Take your low carb magic cookie bars to the next level with sugar-free salted caramel sauce. This might be your ultimate holiday cookie recipe!
When it comes to food and recipes, there really is no end to the inspiration to be found. Almost everywhere I look, I see something that inspires me to get into the kitchen and create something delicious. Mind you, I do spend an inordinate amount of time looking at food, so that might account for it. It’s hard not to be inspired when you are staring directly at the source of inspiration for the better part of every day. I always hunting it out, be it on the internet, in a book or magazine, in a grocery store or in my own pantry. And thankfully, food inspiration is willing prey and let’s me catch it quite frequently. So frequently, in fact, that I can’t keep up and find that I have more ideas for recipes than I have time for. It would take me several lifetimes to complete all the recipe ideas I have. First world problems, I suppose.
Apparently many people have inspirations on my behalf too. Readers send me ideas for low carb recipes, often a high carb favorite they’d like to see made over into something more fitting for their way of life. And sometimes I inspire them as well, getting them into their kitchen to try their hand at adapting one of my recipes to suit their needs. It’s most certainly a mutual inspiration situation!
This recipe was inspired by Esther, a lovely reader who has been wonderfully supportive over the past few years. She loves my recipes and I think she may have tried a large majority of them. She is dairy-free, so she has to adapt my recipes to suit her needs. I suppose in that regard, you could say I inspire her to create her own recipes. But this time, she inspired me with an offhand comment on Facebook. The minute she mentioned it, I knew I had to try using my low carb caramel sauce in a magic cookie bar recipe.
My whole family thanks you for the inspiration, Esther! These were beyond delicious.
- 1 3/4 cups almond meal or any nut meal or flour I used Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour|
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 3/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily's
- 1 recipe Low Carb Salted Caramel Sauce
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Preheat oven to 325F.
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In a 9x13 baking pan, whisk together the nut meal, sweetener, coconut flour and butter until well-combined. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
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Bake crust 10 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges.
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Remove and let cool at least 15 minutes to firm up.
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Sprinkle crust with flaked coconut, chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Pour caramel sauce evenly over everything.
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Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browning around the edges.
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Remove and let cool, then cut into bars.
Serves 24. Each serving has 8.19 g of carbs and 3.97 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.22 g.
Food energy: 237kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 10.85g
Total fat: 21.46g
Calories from fat: 193
Cholesterol: 16mg
Carbohydrate: 8.15g
Total dietary fiber: 3.97g
Protein: 4.01g
Sodium: 112mg
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The Best Low Carb Caramel Sauce
Cat Latuszek says
This is SO getting added to the “Bring to the in-laws’ for Christmas” list. They look delicious!!
Carolyn says
Hope you love them!
Cindy Maddux says
These look so amazingly chewy. Can’t wait to try them.
Sarah G says
Craving these now!
Are you moved into your kitchen??
Carolyn says
Nope! The moving truck is supposed to arrive on Friday.
Sarah G says
Ugh!! You’ll be in there in time for Christmas baking though!
Renee C. says
Carolyn,
I just found your site today and already printed this and a few other recipes! I havent tried Swerve, but look forward to trying it. I am sugar and flour free and I too LOVE to bake. I currently only use vanilla Stevia, which has been ok for now.
Can’t help but feel your pain with the selling of your home, I’m a Realtor and I know the process is not easy for sellers or buyers–its emotional. Hope you have made it to your new location and get to baking again soon!
Look forward to trying your recipes, 🙂
-Renee
Carolyn says
Thanks, Renee!
Donna says
Hi Carolyn,
Do you think pumpkin seed flour would
work in place of the almond flour?
Carolyn says
Probably.
Donna says
Great!
Thank you!
emilyJ says
Can you please make this pin-able?:)
Carolyn says
It is pinnable, I’ve had no trouble with it.
JENN says
Oh my thank you for sharing!! How does truvia compare to swerve?
Carolyn says
I find that it doesn’t caramelize as well, but it should be okay if it’s all you can find. It might be a slightly thinner caramel sauce too, since it doesn’t have oligosaccharides with are a kind of fiber.
Amanda says
These are amazing!!!
