Recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Raspberry Bars

These gluten-free bars don’t stay fresh as long as wheat-based cookies, so you should either freeze them until they’re needed, or sit down and eat every last one of them as soon as they’re removed from the oven!

Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/FlashSG

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus refrigeration time

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 bars

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup gluten-free flour mixture

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

8-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup raspberry preserves

1/3 cup coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-x-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use the mixer to whip the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until they’re creamy.

3. Whip in the flour mixture and salt.

4. Using the back of a spoon, smooth 2/3 of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

6. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate pieces and condensed milk for 1 minute; the chocolate should get soft and begin to melt.

   Stir the mixture to melt the remaining chocolate pieces. Spread the mixture over the partially baked crust. Refrigerate the baking dish for 20 minutes to set the chocolate layer.

7. Spread the preserves over the chocolate mixture.

8. Mix the coconut into the remaining flour mix, blending well. With your fingers, flatten out bits of dough and lay them on top of the preserves, partially covering the top of the chocolate mixture.

9. Using the back of a wet spoon, smooth out any lumps in the topping.

10. Bake the bars at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top crust is lightly browned. Cool the bars before cutting.

When spreading the bottom crust in the pan, dip the spoon in very warm water to keep the dough pliable.

Per serving: Calories: 334; Total fat: 19g; Saturated fat: 11g; Cholesterol: 29mg; Sodium: 126mg; Carbohydrates: 37g; Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 34g; Protein: 9g.

Gluten-Free Flour Mixture

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Yield: 5 cups

2-1/2 cups rice flour

1 cup potato starch flour

1 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

2-1/2 tablespoons xanthan gum

1. Sift all the ingredients into a large bowl, and then stir them together with a whisk.

2. Spoon the mixture into a self-seal freezer bag and freeze until needed.

Per 1/4 cup: Calories: 138; Total fat: 0g; Saturated fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 1mg; Carbohydrates: 32g; Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 0g; Protein: 1g.