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Berry Cream Bars
PIN THIS RECIPE!I don’t want to toot my own horn, buuuut TOOT TOOT. That sounded like that coffee commercial with the creep guy with straggly blonde hair. Instead it’s with a creep female with straggly brown hair. So much less creepy. But for real, these are delicious. And way easier to make than you’d think.
The guy next to me at the coffee shop is talking to himself saying that he hates this place and America. Much more cursing was involved in that conversation to himself. Good ole’ Denver.
So my hips have officially shut down. That sounds weird. But for real. I can’t squat. My hip flexors and hips won’t allow me to. I stretch them everyday, I use a lacrosse ball, I get them popped and poked at, and they just don’t work. I take long car rides somewhere and can barely walk afterwards because they hurt so bad and are so tight. It’s hard enough to air squat but when I try to squat with any weight, I can’t even get out of the squat. It’s crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like this. I don’t know how I could have injured both hips, but they are pissed. And I am frustrated. I’m heading to Lake Powell soon and I want to do some workouts on a paddleboard. I saw at the Big Sky competition, they did a 21-15-9 of overhead squats with the paddle on a paddle board and push ups. How fun is that? Super fun! I’m going to have to squat like the old days, above 90 degrees. How boring. Shucks.
I hate that I have an obsession with horizontal stripes on workout shirts. And going out shirts. So really, any shirt. They really do nothing for me. Oh wait, yes they do. They embarrass me. But I can’t stop purchasing them. I need a personal stylist.
I got a kimchi burger with tempura avocado from Park Burger last night. I’m so naughty. It was delicious. Kimchi is so good. I once had a boyfriend whose mom was Korean and would take us to these amazing Korean restaurants where I had no idea what anything was on the menu. The pictures didn’t help either. So his mom would order and everything would turn out fantastic. Not knowing what your eating can be so invigorating. Frightening, but invigorating. Anyways, she would even make kimchi for my parents. Adorable. And so fancy. Kind of.
I leave for Lake Powell tomorrow. NBD!!!
PrintBerry Cream Bars
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
For the crust
- 5 dried dates, pitted
- 1 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the toppings (part one)
- 2 teaspoon coconut milk/water
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the toppings (part 2)
- 1 (14 ounce) can of coconut milk (placed in refrigerator overnight), only use the cream on top, leave behind the coconut water/milk at the bottom
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place dates in food processor and pulse to break down into pieces.
- Then add almond butter, coconut, honey, vanilla extract and salt and pulse turn on to blend until ingredients are well combined.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper, add ingredients from the food processor and press down until even throughout. Place in freezer while finishing the rest of the ingredients.
- Scoop out the coconut cream that has settled at the top of your canned coconut milk and place in the bowl and back in the fridge.
- Place 2 teaspoons of coconut milk/water that is at the bottom of the can, into a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add raspberries, blackberries, honey and lemon juice in the pan and mix together. Let simmer for less than 5 minutes or until the berries become just slightly soft. You don’t want a soup. Let cool.
- Now mix together the coconut cream, honey, and vanilla extract in the bowl that you placed in the fridge.
- Once the berries have cooled, finishing the layers. Add the coconut milk mixture on top of the crust, spread out evenly, then pour the berries on top, once again evenly.
- Place in the freezer for 1+ hours to harden a bit. And serve.
- *To store these, store them in the fridge. The coconut milk will melt fast.
Notes
Yields 8 bars
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112 thoughts on “Berry Cream Bars”
These look…amazeballs. I hope your hips feel better soon! I also struggle with extremely tight hips, due to sitting in a desk at work all day. It is LAME!
These look awesome. I have hip issues too.. I hope you work them out. I just started acupuncture and really hoping it works.
What brand of coconut milk do you use? I usually buy Native Forest but they usually don’t separate.
Thai kitchen
Every time I look at myself air squat I want to cry. Fact.
And now, every time I try to air squat, I want to cry.
Fact.
Hip flexors are balls.
Anyway, these berry bars look really freaking good and I wish I had one now.