Meg says
Just had to quickly say hi and thank you for this awesome recipe! I don’t have any Swerve so I used xylitol instead (for the caramel and the base). They turned out beautifully. My husband said they’re too delicious to be low-carb. I think they’ll be making at least one more appearance in my kitchen this holiday season…
Carolyn says
So good to know that xylitol works as well!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Totally craving a couple of these cookie bars to devour right now, they look so delicious!
Barbara says
I made these last night & the “bar” portion of it didn’t solidify at all- its still just flour basically. Seemed really dry when I pressed it in to the pan too- any suggestions? I used a mixture of almond & hazelnut flours. I have a dish of cookie crumbs that taste really good.
Carolyn says
Not sure at all in this case. Maybe it needs more butter?
Karen says
I made these too with the same problem…..the cookie part on the bottom just crumbles when I take it out of the pan. The taste is wonderful, but I have to eat it with a spoon. Next time I will double the butter in the cookie part. This is a low-carb version of a favorite familly recipe (we call them yummy bars!), so I’m loving the recipe 😉 Just a tweak needed and then they should hold together nicely.
Carolyn says
Are you using almond meal or almond flour? I think that could make a huge difference.
Karen says
I used Honeyville almond flour and all the ingredients exactly as you said. It just really needed double the butter in the crust. Very good flavor! Love the caramel!
Kathy says
Both the caramel sauce and the squares are excellent! Rather than add salt to the caramel sauce, I sprinkled Maldon salt flakes on top of the squares after baking but before cooling. I really enjoyed that little salt burst. I also added a little vanilla to the sauce because I really like the combination. Next time I think I will make a larger batch of the caramel sauce. My coconut was really dry, so the topping wasn’t well glued down with this amount, and I would have liked just a touch more. There would be no concern of having any extra go to waste if my next square batch did not require extra…I could eat it with a spoon!
Carolyn says
There’s never any concern of that caramel sauce going to waste in my house either!
Kathy Jo says
Best caramel sauce EVER!!!!!!!!! And the cookies were amazing too!! I also had a problem with my base being a little crumbly but that often happened when I made non-low-carb magic cookie bars so next time I think I’ll just add a little more butter per your suggestion.. And you better believe I’ll be making them over and over again because they are delicious!
Maria says
Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the coconut flakes that would still give the texture and feeling of the cookie bars?
Carolyn says
No, I honestly can’t say I do. Is it a coconut allergy? How about sliced almonds…they are pretty thin.
Maria says
No, not a coconut allergy – I just hate the taste of coconut flakes. 😉
I do love almonds though, so I will give that a try!
amanda says
My husband has this weird ability to know it’s coconut even if you can’t even tell it’s in there! If you can have it, i often swap with gluten free rolled oats, won’t always work but does alot of the time
Judy says
Have the Magic Cookie Bars ever been successfully frozen? I would love to have some in the freezer to pull out when the need arises.
Thank you for all of your great recipes. This is my “go to” site, for recipes I can count on.
Carolyn says
I haven’t frozen them but I think they would do alright.
Debra says
We ran out yesterday and my in-laws and hubby are asking when I’m going to make them again. So easy and great hit! Thanks 🙂
Angie says
love this recipe! Only suggestion I want to make is that I change the order of toppings over the crust because everything stuck to the coconut layer. So I would probably do the chocolate then nuts then the caramel then the coconut. Or possibly the coconut then the caramel last. But it all tasted great even with this small issue. Totally similar to the unhealthy version mom used to make every Christmas.
Cindy says
I mixed my coconut, nuts and choc. chips together and then sprinkled the mixture on top. Then poured the caramel on. The caramel dispersed well while cooking and everything stuck to the bars very well.
Kathy says
I’ve made these twice…they are so good! If you are comprising a list of the best recipes (2014) may I nominate this one? I think the caramel sauce should qualify on its own as well.
Thank you for so generously sharing your creativity. With two diabetics in my family, your recipes and food philosophy have so greatly enriched our lives with delicious and healthy recipes where no one feels deprived.
Monique says
I made these today and they are delicious! But the almond base was super crumbly, like I could hardly take a square out. Any thoughts why? I used my own ground almonds. Thanks 🙂
Heather says
These. Are. AMAZING!!! I’m forcing myself to give some away or I would eat the whole pan myself!!!
