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Cranberry Cheesecake (Low Carb) Keto Bars

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Guiltless Cranberry Low Carb Snack

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I grabbed a bag of cranberries. I do that often around the holidays and throughout the winter when they’re readily available. And I usually keep a bag or two in the freezer just in case I want to use them once the season is over.

But this time, I grabbed them because I was all out. I had made a double batch of Low-Carb Cranberry Relish for Thanksgiving and needed more. Coincidentally, later on that same day, I cleaned out the freezer and guess what I found? 4 bags of cranberries. Whoops.

So I’ll either need to make a lot more cranberry relish, or a few more batches of these bars. Neither is really a terrible option in my opinion. The thing I love about these bars is that they’re not overwhelming sweet to the point of not even being able to taste the cranberries. Quite the opposite actually.

Collagen Protein + Chia Seeds + MCT Oil

Not only are they sugar-free (sweetened with just a little monkfruit), but they are filled with beneficial collagen protein, chia seeds, and MCT oil, although you’d never guess that just from tasting them. The cranberry flavor really shines through, allowing you to really taste the quintessential sweet-tart flavor of the holiday season.

And if I were you, I’d keep 4 bags of cranberries in the freezer (and not forget about them) and make these bars all year long. They are the perfect semi-sweet treat to end (or start) the day with, no matter the season.

Cranberry Keto Bars Recipe

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars {low-carb; keto; primal}

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars {low-carb; keto; primal}

Yield: 9 bars
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Chill Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1/2 cup Almond Flour
  • 1/2 cup Pecans, very finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Macadamia Nuts
  • 2 scoops MCT Oil Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Chia Seed, see notes
  • 1 Tbsp Collagen Protein
  • 2 Tbsp Butter, softened
  • 1 Egg

Cranberry Filling

  • 3/4 cup Cranberries
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 1/2 tsp Orange Zest
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp Lakanto Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener

Cheesecake Filling

  • 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 6 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/8 tsp Orange Extract
  • 1/3 cup Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener
  • 1 Egg, room temperature

Topping

  • 1/4 cup Almond Flour
  • 1/2 cup Pecans, divided
  • 2 tsp Ground Chia Seed, see notes
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp Butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup Cranberries, cut in half

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9" or 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper, leaving flaps overhanging on both sides. Set aside.

Crust

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients for the crust in a medium bowl. With a fork, cut in the softened butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbles. Add the egg and continue mashing everything together until it is very well combined and sticks together and forms a ball
  2. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish without going up the sides. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Cranberry Filling

  1. While the crust is baking, prepare the cranberry filling. Add all Cranberry Filling ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
  2. Remove saucepan from heat. If you have an immersion blender, puree the filling right in the saucepan (if the pan is small enough to make the filling deep enough to blend, otherwise transfer to a jar and blend in that). If not, transfer filling mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Pour cranberry filling over the baked crust and spread evenly over the top. Set aside.

Cheesecake Filling

  1. Combine all Cheesecake Filling ingredients except the egg in a mixing bowl. With either a hand-mixer or a stand mixer, mix until smooth and thick.
  2. Add the egg and very gently mix just until combined and smooth. Do not overmix, otherwise the filling will come out lumpy. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cranberry filling and smooth to fill the pan to the edges. Set aside.

Topping

  1. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F
  2. Take 1/4 cup of the pecans and very finely chop them. Combine the almond flour, the finely chopped pecans, chia seed powder, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork to combine everything evenly.
  3. Add the softened butter and cut in with the fork until the mixture forms coarse crumbles. Using your hands, evenly sprinkle the mixture over the top of the cheesecake layer.
  4. Roughly chop the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans and sprinkle those and the cranberries on top.
  5. Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Place the entire pan of bars in the fridge (on a heat-proof surface) to cool completely and let them firm up (up to 8 hours).
  6. Once cooled, cut into 9 bars. Keep in mind the macros will change if you cut them into smaller bars. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. If stacking them on top of one another, separate with layers of parchment paper.

Notes

  • If you can't get ground chia seeds, grind your own. Just put some chia seeds in the blender and blend on high until it becomes a fine powder. Keep it stored in a jar in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield 9 Serving Size 1 bar
Amount Per Serving Calories 330Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 10gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 76mgSodium 241mgCarbohydrates 7gNet Carbohydrates 4gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 8g

Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate

Please share:

Patricia

Friday 30th of November 2018

Bake at 300 degrees...…..for how long? No time given

Kendra Benson

Saturday 1st of December 2018

Oh my goodness, so sorry about that! It should be 30-35 minutes. I'm fixing the directions now.

Cam

Wednesday 25th of April 2018

I’m so excited to taste these yummies but just put the topping on the bars & back into the reduced oven...but for how long? I’m stumped!! Help!!

Grace Koskey

Wednesday 17th of October 2018

Right?! It's a Scooby mystery. ????

Sheryl

Saturday 27th of January 2018

Your cranberry bars recipe is the bomb! I love one of these for breakfast with my latte. I was skeptical when I saw how little sweetener was used with a cranberry recipe but WOW, they are just the perfect sweetness. Even those who do not eat keto or even watch carbs loved them. (Next time I make them I will have to hide them!)

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