PCOS Friendly No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

PCOS Friendly NO BAKE Peanut Butter Bars? Say hello to your new, sweet obsession!

I’ve struggled with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) for a long time, and alongside the symptoms of irregular, painful periods, the impact on fertility, the increased testosterone and occasional (okay, maybe not occasional…) chin hair to pluck, one of the most frustrating symptoms of PCOS is the inability to lose weight when you’re trying to. As much as I’ve tried to deny it for as long as I can remember, certain foods just simply don’t get on with PCOS, and those foods tend to be ones that fall into the category of carbohydrates and sugar. For a girl like me who has the biggest sweet tooth going, a true, deep love affair with pork pies, and a hobby of devouring an entire pot of Pringles in one sitting, this has caused me complete and utter heartbreak. However, as I approach my third cycle of IVF and consequently a need to lower my BMI, I have been trying to adopt a low-carb, high-fat diet as recommended by Zita West in ‘The IVF Diet’.

I have tried many ‘healthy’ treat recipes in the past, however none have quite hit like this one. I’m not about to pretend that this is the healthiest thing you’ll ever eat, nor am I going to advocate for eating them all in one sitting, but I did have one a day with my lunch – moderation is key, right? I’ve always been a believer of food just being food, there’s no ‘good’ food, there’s no ‘bad’ food; food is food and all is good in moderation. These really are a sweet treat, but they’re great for a sweet treat when you have PCOS, when you’re following a low-carb or keto diet, and frankly, even if you’re not. They’re easy to make (you don’t even have to turn the oven on!), and they keep for ages – we were eating ours over a course of two weeks, but they can last even longer than that if you refrigerate them properly! I recommend storing them in an air tight container rather than a plate wrapped in clingfilm.

Make sure to tag me in your pictures or your stories on Instagram if you try them! You can find me at @amber.izzo … Enjoy!

Prep Time | 20 minutes
Chill Time | 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time | 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Active Time | 20 minutes

Servings | 16 bars
Calories | 173 cals

Ingredients
For the base:
100g Coconut Flour (I use Tesco Groovy Food Organic)
½ Cup of Butter
0.5 Cup of Sweetener (I use Aldi’s Sucralose)
¼ tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup of Peanut Butter (melted)

For the topping:
100g Dark Chocolate (You can mix this up and use flavoured dark chocolate – I use Aldi’s Moser Roth Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate for an extra crunch and added flavour!)
1tbsp Butter

Instructions

1. Using greaseproof paper, line an 11 x 8 baking tray (approx. – any close to this will do, you just may have to adapt and have thicker/thinner bars. I wouldn’t recommend using bigger than 12 x 12).
2. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, sweetener, vanilla extract and the salt.
3. Once combined, stir in the coconut flour until a dough forms. It will resemble a cookie dough – don’t expect a batter like you’re making a cake!
   Tip: if you’re not worried about sugar and you’d like a slightly sweeter taste, either add more sweetener or add some icing sugar!
4. Place the dough into the baking tray and press to form an even coverage.
5. Put a heatproof bowl in the microwave and heat the chocolate (chopped) and some butter. I tend to do this in 15 second bursts and stir after each burst to ensure the chocolate doesn’t burn, and it melts gently. You can also do this in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan if you would prefer.
6. Once melted and combined, pour the chocolate mixture over the top of the dough, ensuring the entirety of the top is covered, including the corners.
7. Put your tray into the fridge and leave to set for 90 minutes.
8. Once they’re set, cut into 16 slices (or as little or as many as you’d like!)

 

*This recipe was originally found and adapted from All Day I Dream About Food.