Wendy says
I made these last night – YUM!!! My crust was really crumbly, too. Next time, I think I’ll make extra crust to see if it holds together better. Added bonus because I loved the crust!
Annie says
Hi..at what step do we add the caramel sauce?
Carolyn says
Step 5 clearly says to pour it over everything else. Hope that helps!
Rebecca says
I know it wouldn’t be low carb, but would maple syrup work instead of Swerve?
Carolyn says
I have no idea. I don’t use maple syrup.
Cindy says
I made these today and they are amazing! I’m going to freeze one and see if they hold up to the freezer. I wanted a thicker cookie base so I made this in a 9×9 pan. The caramel sauce is incredible! I’m definitely going to make another batch of that just to have around the house.
Frances says
I use powdered Stevia can you or someone else that uses Stevia tell me how to substitute it for the Swerve sweetener you use in your recipies. Thanks for the help.
Carolyn says
Swerve measures like sugar so you just need to figure out how your stevia measures compared to sugar.
Marilyn H says
I have to try these. They look absolutely decadent!!
Eileen says
My daughter made these last night.
They. Are. Awesome.
I have officially branded them “dangerous cookies” — that’s our label for anything that is so like the “real thing” we have trouble avoiding overindulgence. I even made my daughter show me the chocolate packaging to make sure she didn’t use “real” sugar by mistake. 🙂
The caramel sauce is so good that she also made an extra double batch to give to her dad for Christmas.
You are either the best thing or the worst thing to happen to my family since switching over to low carb 3 years ago!!! I’ll let you know, as soon as I find a padlock to put on the cookie pan.
Eileen says
P.S. you actually eat this stuff, right? Does it affect you like this? I don’t measure insulin levels or anything like that, but it’s hard to imagine this isn’t wreaking *some* kind of havoc!
Carolyn says
LOL! Yes, I actually eat this stuff. A fair bit of it, although I do try to keep my treats as “treats”, meaning I have my portion after dinner. But when creating a recipe, I taste as I go and I taste after it’s done, so I sometimes take in more in a day than I intend. And sometimes when the cravings hit, I overindulge too. I do think you can eat too much of it and then you are taking in more carbs than you need to….but it’s a whole sight better than eating a pack of Oreos! It’s certainly not wreaking that kind of havoc. But yes, when something tastes that good, the self control part can be hard. I know a lot of low carbers keep things in the freezer in single serve portions.
Eileen says
Hahaha! Additional directions for low carbers:
1. Wrap neatly in individual portions, and place in freezer.
2. Leave the kitchen as quickly as possible.
3. After a reasonable period (at least 1 minute), return to the kitchen and open the freezer.
4. Remove one — ONE — portion.
5. Close the freezer door.
6. Slowly unwrap, and place on a pretty plate.
7. Leave the room, treat in hand, as quickly as possible. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
8. Enjoy slowly.
9. Return to step 3 and repeat until gone.
Carolyn says
Rinse and repeat! 🙂
Kristina says
AMAZING! I’m obsessed with these. I subbed a tbsp of swerve for a tbsp of sugar free Torani salted caramel syrup in the caramel sauce, and it worked great. I had the same issue with the base being really crumbly – so more butter next time! I realized I had shredded coconut instead of flakes, so that’s what I used, and it turned out fine. Also subbed almonds for walnuts because of an allergy. My family can’t get enough! These are dangerously tasty 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipe!
Holly Anthony says
I definitely took this and made it my own! Thank you so much for the inspiration and framework!
I asked on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page for help with the difference in baking blend and almond flour but didnt’ get any answers so I winged it. I tweaked it with homemade baking blends, extra oil and some water and flavorings in the crust. I also used gentle sweet in the crust, did half erythritol and half xylitol and stevia then subbed out half and half for part of the caramel’s cream, and used half the nuts. (I’ve a huge sweet tooth) SO good!! Hubs approved as well! The caramel sauce is indeed, is FLIPPEN AMAZING! Thanks for all your hard work!
Emily Adams says
can you use oat flour in these?
Carolyn says
In what part? I don’t think they need it.
Michelle says
Hi Carolyn. One of your comments said there’s a huge difference in almond meal and almond flour. I only have almond flour. Will that be okay to use or do you think the almond flour id what makes it crumbly?
Carolyn says
You can use almond flour here, that’s what I used.
