• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
    • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ
  • Recipes
    • Keto Desserts
    • Keto Breakfast Recipes
  • WORK WITH ME
  • KETO COOKBOOKS
  • PRESS
  • CONTACT
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

All Day I Dream About Food

All the best low carb keto recipes for a healthy lifestyle

  • Recipe Index
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
  • Muffins & Scones
  • Side Dishes
  • Keto Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Dairy Free

July 23, 2010

Toasted Coconut Ginger Blondies (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

198shares


Would you think it strange if I told you that diabetes has made me a better cook? Or at the very least, a more creative and resourceful one? If not for my blood sugar issues, I would never have begun searching out alternatives for flour and sugar with which to satisfy my sweet (and carb) tooth. In my searches, I have come across so many amazing websites and blogs and been introduced to such a wonderful variety of foods that I might have overlooked otherwise. To think that a few short months ago, I knew nothing of coconut flour or how to bake with almond meal. How things change! I might go so far as to say that I enjoy cooking and baking even more now, because whole new worlds have been opened up to me.

I don’t remember where I first came across a recipe including coconut flour, but upon searching further, I stumbled upon the Tropical Traditions website, devoted to all things coconut and other organic products. They have an extensive recipe collection, some posted by the company owners and many posted by the customers themselves. There appears to be no end of creativity to be found with various coconut products. One recipe in particular caught my eye, the combination of ingredients sounding unique and intensely flavourful. I bookmarked it immediately and have been going back to it every so often, wondering how best to low-carbify it.

The original recipe was already gluten-free. Although GF and low carb don’t necessarily go hand in hand, I do find that gluten free recipes can provide me with a good jumping-off point. People following a GF diet get to use real sugar (those lucky dogs), although a lot of them are health-conscious enough to use less refined alternatives like raw honey. And they can use other flour alternatives that are not diabetes-friendly, like rice flour and cornstarch. But I like GF recipes because they find ways to make up for the lack of gluten in the recipe that I can then incorporate into my own version.

So I finally gave this one a go. I made up my own low carb, gluten free “baking mix” with almond meal and coconut flour as the main ingredients. I replaced the brown sugar with erythritol and stevia extract. When I looked up the nutritional content of crystallized ginger, I knew I had to cut back on that, so I added some ground ginger to the dry ingredients to up the gingery flavour. When I’d put some of my ingredients together, the batter was too dry and stiff so I increased the amount of liquid (almond milk, in this case) and added an extra egg. And as always, I crossed my fingers as I popped it in the oven, hoping the results wouldn’t let me down.

Photobucket

The Results: Mmmmm, good stuff! A dense, moist bar with a nice gingery bite to it. The combo of ginger and toasted coconut is really delicious. I wasn’t sure it was going to work, as the bars rose a lot in the oven and I was afraid I would end up with something more like cake. But I took it out of the oven when it was a little underdone and let it sit until it cooled. It “depuffed” and I ended up with the texture I was looking for.

My only complaint about these is not flavour or texture-related at all, but visual. Baked goods made without any sort of sugar don’t brown up the way things made with sugar do (honey, agave syrup and all of those alternatives count as sugar in this sense). Next time I might consider adding a tablespoon of molasses to the batter to give it a browner colour without adding too many extra carbs. Molasses and ginger go so well together, I think it would also intensify the ginger flavour.

Toasted Coconut Ginger Blondies – adapted from Tropical Traditions

3/4 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp vanilla-flavour whey protein powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1.5 tsp ground ginger (add more if you don’t put in any crystallized ginger)
1/2 tsp baking powder
12 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup almond milk
16 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine (optional)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 7×11 inch pan with butter or vegetable oil (this is an odd size of pan so if you go with 8×8, you will need to bake the bars a little longer).

Whisk the first 6 ingredients together in a medium bowl. If you are adding crystallized ginger, add to these dry ingredients, breaking up any pieces that are sticking together.

In a larger bowl, beat melted butter and erythritol together. Beat in eggs, almond milk and stevia extract until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to wet and beat until combined. Spread in prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until the top is set and the coconut is toasted. Let cool completely in pan. Cut into bars.

20 servings. 8g total carbs, 2 g of fiber per serving. 5g of carbs per serving if you subtract erythritol.

198shares

Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Gluten Free, Low Carb

free email series

Secrets to Keto Baking

Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!


Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

Reader Interactions

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Comments

  1. Deborah Dowd says

    July 23, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    With diabetes in our family I am always looking for low carb sweets. I have ever tried coconut flour, but I will now!

    Reply
  2. foodalution.com says

    July 24, 2010 at 1:50 am

    These look delicious.. I love anything coconut and I love gluten free tasty treats! Thank you for this great post!

    Reply
  3. [email protected] The Dirty Oven says

    July 24, 2010 at 2:03 am

    Wonderful post. I love reading about gluten free treats. I have never tried to bake with them myself, but am now inspired. The coconut and ginger combo sounds devine. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. healthy mamma says

    July 24, 2010 at 2:31 am

    excellent! not only are they beautiful, but healthy! I feel ya with trying to get GF baked goods to look pretty, but I think these look great! I adore coconut flour!! What is erythritol?
    I really appreciate your thoughts on your experimenting. The good and especially the tips you've learned from the not so good!

    Reply
  5. Miss Lucky Piggy says

    July 24, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    i love the recipe and especially the pics, so tempting, i must try it one day, thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    July 26, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    These blondies sound so awesome! I love that you used coconut and nut flours!

    Reply
  7. laquillen says

    July 26, 2010 at 8:29 pm

    Where do you find coconut flour? I cannot find it at Whole Foods!