Buttttt I also want to be able to wear horizontal stripes and look cute while doing it soooooooo sugar is a no right now.
When I get that stripe-worthy body though, I will definitely be making these.
Silly question, what is a bread pan? Like a loaf pan?
Yes!
This looks amazing! I wonder how it would be with raw cream cheese in place of the coconut cream. It wouldn’t melt as fast!
Ummm that would be amazing. Obviously. Cream cheese with a spoon is amazing
So excited to make these! I’ve also had major isssues with hip flexors and psoas, been working on core and transverse strength and getting heaps of deep tissue an/hip flexor massages, they hurt like crazy but help! Then use the lacrosse balls and stretches everyday…stick with it Julie…don’t give up xx
These look and sound amazing! and best of all, simple to make! Thanks for sharing. 😉
My guess is your hips hurt from running. I used to have hip flexor problems. Try looking into Chi running.
See a good chiropractor. If you are doing all that and the hips aren’t getting better, I’d venture to guess the problem isn’t in the hips, that’s just where it manifests. Mine turned out to be in my shoulders… who knew?
The bars look delicious! Have you been to see an orthopedist for xrays? Sounds crazy, but I had (I guess it’s gone now) dysplasia in my right hip and had to have it replaced! Yes, like a 70-year-old. I’m a bit older than you but WELL belo 70!!
I was also going to suggest seeing an orthopedic surgeon. I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when I was 23. It sounds like you are having a lot of the same problems I had. I needed MAJOR corrective surgery in San Diego (I’m in Louisiana). It really sucked going from running everyday and riding horses to being wheelchair bound. But because I took care of it immediately I’m back on my feet and am a crossfit junkie 🙂
I’ve been coaching CrossFit for 5 years and in my experience, dysfunction in the lumbar spine can present as pain in the hip flexor/psoas area. I would have your back checked out. I also recommend finding a rolfer (think deep tissue meets physical therapy) to correct any postural misalignment.
OMG! These look totally AMAZING!!
<3 <3
You should see if there are any good acupuncturists near you! My mom (who’s 53 and in incredible shape, used to run health clubs for Bally’s in the 80s and 90s) started having issues with her hips a few years ago (all from fitness-related injuries she never let heal properly). Went to several doctors, with no improvement, then tried acupuncture as a last-ditch effort and had amazing results.
This looks DELICIOUS! I might try adding grass fed gelatin to the white coconut milk layer to make it set:). Also, do you think regular dates would work (not dried)?
I’ve honestly never had regular dates so I couldn’t tell ya
Lol! I just looked up fresh dates, and apparently I’ve never had one either… I have dried dates, so I’ll stick with those:)
I made these using real dates and they are amaze-balls! I took these to a party and everyone thought they were fattening and unhealthy. When I told them they were paleo, everyone didn’t believe me until I have them the recipe.
I don’t know if anyone has suggested this yet, but have you considered adding yoga to your routine a few times a week? I know a lot of the Paleo community seems to be against yoga for some reason, but it can be instrumental in opening the hips and maintaining proper alignment in the spine.
Ha, I was going to suggest yoga….but as I recall from a previous Juli post she HATED the slow pace of yoga.
Juli, hip opening days in my yoga class work, they really do!!
Do it…just do it….
That sucks about your hips – I have the exact same issue. It got so bad I had to go to physical therapy. That helped a lot – I still can’t do full depth squats all the time, but at least I’m not in constant pain. More than anything what helped me was rolling out my whole IT band, not just the hip area. A deep tissue massage of the IT band hurts like balls but really helped. It sounds like you are already doing quite a bit, so I hope it gets better for you
Stripes are cool! Embrace it! Dots are equally cool too – ask my closet.
I will be making these this week – and arrange my berries in stripe format. Or dots? Or ummm well it doesn’t matter because they will disappear quickly. 😉
These look heavenly – a good Sunday afternoon (for football soon!!!) project… When you said you returned from a run days ago in hip pain I said “Uh-oh.” My running days were ended by persistent hamstring (literal pain in the butt) connective injuries. Oh sure, I tried everything under the sun and kept running. It’s been almost 2 years since my last run and my hammies are such a mess that too much walking requires me to have to sit on ice. I cannot tell you how much I regret that I simply did not take the hint and stop running sooner.
