I found this recipe as I was browsing through news articles. I stopped because of the recipe and stayed because of the great story behind it. Melissa Vickers came up with this recipe to help her grandfather satisfy his sweet tooth as well as get him to eat something healthier. Looking at the original recipe for Honey Coconut Raspberry Oat Bars Recipe, there is still quite a bit of sugar in it. I think we all have people like her grandfather in our lives. Namely those whom it’s like pulling teeth to get them to eat healthier. There are plenty of people that would rather eat hot lava than a vegetable. That’s not counting picky toddlers. So we have to take baby steps. This recipe is a good start. There’s some oats and chia in the bars. Those are baby steps. I want to go all in. I think we can go even further. This will not be low carb because of the oats, but I think we can lower the sugar by a lot. I also think, if we didn’t call it healthy, the picky eaters wouldn’t know the difference. I double dare you to make my version and see if anyone notices it’s low sugar. Leave a comment if you tried this out.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped out the all purpose flour with almond and coconut flour to lower the carbs and delete the gluten.
• I replaced the brown sugar with a sweetener alternative.
• I replaced the jam with a sugar free variety.
• I replaced the chips with their sugar free alternatives.
• I replaced the honey with a sugar free honey alternative.
• I replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce to lower the saturated fat and calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Lower Carb Honey Coconut Raspberry Oat Bars

Makes 30 Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar substitute
• 1 1/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar free honey (I use the one from Mrs. Taste)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 jar (10 ounces) sugar free raspberry jam 
• 1/2 cup Lily’s white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Lily’s dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. Combine oats, flours, chia, flax, coconut and brown sugar substitute.
2. Stir together applesauce, sugar free honey and water over medium heat until everything is melted together. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
3. Add applesauce mixture to crust. Mix well. Press half into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan.
4. Spread jam over this layer.
5. Add rest of crust on top of jam.
6. Sprinkle top with white chocolate chips, chocolate chips and almonds.
7. Bake in a preheated 325-degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and set. Cool before cutting.