    Reply
  8. The Urban Baker says

    July 26, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    this is a great recipe. my friend's daughter was just diagnosed with insulin resistance and i am going to make these for her. i am in the process of developing some recipes for them. i am going to pass this along to them. this looks yummy delicious! glad i found you!

    Reply
  9. The Urban Baker says

    July 26, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    ps. me again. can you forward me the link to creating nutritional and fact info for each recipe. i have searched and searched, but haven't found what i am looking for! thanks

    Reply
  10. laquillen says

    July 27, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Thank you SO much for the tip on where to find coconut flour. Whole Foods has every kind of flour imaginable – now that coconut products are all the rage I hope they'll stock it. But until then, I am seeing far too many recipes calling for coconut flour. Online ordering it is!! And the squash casserole is fantastic. Try it and let me know what you think!

    Reply
  11. Jelly Shot Test Kitchen says

    September 2, 2010 at 11:42 pm

    why have a regular blondie when you can have one made with coconut and nut flours? looks dense and absolutely decadent!!!

    Reply
  12. Mama Chicken says

    June 11, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    these look delish – I've been experimenting with coconut and nut flours, and this is definitely on my list!

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    February 6, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    Hi, I have just made these and coming from Scotland I have never heard of blondies before, so I checked out the list of ingredients and I had all of them so I made them this morning OMG they are so good, the ginger and coconut are wonderful together, I had a jar of crystallized ginger given to me at christmas and it so nice in this. I did think I would never use it as I am Diabetic but I will now. I an on my own so I thought I might try and freze some to see how that would work as I didn't want to cut the recipe down some times it won't turn out as good so here's hoping it's ok as I wouldn't like to spoil it. Thank you so much for all you amazing recipes I have the new cookbook low carbing among friends and I love all the recipes in it my next one to try is walnut chocolate chip blondies. Thanks again.

    Reply
  14. Sarah W says

    February 26, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    Just wondering about the brand of Whey powder you used in this recipe. There are so many brands it does get to be overwhelming. I’m also interested in your low carb baking mix. As a new type 1 this is really intriguing. Off to whip us some blondies.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      February 27, 2013 at 8:38 pm

      I usually use Jarrow as both their unflavoured and their flavoured varieties are GF and have no artificial sweeteners.

      Reply
  15. Sarah W says

    February 27, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Thanks for answering about the Whey powder, I’ll be looking it up. Early in this post you mention you own blend of “baking mix” This is something we really miss as a family. I couldn’t find your recipe on your site. So could you share it.
    Sarah

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      February 28, 2013 at 8:11 am

      Hi Sarah. In this post I am referencing the original recipe on Tropical Traditions, where they refer to their baking mix. Since it’s quite high carb, I just worked out my own version specifically for this recipe. So it’s not that I have one myself, but if you are looking for such a thing, I suggest you check out Splendid Low Carbing by Jennifer Eloff http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/ as she has several variations of bake mixes she likes to use.

      Reply
  16. karie says

    March 15, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    I just made these for my fourteen year old daughter who is battling candidas. Your blog has been a Godsend to me!

    Reply
  17. Megan says

    July 26, 2013 at 12:51 am

    I made these just yesterday and they were absolutely delicious. I did run into a significant problem though, I used an 8×8 pan and probably baked them at least 35-40 minutes and they were still very gooey and not only in the center. I assume they arent supposed be? Or are they? I am new to baking with coconut flour and almond meal so not sure the kind of texture they are supposed to yield and how to tell when things are done and whatnot. And how much longer did you mean when you said to add time if using an 8×8 pan?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      July 26, 2013 at 6:07 am

      This is a very old recipe of mine so I am not really sure, but I’d be checking on them every 5 minutes until I thought they were done. As long as they were still tasty, that’s what matters most.

      Reply
  18. Sarah W says

    July 26, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Di you have a link to the specific brand of granulated erythritol? I have looked on Amazon but all I see is the powdered version. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      July 26, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      Swerve is my top recommendation. ZSweet next.

      Reply
  19. Donna says

    March 3, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    Can you recommend a whey protein powder that is low-carb and high quality?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      March 4, 2015 at 9:09 am

      I use Jarrow.

      Reply
  20. Gabriela says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Hi, I’m from Brazil and am loving here. I was wondering if you could advise me any substitute for whey like egg white protein podwer.. The problem is I dont enjoy the flavor and whole thing of whey. Kisses from Brazil.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      November 3, 2015 at 2:18 pm

      Yes you can use egg white powder

      Reply
  21. Misty says

    December 20, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    oh my, I married these with your browned butter blondies, and will never make another brownie again in my life. It was the best ever. Thank you! i had a gingerbread blondie that was my go to holiday treat before diabetes and these filled the bill tremendously well.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      December 20, 2015 at 10:13 pm

      Funny, I was thinking of doing a new coconut blondie… 🙂

      Reply
  22. Karen says

    July 31, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    I’m curious if you have moved on from using stevia in your dessert recipes. It leaves such an unpleasant aftertaste that I won’t even try recipes with it. Perhaps you could give some clues on how to mitigate that stevia aftertaste. Thank you. I am a faithful follower since I found you website and I look forward to your newsletter.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      August 1, 2020 at 8:04 am

      Hi Karen… check the date on this blog post. It’s REALLY old! 🙂 I hardly use stevia at all now, so this is one where you could probably sub Swerve and enjoy it much more.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

free email series

Secrets to Keto Baking

Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!

Carolyn PortraitLooking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more

Recipe Key

Diet & FitnessPaleoKeto Meal Plans
Low Carb Gluten Free

Footer

All Day I Dream About Food
COPYRIGHT © 2021 · ALL DAY I DREAM ABOUT FOOD · DISCLOSURE POLICY · PRIVACY POLICY