Check out functionalpatterns.com. Naudi Aguilar has tons of videos related to your problem. That website has been a godsend for me and my bad back and knees. No more issues after following his advice.
Thank you for this website. I’ve had this problem for 15 years and have tried many different forms of therapy, with temporary relief now and then, but the pain always returns. I hope this will be as helpful for me as it has been for you.
I wonder how they would come out if you used sunbutter instead of the almond butter. My bf is allergic, which is whatever but then I end up eating the whole batch in a day. Tops two days, maybe 😉
Delicious! I was actually going to put that as a nut free option
I don’t have a health food store locally, although my local grocer is adding more organics, I haven’t found organic coconut milk yet. I’ve tried making my own coconut milk, and it does separate nicely. Since I’ve never bought canned coconut milk ,I’m not sure what the consistency should be, like really thick cream?
Anyhow, I hope you feel better. I’m currently having hip issues as well, but in my case I think I either pulled a groin muscle or my hip flexor is messed up. I think it may be low back related like RE ned above. I do yoga and it helps a lot to open up the hips.
NBD?? Nut Butter Diva!!!
No big deal!
Hey, I deal with the same tight hips and chronic low back pain. Sitting is a killer. We were not designed to sit! Stand and move as much as possible. Also look into Aaron Mattes Active Isolated Stretching (AMAZON). It has worked WONDERS for my tight hips and low back. I’m much more flexible now!
Definitely going to try these…
PS- LOVE Park Burger, finally tried the New Yorker on Sunday to break out of my bacon/guac ways (sans sauekraut) and about died it was so good. Plus their sweet potato fries are by far my favorite 🙂
I found you on instagram! I love your blog so much!!! you are hilarious.
So making these over the weekend! I’m home alone without my boyfriend so that means I can dirty up the kitchen. Nice!
Is all coconut milk used in this recipe, the kind from the can in the Asian section of the grocery store? I get confused with that versus the coconut milk in the fridge section??? Help! I wanna try these! Thanks! 🙂
yes, in the asian section. in a can. not out of the carton
I remember a time when my hips were all I could think about, because they hurt so much!!! I visited the chiropractor a gazillion times to no avail. I had to quit my marathon training. I never think about my hips anymore because they’re no longer angry. They were just begging for rest, I guess.
Ive had the same problem with my hips for the last 3 months.. I just couldn’t get low in my squats. Was going to the chiropractor, massages non stop, stretching and doing everything and nothing was working. Finally went to this girl named Jena,( massage therapist/physical therapist) and she did a number on my quads.. It was so painful, but when I got off the table I tried to squat and what do you know, my ass hit the grass! Been rolling out my quads everyday and doin hop strengthening exercises and I’ve been doing so much better! It’s amazing how much tension was put on my hip flexors because of all the knots and how tight my quads were. Just a suggestion.. Worked for me:)
I don’t know if you’ve tried this or not, but lay on your stomach on a soft ball and massage you psoas with it from the bottom of your rib cage down to your groin. Also work on the origins and insertions of you adductors. If that doesn’t do it I highly recommened having intra-pelvic floor work done. They basically do trigger point work on all the muscles from the inside, in places you normally can’t reach. Not for everyone, but it changed my life. I had the worst hip pain… couldn’t even do air squats and haven’t had issues since
What would be a good lower carb/sugar alternative for the dates in the crust? crushed pecans?
not sure
For part 1 of the topping, do you use the coconut water at the bottom of the can after you take the cream off the top for part 2 of the topping? Or do I have to get a seperate can of just coconut water/milk?
yes, use it from the bottom of the can you opened
I had a torn labrum in my hip – OWIE! – but thanks to Dr. Brian White I am, slowly, getting back to XF. He is a hip genius. It’s all he does. I can’t recommend him enough.
These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them.
