Your newest dessert obsession is here, my friends! No joke, these cashew butter bars are LEGIT. Super light and fluffy, sweetened without any refined sugar, no oils and NO FLOUR. And yet, they're still decadent, delicious and seriously amazing!
I'm currently en route for a 36 hour trip to California and am so thankful to have a few of these bars tucked in my bag for later. Even though airports are definitely getting better at offering healthy food options, I always bring my own. In my bag currently? A salad from Sweetgreen (duh), two of these cashew butter bars, my Matcha Protein Balls, nut butter packets and all the tea. (<– I actually usually travel with at least 10 tea bags in my purse!)
And with all those goodies in my bag, all I'm thinking about are these bars!
The recipe for these bars comes from the newest cookbook from my friend Megan from Detoxinista. Her latest cookbook, No Excuses Detox, just hit the shelves and it's incredible. The recipes are delicious, the photos are stunning, everything is labeled for all diets, and it's ALL budget-friendly. She tells you how much each recipe costs per serving, which is so helpful!
I was planning to share a savory dish, like her healthy Lo Mein or Cauliflower Bolognese, but when I saw her Cashew Butter Spice Muffins it was game over. For starters, I'm obsessed with cashew butter. Second, I had all the ingredients in my pantry. And third, they use those lovely pumpkin pie spices that I can never say no to.
Oh and I needed treats on the plane, so there was that too.
Meghan makes these as muffins, but I was craving a brownie/blondie, so I just baked them in a square pan and it worked beautifully!
They're super simple to make; you just beat together all the ingredients in a bowl, dump it into a pan, top with the crumble and done. One bowl for mixing and a food processor for the topping. Easy peasy!
I only made one small tweak to the recipe and that was to swap banana for applesauce. I didn't have any applesauce, but did have two overripe bananas waiting to be used, and it worked like a charm.
I personally adore the flavor of banana, but if you're not a fan (or you're allergic), go with the applesauce. They'll still be delicious!
And actually, as I'm typing this, I bet you can also swap in other fruit purees as well! I'm thinking pumpkin, sweet potato, pear butter, or even a berry puree if you have a blender! (strawberry/blueberry would be amazing!!)
Honestly, I can't get over the texture of these bars!
They almost remind me of an angel food cake, they're so light. But they have also kind of have a spongy texture, like sponge cake, which is crazy delicious. They're by far one of my favorite desserts I've made recently!
Nutritionally speaking, they also make a great breakfast/snack. Just 155 calories per square, with just 7g of sugar and 4g of protein! They're a perfect way to fuel up for a big day ahead
And don't forget to pick up a copy of No Excuses Detox so you can make this recipe and so many more!
More Flourless Recipes to Try:
- Zucchini & Chocolate Chip Flourless Protein Brownies
- Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
- Flourless Spicy Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Alyssa’s Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake
- Flourless Banana-Quinoa Breakfast Bars
- Fudgy Quinoa Brownies
Flourless Cashew Butter Crumb Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashew butter
- 1/2 cup mashed banana or applesauce
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cashew butter, coconut sugar, banana, eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and stir well to create a smooth, runny batter. Pour the batter into the baking pan and prepare the topping.
- For the topping, add the cashews, coconut, 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar and coconut oil to a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Sprinkle on top of the batter.
- Bake the bars for about 20 - 22 minutes, until the top is firm and lightly golden. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Filed Under:
New to cooking quinoa? Grab your FREE Quinoa Starter Guide!
Become part of the Simply Quinoa community and receive weekly emails with exclusive content that I only share in email, as well as my in-depth guide to starting your quinoa journey.
Want more healthy dessert recipes?
Follow my board on Pinterest!
