Gut-Friendly Sugar-Free Seven Layer Bars

I’ve loved seven-layer bars ever since I was a kid. With their ooey-gooey chocolate topping and butterscotch coconut crunch, they are melt-in-your-mouth good. I love making these for a friend's birthday, graduation celebration, or book club night! They are definitely a crowd-pleaser, but not so friendly on the gut with their excessive amount of sugar. 

When I was recently diagnosed with severe gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, and candida (more to come on this in a later blog post), and was told I need to remove any sugar from my diet (yes, think non-dairy milk alternatives used in coffee shops, most restaurant salad dressings, pasta sauce and condiments, canned items, or even that “healthy” chocolate bar you bought at Whole Foods), I knew there had to be a way to still enjoy this sweet treat here or there without completely derailing my healing. 

Eliminating sugar from my diet has probably been one of the most challenging parts of the gut protocol I am on and the recovery process. Thankfully, there are a few plant-based alternative sweeteners to choose from when that sugar craving hits! As a holistic health coach, I believe that there is room for all foods in your diet if they are mindfully consumed, in moderation, and feeds your body and/or soul to reach whatever goals you may have. 

I used monk fruit to make this sugar-free gut-friendly version of a seven-layer bar recipe since they already contain so much flavor with the chocolate, nuts, and coconut, you don’t really need to sweeten it much! And believe me, they still taste like the real thing! If you want to learn more about the health benefits of cocoa, check out my recipe for my Peppermint Mocha.

Monk fruit is a low glycemic natural sweetener made from a small round fruit found in southern China. This fruit has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries as a cold and digestive aid. Monk fruit is sugar-free, calorie-free, carb-free, and does not raise blood sugar. It is about 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar, so smaller amounts are needed to equal the level of sweetness of sugar. 

While you might not have a condition that requires you to cut out sugar from your diet, sugar is extremely inflammatory so lowering your intake can only improve your mind and body’s functioning. Give this sugar-free version of my favorite dessert growing up a try and let me know what you think! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

What You’ll Need

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Make 12-16

For the Crust: 

1.5 cups of gluten-free flour (I used 1 cup of almond flour and ½ cup of cassava flour, but any will do) 

¼ cup of coconut oil 

¼ cup of nut milk (I used Cashew milk) 

1 tbsp flaxseed 

1 tbsp lakanto maple syrup (made with monk fruit) 

¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla 

Optional: 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder or collagen

For the Filling:

1 can of coconut milk 

¼ cup lakanto maple syrup 

1-2 tbsp nut butter (I used base culture maple almond butter) 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp vanilla

For the Toppings:

1 cup of vegan sugar-free chocolate chips (I used ChocZero) 

½ cup chopped pecans 

½ cup chopped walnuts 

¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Method

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper. 

2. Mix all crust ingredients together and then spread evenly over parchment paper. 

3. Bake for 15 minutes then set aside. 

4. Pour filling ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir repeatedly and bring to a simmer for about 45 minutes or until thick.

5. Top crust with chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut flakes. Pour sauce over toppings and crust. 

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

7.  Place into the fridge for about 2 hours to harden.

Enjoy!