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Sweet breakfast foods are hands-down my favorite category of Things I Like to Eat. Pancakes, waffles, “noatmeal” – you name it, and I would like to order it off of a diner menu or from a bakery. Of course, being both low carb and plant based (as well as gluten free) makes this pretty much impossible, and so like with most things, it’s got to be homemade. You guys have probably figured out that apple cinnamon is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and these low carb vegan apple cinnamon breakfast bars are basically my perfect pairing for a nice hot cup of coffee or tea.
I grew up in a rural New England town that had around 3500 people, and 5 working apple orchards. So, apples were a pretty big part of my childhood. Not only did we visit some of the orchards on field trips to learn about plant biology and agriculture, but it was a big part of 4-H club, too. We always had a bushel of apples at my house when I was a kid, and my favorite dessert was apple pie.
So, adopting a low carb lifestyle posed a bit of a problem when it came to apple treats. While chocolate and lemon flavors can easily be made without sugar, apples themselves are really sugary, making it difficult to incorporate them into low carb baking. Fortunately, freeze-dried apples seem to be very useful in this endeavor, adding a lot of flavor without too many carbs.
Recipe notes for low carb apple cinnamon breakfast bars:
- You are not somehow limited to eat these only for breakfast – they are super good, and thus I would recommend eating them for snacks, as well as dessert. 🙂
- Yes, there is real fruit in these, in the form of freeze dried apples – don’t panic! The carbs that come from this are negligible, and the taste and texture are so much better with real fruit, than with extracts.
- For sweeteners, I prefer to use Lakanto. It’s the brand I’ve found that works best for baking, and doesn’t upset my stomach. You can save 15% if you shop on their site using the code MeatFreeKeto.
- When you’re entering the macros for these, remember that the carbs from Lakanto and other erythritol sweeteners should be subtracted, as only a negligible amount actually digests. However, if you are using another brand, be sure to check the label, as many sugar free granulated sweeteners contain a lot of fillers, which may have carbs.
- Seriously, let these cool before cutting into them, as they really will fall apart if you don’t.
- I like to stop blending them while there are still little chunks of pecan and apple, but this produces a less fluffy and a little bit gritty looking bar. If you want them to look smooth, blend until it looks like baby food! To have it be smooth with some chunks of apple, I add it in two stages – half with the first bit, and then I crumble some in after while spooning everything into the pan. 🙂
- While I strive to provide accurate nutrition information, there are variations across brands and types of ingredients. So, if you’re using other brands than those mentioned, your macros may be different. All nutrition info is calculated from the USDA values for each ingredient, unless a brand is specifically mentioned (or no generic listing is available), and are for information purposes only!
Low Carb Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or nondairy milk of choice
- 1 cup raw pecans (110g)
- 1/4 cup coconut manna (50g), softened
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried apples
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener or other granulated sweetener
- 1 tbsp whole psyllium husks
- 2 tsp Chinese five-spice blend or 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8"×8" (20cm x 20cm) brownie pan or use a silicon pan. Either way is fine! I also have made these in a 9" (23cm) pie dish when my brownie pan was in use.
- So, this recipe is absurdly simple - dump everything into a blender and process until mostly smooth. I actually like it to have a little bit of texture, so I usually stop and check on this every few seconds, so it doesn't end up looking like baby food.
- Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle
- This next step is pretty important - this needs to cool completely before being cut into! I mean totally and completely cooled. Otherwise, it will fall apart, and no one wants that. So, wait a little bit before trying to dig in, and you should be fine.
Can anything replace the coconut manna?
Absolutely! Most nut butters can replace coconut manna in baking recipes. 🙂
Hi, I’m allergic to nuts (except almonds), could I use almonds instead? or do you have any other suggestions?
Hi Rachel! You can definitely use almonds instead. You can also use sunflower seeds all ground up (or even hemp seeds all ground up).
Thank you!! 🙂 can’t wait to make these!
Do you need to presoak the pecans? I think I’m going to try these with dehydrated apples rather than freeze dried. Hoping it works. Sounds delicious. New to your site and really love it.
Good question, Susan! You don’t need to pre-soak the pecans! Dehydrated apples should also work great! If you’d like, you can let the mixture sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes before putting it in the oven, to make sure everything incorporates well! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site and hope this turns out for you as well!!
Sorry to ask a silly question, but how many servings does this recipe create?
Not a silly question at all! This makes 8 square, but I normally eat two servings at a time… 🙂
HI ! Could I use freeze dried apple powder ? Thanks
Hi Sarah! You definitely could do this, though I’m not sure exactly what the conversion would be.
Thankyou liz, I think I will have to experiment !
I’ve made this twice now an both times it like stays liquid will it solid up if I keep baking it or what am I doing wrong???
Hi Chris! I’m so sorry to hear this – I have never had this stay liquid. The only thing I can think of is that it needs more time. Are the edges cooked at all? That, or if you are using coconut oil instead of coconut butter. It needs the coconut butter/manna to add some structure.
I can try to test out a few different things to see if I can offer some better advice!
I’ve made these twice in the last 3 days. YUMMY!!!!! The aroma while they are baking is intoxicating 😉
I’m so glad you like them, Mona! Apple flavored things are just so tasty in the fall!
I’d like to incorporate some protein powder in the recipe. What’s your thought on that?