Thank you for your blog and recipes. I travel all of the time for work and your meals allow me to have great food on the road.
I’m probably just a complete spaz, but is there any neat trick to getting the coconut ‘cream’ out of the can without getting the water evahreywhere? Do you pour the water out first? It seems like every time I try this I make a huge mess – if that’s fairly normal, that’s fine, but if anyone has advice I would mos-def appreciate it.
I also nearly had a conniption looking at the photo for this recipe, so much yummmm – as soon as the Whole30 is over these are gettin’ MADE.
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You can poke a knife in the cream down to the bottom then pour the water out. I just usually scoop it right out and leave the water behind
Mmmm this sounds amazing! Have you coconut cream by Aroy D in the carton? That stuff is like so creamy it’s solid…. I’m totally going to try this recipe with that cream. Sin. Ful.
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I haven’t. Yum!!
I think that is more like coconut butter so you might get different results.
It’s actually not like coconut butter! It’s like a really thick coconut milk and when refrigerated, it’s like a more dense whipped cream. It’s amazing for sure.
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I feel like it’s bad that I’m seventeen and my hip flexors hurt when I squat…. Darn squats
Juli, I just wondered if you could give me some quick advice. I’m finally going to invest in a cheap food processor (so I can actually set about making your recipes which require one) — what sort of minimum size should I aim for? I don’t want to get a cheap mini one that winds up being too small.
I have a 9 cup cuisinart and i absolutely love it!!
Juli,
Your posts are always fun to read, and recipes fun to try. I want to thank you for mentioning your hip issues as it has been a constant problem for me. By bringing it up, it has created a conversation from your readers….and given me new things to try that I haven’t already, in hopes to get relief.
Now, I must go make these bars. 🙂
So obviously, everyone and their dog is going to give you advice. Most of which involves so much action and money (acupuncture, therapy, books…blargh..LOL) but mine involves little more than lying down! Yay!
So I have the same problem…super stiff hip flexors that no amount of stretching or poking at with balls helps….so I took my troubles to the Rumble Roller guys when I was at the Games a couple weeks ago.
He gave me this awesome (lazy) advice: Lay in “Supported Corpse Pose”. If you’ve ever done yoga, that would be the pose where you just lie on your back with your arms near you sides. But instead of lying on the floor, you put a foam roller under your hips. You bend and straighten your legs with the goal of having straight legs for a minimum of 5 minutes. It’s a bit painful on the lower back, but it TOTALLY stretches out your abdominal muscles that lead to your hip flexors which is usually the problem (according to the RR guy).
So legs up to relax, legs down to feel the stretch. I do this 3-4 nights a week while watching Dexter or Weeds. Works like a charm, no more hip flexor problems!
Juli, These were a hit at the local concert in the park last night. I made them immediately after the post, kept the container between to ice bags and served last night, Amazing! Thank you.
★★★★★
Just made these… AMAZING!! Your recipes are wonderful 🙂
Also, I’ve had hip issues since cross country in high school. terrible. I’ve tried everything but going to the chiropractor is the only thing that has worked. That, and eating paleo, reducing the amount of time I spend road running (trail running is much less impact!), swimming and yoga. I just posted my favorite swim workout (other than playing polo) on my blog… you should check it out! No impact and great cardio. Hope you feel better!
Meg
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You have to try active release technique for your hips. It’s the only thing that helped me and I tried everything! Basically my hips and glutes were one big muscle spasm. Google it and find someone near you. They basically find the knots and put pressure on then until it releases. So amazing!
Find yourself a really good chiropractor, it’s best if you can find one that’s familiar with crossfit then they know what you’re doing on a daily basis. I was having major hip problems, even doing air squats caused severe pain. I was convinced it was my hipflexors and finally decided to see a chiro. Low and behold – it was not my hip flexors, something totally different! It’s definitely worth a try!
OMGOSH !!! I just made this and it is AWESOME !!! This is my 1st week on Paleo…..and I’m loving it !!! I have dropped 3 lbs the first week !!! My body is telling me this is the way to eat 🙂
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I am so sorry about your hip flexor, sports injuries are the worst in my opinion. As for the horizontal stripes….I have the exact same problem haha. I swear more than half of my shirts have horizontal stripes and there the first ones I go for when I shop.
