From Lauren: Please welcome Marissa from Joy Filled Nourishment! A nutritional therapist in training, Marissa uses an autoimmune paleo approach to manage her health. Check out her blog for more creative and beautiful AIP recipes!
Marissa’s Journey with AIP
I never imagined that I would be eating the way that I do now. Growing up, my eating habits resembled the ‘standard american diet’ with heavily processed foods and sugar galore. I really didn’t even learn how to cook from scratch until a few years ago. After years of health struggles ranging from awful stomach pain, eczema, insomnia, and acne, I decided to try changing my diet. In October of 2013, I jumped into the Paleo diet and have not looked back. About a year later, I began my journey with the Autoimmune Protocol in order to find further healing and focus on lifestyle changes.
A whole new world and wealth of information caused me to become incredibly interested in food and how our bodies work. This propelled me to pursue nutritional therapy and start blogging. I love preparing nutrient dense food for my husband and I, and I look forward to helping others do the same.
Autoimmune Paleo Brownie Cookie Bars
These brownie cookie bars are not what I would call ‘nutrient dense’. However, they are a melt in your mouth delicious treat with an incredible flavor profile. You really can’t go wrong combining cookie and brownie dough, am I right? Promise me you won’t skimp on the maple butter though. This glorious spread gives the brownies their depth of flavor and provides a wonderful topping on the finished product. You can leave off adding extra maple butter on top if you desire, but I’m telling you, it’s so worth it.
While I don’t propose treats as a normal occurrence on the AIP, I do think it’s important to have options for when a special occasion occurs or you just get the hankering for something sweet. While it may seem like this recipe is intensive, they come together fairly quickly. Additionally, they freeze beautifully which means you can freeze half of them (or more!) for a later date without having to make them again. Win win! I like to pack myself a little square if I know I will surrounded by sweets that I can’t have. This makes it so that I don’t feel left out and I still get to enjoy a delicious treat!
- ⅔ cup tigernut flour, measured then sifted available here
- ⅓ cup + 1 Tbs coconut flour, available here
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbs coconut sugar, available here
- ½ cup non-hydrogenated palm shortening, available here
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 gelatin egg substitutes (see method below), recommended gelatin available here (select the Collagen Protein in the green jar)
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbs coconut flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup carob powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup non-hydrogenated palm shortening
- ¼ cup maple butter, available here
- 1Tbs coconut butter, available here
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 gelatin egg substitutes (see method below)
- Additional maple butter to spread on top, if desired
- Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with coconut oil and preheat oven to 350 degrees
- For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl mix together the tigernut flour, coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, and coconut sugar. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the palm shortening, maple syrup, and vanilla with a hand-mixer until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until combined.
- Prepare the gelatin egg substitutes: In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water by whisking thoroughly. Add 4 tablespoons boiling water to the small mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes frothy. Quickly mix the gelatin egg substitutes into the prepared cookie dough.
- Spread dough into prepared 8x8 inch baking pan, pressing down with the back of a spatula to evenly spread.
- For the brownie dough: In a medium bowl mix together the coconut flour, arrowroot, carob powder, sea salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine palm shortening, maple butter, coconut butter, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla, mixing with a hand mixer until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until combined.
- Prepare the gelatin egg substitutes: See method above.
- Quickly mix the gelatin egg substitutes into the prepared brownie dough and spread the dough on top of the cookie dough in the 8x8 inch prepared pan, pressing down with the back of a spatula to evenly spread.
- Bake 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Spread maple butter on top of brownie cookie bars if desired and enjoy!
About Marissa at Joy Filled Nourishment
Marissa is a wife, believer, and real-food enthusiast. She is healing her body through the autoimmune protocol to fight IBS, eczema, leaky gut, and difficulty sleeping. She is a nutritional therapist practitioner in training and loves helping people to see that real food can be utterly delicious and healing. In her spare time she loves hiking, painting, board games, drinking tea, and geeking out over nutrition and chemical-free skincare.
Connect with Marissa at Joy Filled Nourishment, Instagram, Facebook and Etsy!
I would love to make these, but what can I use to substitute the Tigernut Flour – it is not available in Canada! Thanks in advance. LG
Hi Louise,
’m sorry that tigernut flour isn’t available! Unfortunately, I am not sure as tigernut flour doesn’t have a simple replacement. I’ve never tried it, but you could try almond flour. You may just need to adjust the liquids as you work the dough. It should be slightly thick but still spreadable after adding the gelatin eggs! Please let me know if you try it and how it works! If you are unsure, you could also try a different cooking recipe for the bottom half with a similar baking time and then layer the brownies on top as the recipe indicates and bake!
Holy wow, Marissa! These are fantastic. Never thought I’d be able to eat something like this again on AIP (or even on paleo without almond flour!) I’ve never tried maple butter before. Sounds great though!
Hi Dana,
Thank you so much! Neither did I! My husband recently decided he loves them straight from the freezer as his new favorite way to eat them. The maple butter will change your life 😉 soooo good!
Just the smell of palm shortening/oil makes me sick (maybe mine was rancid before opening?). Is there anything else I can use to replace this? Coconut butter maybe? These look lovely otherwise.:)
These do sound so delicious! I am also not a fan of palm shortening and was hoping there was a substitute the you recommend. If you do, please let me know. Just for the record, I do not follow a paleo diet. so perhaps that would open up my options. I do not really like any shortenings, but do love butter
Thank you so much for all you do!! I am a huge fan and have learned so much from your site.
The palm shortening is non-hydrogenated and is a healthy fat, but I understand if you want a substitute. You could use coconut oil, and butter would likely work as well.
I was very excited to make these, but mine tasted overwhelmingly of baking soda, which is not a problem I usually have with other recipes. Maybe just less baking soda next time? If only I could get rid of the baking soda taste, they otherwise seem like they would be delicious!
This looks amazing! I can’t believe that I can eat it too 🙂 I’m new to the AIP and looking for some things like that. Thanks for sharing