For a few years as an undergraduate in college, I worked in an organic chemistry research lab on campus. Our head professor’s wife also led a lab in the same department, so each summer, the two of them hosted a BBQ potluck for their research groups in the park behind their house.
The couple provided the entrées — a variety of regular and veggie burgers, hot dogs, and sausages, all which my boss cooked fresh to order over the communal grills in the park — and the students brought appetizers, sides, drinks, and desserts. With over twenty grad students, undergrads, and postdocs in each group, most of whom brought family or significant others too, we always ended up with more than enough food to feed a small army!
Because I loved baking just as much then as I do now, I signed up to bring a homemade dessert the first year I attended. Knowing one of the grad students in our lab was allergic to every fruit except berries and citrus, I baked a double batch of lemon bars with a crunchy shortbread crust and silky smooth citrus filling, and I cut them into tiny bite-sized pieces, assuming people would feel more inclined to grab a smaller square so they would still have enough room to sample everything else at the table too.
When I arrived, I set the paper plates on the dessert table alongside the store-bought cupcakes, brownie bites, and Oreos. Although most people waited until after finishing their entrées to reach for anything sweet, a few grad students reached for a lemon bar as soon as I peeled back the foil. By the time we left, all three paper plates were completely empty!
The next year, I planned to do the same thing for the summer BBQ, but I completely forgot to buy lemons at the store… So that morning, I hurriedly whipped up two batches of dessert bars using a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, cut them into small squares again, and dashed over to the park.
My homemade treats disappeared much sooner than the store-bought ones again, yet I still felt bad… I hadn’t realized that a few of the new grad students’ significant others were gluten-intolerant, so they couldn’t eat any of the desserts at the potluck.
So in hindsight, these Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookie Bars would’ve been the perfect BBQ dessert for me to bring! They’re naturally gluten-free, and they’re also incredibly quick and simple to make. You just need one bowl and a fork!
These cookie bars are incredibly soft and chewy with a fudgy brownie-like texture (so irresistible!!), even with no eggs, butter, oil, dairy, or refined sugar. They’re also just 90 calories!
0 Comments