Hey Juli!
I have hip issues too from the way they rotate. They used to get misaligned frequently. I’ve been seeing my PT, Justin Willis, every few weeks and he is a miracle worker.
His office is in Commerce City, at my crossfit gym, if you’re interested in trying him out. TeamworkColorado.com is his website. He also works on the World’s Strongest Man, Brian Shaw! He really is amazing at his job and the fascial stretching does wonders!
Even if it isn’t the same issue I have, he could be able to figure it out!
Hi Juli!
I see that everyone and their mom has already given you advice for the tight hip flexors, but I’m going to chime in anyways.
My hips were SO tight a few months ago- they hurt every single morning and all day long. I did some research and read that under-trained (or rather, disproportionately trained glutes) can cause hip flexor pain. I was also sitting a lot for my job at the time, which can cause hip flexors to shorten and tighten. So, I made two small changes that really helped me. I converted my desk to a standing desk, and I started doing glute activation exercises at the start of every workout. Within 2 days the pain was gone!
Can you tell me how much coconut cream that ends up being for the topping. I tried this on the weekend and my tin only produced a layer about 1/3 the thickness of the base… not sure where I went wrong.
When you remove it from the can, you should have a little less than a cup
Your recipes are amazing and this is such a good website/blog. I just wanted to tell you and say THANKS! x
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These look amazing, however, I have a terrible coconut allergy – which blows b/c a lot of paleo recipes call for coconut. Do you have any suggestions for alternatives to coconut (for this recipe or just in general)?
this recipe just isn’t the best one for you. there are some recipes where the coconut can be removed, but this is just not one of them 🙁 im sorry!!
Hi, just wondering if the almond butter could be substituted for anything else? Maybe coconut oil? I need something with no nut products unfortunately
no but you could use sunbutter instead
Yummy bars.
I simmered the berries too long. The blackberries were still firm, but the raspberries lost their form.
They were a great post-kettlebell HIIT workout tonight.
Packed with protein!!
I tried this over the weekend and my coconut milk (yes, from a can and full fat version) never separated…had a full tin of milk and then it never set (ended up freezing it so have more of a version of coconut milk ice cream berry bars).
suggestions?
I’ve had coconut milk like that as well (super frustrating). If you can find Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk, get that. I have also found coconut cream in the can at sprouts, which is all what hardens at the top so you could look for that as well. i’m sorry about that, i’ve totally been in your footsteps before and it’s so annoying!
Holy Cows & Chickens! These…..were…UH-MAY-ZING!!! The family thought I was brilliant! I call it brilliantly lucky to have found the website… Thank you!!!
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These look so good. I’m sure they’d kill some of my cravings, but coconut milk makes me nervous because its just saturated fats.
saturated fats are good for you. don’t you worry, warren
Should something like this be saved for a cheat-day, even though its all paleo. (I’m still learning about paleo)
oh fo shooooo!! perfect cheat day treat. and don’t keep it around for too long, it calls to you
Just got a flat of blackberries and cannot wait to make these. Doing it RIGHT NOW!
For your hips, go to http://www.yogatuneup.com and look for a practitioner on your area. I do 2 classes a week and I have never had better squats. This coming from a girl who needed ART every week while pregnant to release my hips! Thanks for the recipe! Yum!
Add the honey/lemon/berry/coconut milk mixture leftover from the berries or just the berries?
i’m super sorry, but i don’t understand the question
Could I use dessicated coconut instead of shredded?
Yes
What can i use in place of almond butter? Sadly, i am allergic to tree nuts.
sunbutter
what can i use instead of coconut. I am allergic to it. Txs
you really need the coconut cream for this recipe 🙁 there’s no changing that part. i’m sorry!
Made them, loved them, didn’t want to share them. Def are easier to made than it first looks. This dessert is going to the top of my list! Thank you!