Elle I. says
I’ve been lurking on this website for a while now. I finally tried these bars with the help of my son. We (he) burned the caramel sauce (you really do have to watch it very closely!) but we decided to proceed with the bars because the sauce tasted good even slightly burned. These bars are delicious. We followed the recipe exactly. The crust held together. We used Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut flour. It was slightly crumbly the day it was baked but held together just fine after that. We also thought they tasted better the second day. I lined the entire baking pan with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. After it cooled I lifted the whole thing out and sliced. It would have been less messy if I had waited until day 2 to slice. Thanks Carolyn. You are a genius. We plan to try many more of your recipes!
Lorraine says
These are my new favorite cookies! I shared them with some friends that are diabetics and they were really happy. It is truly amazing that they are low carb. Thank you Carolyn!!!
Wendy says
These are my new favorite cookies! I shared them with some friends that are diabetics and they were really happy. It is truly amazing that they are low carb. Thank you Carolyn!!!
Jan says
Awww..when you said your dairy free friend inspired this I was hoping that this recipe would be dairy free. I never have dairy in my house because I can’t eat most of it. Would coconut milk or cream work for the caramel sauce?
Carolyn says
People have made my caramel sauce with coconut cream so it’s worth a try!
Cindy P says
I made these today for Father’s Day. The cookie part is very crumbly. I used Trader Joe’s Almond meal. For next time, would you suggest Almond Flour or more butter for the cookie? They do taste fabulous either way. Thank you for all your great recipes. I have been having fun in the kitchen these days.
Carolyn says
It’s the almond meal. If you can, get more finely ground almond flour.
Karen says
I have the same problem and I use really finely ground almond flour (Honeyville Farms). Just adding a little more butter solved the problem.
Liz says
Carolyn you have to be the most creative ‘normal’ baking expert ever. I am so impressed by you. Have you heard of a Thermomix? You would loooooooove it. Look it up. I made this slice using it to melt the butter, mix all the base, grind the Lindt 90 choc and chop the walnuts in seconds. You’re AMAZING, thank you sooooooo much.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, I will definitely look into it.
Jen says
Thumbs up on the magic cookie bars! I didn’t have any coconut flour but the crust still turned out well. Delicious!
Jane says
Carolyn,
I just put a batch of these in the oven. The caramel sauce is the best thing I’ve ever tasted, low car or otherwise! It is a thing of beauty.
It’s been a year since I went low carb to fight my diabetes and your website is a beacon of light in a meat and veggie world. Thank you for all your efforts and expertise, I am a better low carb baker than I was a high carb baker and it is all thanks to you.
Jane from Ottawa.
Renecha says
Caramel sauce turned out so delicious. I’m so excited to make these bars! Has anyone made these with toasted coconut flakes? It’s all I have on hand.
Carolyn says
Those would work!
Renecha says
Thank you, Carolyn! I ended up using both the toasted and the regular coconut and both were delicious. I think I enjoyed the toasted slightly more. The only issue I had was that because I layered the coconut after the crust, the top layer kept separating from the coconut/crust. I’m not complaining, though because it was still one of the most magical low carb desserts I’ve had. Next time I plan to mix the toppings with the caramel to hopefully glue everything together.
I’m fairly new to low carb and have been enjoying your recipes! You have truly mastered the art of balancing healthy ingredients and indulgent flavors. I’ve shared several of your recipes with a FB Keto Club. Thank you for sharing!!
Eden says
So, I know this was in 2014 but you said Esther was a reader who made most of your recipes and made them dairy-free. I need to talk to Esther! How would she make one of your cheesecakes dairy-free? How would she make your chocolate chip cream cheese bars dairy-free? I have made several of your recipes but am also dairy-free so I am skipping over half of them. I would love insight especially when it comes to cream cheese in a recipe.
Thanks for your excellent recipes. I love seeing each new recipe you come up with. So creative.
Carolyn says
Have you tried Kite Hill Cream cheese?
Eden says
I have tried it. I keep looking at your Death by Chocolate Cheesecake wondering if I could make it dairy-free. I might just have to bite the bullet. Thanks for your feedback.
Carolyn says
It will be pricy but I find it works well for baking in cheesecakes. There’s definitely a bit of an aftertaste but that might be masked by the chocolate.