy. I used unsweetened dessicated coconut, and I added a little more coconut milk. The filling was just great. By the way I didn’t have any maccadamia nuts, so I used slivered almonds and it turned out all right.
The trouble I had run into was the crust. I didn’t have the almond flour. I used coconut flour instead (I read in one of the comments that we could use coconut powder). Would it have been okay for me to use ground almond powder instead?
When I was done with baking, and let it cool, unfortunately the whole thing crumbled easily to pieces.
Any advice to give me?
Carolyn says
You can never EVER replace almond flour with coconut flour. Please read my article on how to bake with almond flour. No comments here talked about coconut “powder” instead of almond flour so I am not sure where you got that. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour/
Liz says
The coconut cream is from canned coconut milk? Coco Lopez has too many carbs. If from canned milk, how many equal 1/2 cup? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s just the thick part at the top of the can. A single can will provide FAR more than you need os I am not sure what you’re asking about how many?
Ashley says
This recipe is great!! We had everything on hand except the macadamia nuts. We used cashews instead. We also added chopped up unsweetened chocolate bark at the end right before we put it in the oven with the filling. We baked it for 30 minutes and it was perfect. Served it with vanilla ice cream!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Jamie Lloyd says
This recipe is a winner – thanks so much for creating and sharing it! I just bought some pineapple extract to make my next batch taste even more tropical – perfect for this icy NYC winter!
Casie Schuller says
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it 4 times. Once with swerve as called for, and the rest of the times with coconut sugar. They’re actually much tastier and have a better texture with coconut sugar. The coconut sugar carnalizes and creates a bit of gooier texture (but good gooey) and a much richer flavor than swerve. I’ve probably made my husband at least 100 different paleo treats over the years and these — with coconut sugar — are his absolute favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
Nicole M Foster says
These are fantastic!
Emma says
I could not be happier to have stumbled across this recipe. I was looking out for a way to use macadamia nuts and this was perfect! I ended up using shredded coconut because I couldn’t find any flakes, so as a result it’s slightly crumbly if it reaches room temp, but the flavour is still there. 10/10 for this! Thank you so, so much for sharing! This will be a weekly staple for sure! x
Kate says
Do you think these would be ok to freeze? As its only me eating them, I need to hide them so I don’t eat them all at once, and make them last a while!
Carolyn says
That’s a good question. I think they would probably do okay.
Gail S says
These are so good!!! I used Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener -using the same measurements that was called for in the recipe…i could “taste” the cooling feeling, like an aftertate…not in every bite but most. Is that because of the sweetener or did I put too much in? What is the ratio for Swerve and Lakanto? Thank you! Also, should the leftovers be stored in the refrigerator?
Carolyn says
It’s the sweetener. I don’t personally get it with Swerve but I do with Lakanto. Every palate is different. The leftovers are okay on the counter for 3 days.
MJ says
Oh man…. these are delicious. I followed recipe exactly, but cut baking time as they were looking done. Unfortunately, mine were also crumbly. I bought another brand of coconut milk/cream to try. I also have to look up every recipe using that crust. Amazing!
Heather says
I made these. I forgot to add the egg!! But I didn’t have trouble with anything crumbling more than expected without the egg. I baked for 33 minutes in a ceramic pan. I used golden Lakanto in the crusty and classic in the filling. I did get the cooling effect in the filling. I think next time I might try half the sweetener, just so I can try to keep my sugar cravings in check. I added cinnamon to the crust, just cause. I really like these. I’m eager to make these again, except the right way.
Natalie says
OMmmmmG! These were scrumptious! Hands down one of the best keto desserts I have made yet. The only thing I would do differently is cut the sweetener in half because these were a little too sweet for me. Also, how do you recommend storing leftovers? I made a double batch to take as a dish for Easter that is 3 days away. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
I’d store in a covered container in the fridge or wrapped up tightly in plastic. Then let come to room temp before serving.