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I made these and they turned out incredible! We’ve been Paleo for just a few weeks now, and a dessert this delicious keeps me from even caring about any of the refined sugar treats I used to eat. Thank you so much for sharing!!
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This is by far the MOST delicious thing I have EVER tasted! Thank you for helping to stay on the Paleo track soo much easier with amazing recipes like this! Even my husband, (who loathes the day I turned the family Paloe) LOVES this!
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Recipe is genius. I had hip pain for years. Turned out it was a herniated disc in lumbar region causing the pain. Either way you should get it looked at. Pain is not right.
I had hip pain for a year and no one could solve it, until I went to a physio that works on pelvic floor issues. Essentially my pelvic floor and wall were so tight they were not working correctly and also pulling on hip ligaments. I now do trigger point therapy (yep internally) and voila finally no more hip pain. I can feel it creeping back after a lot of kettlebell work but 2min of trigger point massage gets rid of it. Just a different point of view, cause I tried dry needling, massage, osteo, physio and was In a lot of pain.
And yum those bars look amazing….
I love the recipes I see posted on Facebook but I don’t see a way to pin them on Pinterest directly from this page. Am I missing the pin button??
sorry, i had to take that down back when I had some issues with my website. I’ll try to get that back up on the site asap!
These are delicious!!!!!! Thank you so much.
I loved these! So good, I can’t wait to make them again. My favorite part was the crust, and I can’t help but think of all the possible ways to change this up. I think I might make key lime bars using recipe.
Also, I just started my family on a paleo diet about 3 weeks ago, and I’m blogging about it just to show what an average, unhealthy family might experience during this major lifestyle change. So far it’s been good, and I’ve featured so many of your recipes on my blog. I wouldn’t have survived this far without you, so thanks! By the way, my blog is cleanupyourhealth.blogspot.com
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I have had some coconut milk in my fridge for months knowing it could be used for whip cream and other things, and today I finally tried it using this recipe, sort of. I had a similar crust recipe that uses almond flour instead of butter, so I used that as I had no butter…..then I made the filling and just licked the bowl. Holy smokes is it yummy!
Having some for dessert after your crockpot curried chicken.
THANK you!
Yum, I love berry treats.
Are you hip flexors better yet? I often find patients with tight hip flexors to have some muscle strength/weakness balance issues between their gluts, abs, back extensors and hip flexors. It may be more ‘big picture’…….I’d probably recommend you stop wearing those gorgeous giant heels…but that would be no fun!
yes! all better now thankfully!
Will frozen fruit work? or fresh better? thanks 🙂
Yep just defrost them first
Wow! I just made this awesome recipe! It tasted DELISH!!! I am going to make this forever! However, I had a hard time putting the crust mix into bread pan with parchment paper. So tough to handle May I suggest that you send a video clip of you putting the crust mix into bread pan so that I could see how you handle that? Again, wow! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I hope your hips are getting better. Have a great vacation down there! Happy Fourth!
Yummy! Just made these and they were a big hit, especially with my husband who avoids sugar due to Type 2 diabetes and misses out on a lot of desserts. I especially loved the crust, it reminded me of raw cookie dough, maybe because of the vanilla? Like a few other have mentioned above, I can imagine some variations using the same crust. Let me know if you have any specifically.
I had a little problem with my cream being too runny – Any suggestions? It’s possible that I may have got a little of the coconut water but I didn’t think that much. My berries were also a little soupy but I think again I had too much water to start and second let the berries cook to long (I always get distracted, my big downfall cooking).
Cheers! Lynne
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you just want to make sure the coconut cream you get is incredibly thick then you won’t have the runny issue
wow. these look amazing. Thanks the detailed recipe steps.
-Anna
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Hey Juli,
Honestly, it’s a bit late here and I promised that I won’t eat anything at hours like this. Still, the pictures with these bars are seriously testing me now. They look amazing and I’m definitely considering this recipe for the weekend. Hope the family will like it!
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If I’m making these the night before, would I keep them in the freezer overnight or the fridge? I’m worried about them melting.
i would keep them in the freezer just to be safe!