February 13, 2013

Last week I found this delicious, gorgeous food blog called Top With Cinnamon. I came away with new zeal to bake something (these! these bars right here!) and several recipe tabs left open on our iPad for days. Izy is brilliant. She's only 17! Today! Happy birthday, Izy! I love her food styling and her smart ideas. Like putting a roasted banana on top of a coconut macaroon crust and then melting chocolate on top of that. Whoaaaa. Easiest bar I've ever made and so uniquely yummy. I made them last night while Grant was away at a meeting and I was watching The Terminal and folding laundry. A dangerous scenario for eating dessert recklessly... kind of like writing a blog post about these bars when you have a pan of them sitting on the desk with you. (This is happening right now. I just laid down my fork.) Anyway, this recipe comes straight from her brain.

Izy made these into s'mores bars with cute mini marshmallows on top. I didn't have marshmallows, so I just left the swirly melted chocolate exposed. Her recipe also called for white chocolate in the coconut crust (clever girl!), which I didn't have either, so I tossed in chopped pecans. Love pecans with coconut!  They just go together perfectly. So, if you haven't found an indulgent dessert for Valentine's Day yet... a) these are chocolatey. So they're the right choice. b) a roasted banana?! So crazy romantic! c) these can be whipped up in under an hour. d) these will be right here.... waiting for you.


Chocolatey Roasted Banana Macaroon Bars 
(gluten and grain free)

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/8 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla 
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 bananas
1/4 to 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (I used these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, salt, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar and pecans. Press this mixture into a greased 8x8 inch baking dish. Wrap each banana in a piece of foil. Place the wrapped bananas and the crust in the oven (separately). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the coconut crust is golden brown and the bananas are dark and starting to seep a bit. Immediately peel the bananas into a bowl and mash. Spread warm bananas over the coconut crust and sprinkle with enough chocolate chips to cover the entire pan. When the chocolate has melted, swirl it around to cover the banana layer. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt. Cut into bars and enjoy warm! 

I like my coconut a little more on the crisp-toasty side rather than chewy, so I recommend the full 30 minutes or a bit more.



What are you making/baking for Valentine's Day this year?


9 comments:

Toi said...

I'm making your chewy chocolate chip cookies! You posted that recipe about three years ago and I'm still baking them constantly. My husband dies for them. Thanks to you he thinks I'm a genius. We're doing small and simple for Valentine's Day this year. Your cookies are the perfect gift!

shanna said...

SOLD.

Also, PS, Izy is 17!!??? The talent! So glad you linked to her here because I'm a new fan now.

Jordan and Jandee said...

cute new header

emily o. said...

Well, now I'm making these! Seriously, they just came out of the oven :)

Laura @FoodSnobSTL said...

I've been eying your pics of these on Instagram awaiting the recipe! Also, I really like your new banner for the blog.

Izy said...

Thanks summer! You're too kind :) I'm so happy you liked the recipe, and I LOVE the sound of your adaptations X

Christina said...

I didn't bake anything this year. :( My sweetie is dieting, so leavingoutthe decadent goodies was, in fact, the loving thing to do.

Christina said...

Space bar isn't quite working...

Tori said...

Um. YUM!? Wow, what a great idea!

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about this blog

Hello, I'm Summer. A people-loving introvert whose hope and life is in Jesus. His promises are my passion and my ministry is homelife. This blog is a place for me to write about everyday things. Especially food. My favorite thing to do is sit around a table, lingering over a long meal with good conversation. I live with my husband and our 2 littles. We like blizzards, thrifting, grammar, guacamole, cheerful hearts, nice manners, good movies, and making simple, real, nutrient-dense food.

"If Christ be anything, He must be everything."
-C.H. Spurgeon

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