• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Oatmeal with a Fork
  • RECIPES
  • FAVORITES
  • ABOUT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • FAVORITES
  • ABOUT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • FAVORITES
    • ABOUT ME
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Healthy Desserts

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option)

    Published: Nov 16, 2015 · Modified: Nov 18, 2022 by Lauren · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe  ↓

    My maternal grandma passed away nearly two years ago now, but some of her recipes live on, particularly her desserts.

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option)

    A full-blooded German, my grandmother spent the majority of her life in a small town in Minnesota, where she lived on a large farm with my grandpa and their five children, four girls and one boy. She came from a wealthy family and often felt a bit cheated in life with my grandfather, as the house they all grew up in lacked certain amenities, namely, a bathroom.

    I've heard many a story about how they all had to go outside in the freezing Minnesota winters to either bathe or use the toilet, much to everyone's chagrin.

    These days, the farm has gotten a makeover and is maintained by my mom's brother, indoor bathroom and all!

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option) 2

    It was always fun for me to travel back to the farm because it was such a contrast to my suburban upbringing. It is some hundred acres big, leaving much room for running, berry-picking, and creek-dwelling. My cousins and I used to go down to the creek to splash around and collect pretty stones. Our trips gave me some of my happiest memories as a kid.

    As I wrote, my grandma was known for her delicious, cavity-inducing desserts, particularly, her seven-layer bars. This was one of my mom's favorite treats, and I have had it in mind to re-create this dessert for some time now. With all of the sugar in the original recipe, however, I had previously thought it was going to be next to impossible, given the list of foods typically added, including graham crackers, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts, condensed milk, and sweetened coconut flakes. Eep! I think I would literally become comatose from all of that sugar!

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option) 4

    Once I figured out the condensed milk, however, everything else just kind of fell into place. Granted, these are quite a bit 'healthified' in contrast to the original, but everyone here is really enjoying them, so I hope my mom (and you all if you try them) will too!

    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option)

    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time29 mins
    Total Time39 mins
    Servings: 9 bars
    Calories: 138kcal
    Author: Lauren Goslin

    Ingredients

    CRUST:

    • ¾ cup oat flour about 90 grams
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 2 Tablespoons olive or melted coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • 1-3 Tablespoons cold water as needed

    FILLINGS:

    • -chopped dark or unsweetened chocolate about 3-4 tablespoons
    • -raisins or dried apricots about 2 tablespoons
    • -walnuts or pumpkin seeds about 2 tablespoons
    • -one batch of my condensed milk recipe see link in Notes
    • -grated unsweetened coconut (3-4 tablespoons)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
    • Mix the ingredients together for the crust, adding water until the mix is moistened, but not sticky.
    • Press the crust into a 7 x 5 inch baking dish.
    • Pre-bake the crust for 9 minutes.
    • Let the crust cool a bit, then top it with: chopped chocolate, dried fruit, nuts or seeds, and grated coconut.
    • Pour the condensed milk over the top as the last step.
    • Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
    • Cool the bars.
    • Cut and serve!

    Notes

    Nutrition facts are based on using olive oil, 1/4 cup dark chocolate, two tablespoons raisins, two tablespoons walnuts, and one cup of coconut (3/4 of which is what is needed to make the condensed milk, and 1/4 of which is used to top the bars).

    Nutrition

    Sodium: 57mg | Sugar: 6g | Fiber: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Calories: 138kcal | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.8g | Fat: 9g | Protein: 2.1g | Carbohydrates: 13.1g

    2015_11_14

    Notes:

    This is the recipe for my condensed milk.

    This is the set of glass baking dishes I love (the three-cup container is the one I use here).

    The prep time for these is based on already having the condensed milk made.

    Amounts for the toppings are fairly subjective, as it is to your taste. I like to load up on the chocolate (I use a mix of chopped 73% dark and unsweetened chocolates) and then add smaller amounts of each ascending layer.

    Healthy Seven-Layer Bars (Nut-Free Option) 3

     

     

    You may also like

    • Healthy Thin Mints (Grain-Free, Nut-Free)
      Healthy Thin Mints (Grain-Free, Nut-Free)
    • Healthy Honey Lemon Bars
      Healthy Honey Lemon Bars
    • Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cookies (Nut-Free!)
      Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cookies (Nut-Free!)
    • Lower Sugar Apple Crumble (Nut-Free!)
      Lower Sugar Apple Crumble (Nut-Free!)
    « 4-Ingredient Homemade Peppermint Bark
    Gluten-Free Gingerbread »
    216 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly

    Filed Under: Healthy Desserts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. kimmythevegan

      December 17, 2015 at 2:54 pm

      Wow - these look amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe at Healthy Vegan Fridays - these bars are being featured this week.
      I love that you shared the history of the bars and the story about your family =) And it's always nice to veganize & lighten up old family favourites.
      Thanks so much for sharing - I'm pinning this recipe!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        December 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm

        Thank you so much Kimmy, I really appreciate you featuring and pinning it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Angie

      December 11, 2015 at 1:49 am

      These look addicting - hard to eat just one for sure!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        December 11, 2015 at 7:34 am

        Thanks Angie!

        Reply
    3. Jen

      November 22, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      YUM

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there, I'm Lauren Goslin, and I've been a food blogger for over ten years. My goal with this blog is to show you healthy, lower sugar recipes that my family and I enjoy.

    More about me →

    Some of our Favorite Breads

    • Homemade Healthy Monkey Bread (NO Bundt Pan!)
    • Our FAVORITE Berry Muffins (Low Sugar!)
    • 4-Ingredient Spelt Flour Tortillas
    • Sugar-Free, Corn-Free Sweet Potato 'Cornbread'

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    AboutContactPrivacy Policy

    COPYRIGHT ©2022, OATMEAL WITH A FORK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    216 shares