Low-fat Bellini Bars
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Welcome to day two of Skinny Tailgate Week, where I’m giving you goodies you can eat while still wearing your favorite skinny jeans. REMEMBER to link up your favorite skinny tailgate snacks below!
Friends, I’ve never been MORE excited to share a recipe with you than I am now. These low-fat bellini bars are not only my favorite dessert made TO DATE, but they are one of the healthiest too! These are the perfect bars to bring to early tailgates for a quick boozy breakfast bite and they pair fabulously with champagne 🙂 I know, what the what, how on earth could these gooey, decadent little squares be healthy. (Because there’s no way you can question the validity of how delicious they taste). But guess what, THEY ARE (healthy & delightful).
See, these bars only have 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter in them. TOTAL. In that whole luscious looking square. And not a shred of oil. So, I bet you’re wondering, “well then smart ass, how did you make the crust? and how does it not taste like cardboard?” Fair wonder, dear friends.
And no, I didn’t use black magic or Voodoo, although that would make me an infinitely more interesting blogger. I just used my go-to swap for everything, APPLESAUCE! Now, this is the first time I’ve gone all sauce in a crust before. For fear it would turn out gunky or chewy. Well, guess what, neither happened. The crust came out perfectly. A little flaky and crumbly with the perfect amount of chew.
I bet you’re curious where the name bellini came from, too. See, I really wanted a mimosa on Sunday. But my friend Barb (Creative Culinary) urged me to try her fresh peach bellinis instead. As soon as I saw the photo, my head went from “must drink” to “must find a way to make that edible.” Obviously I’m not well. Either way, that drink turned into THESE bars made with nectarines that were soaked in a bath made of champagne. (Lucky fruit!) Then, after they were placed on the crust before being baked, I drizzled a little more champagne on top, just in case they weren’t boozy enough.
Bring these to your next tailgate. Even if it’s just a bunch of sweaty, sweat-pants wearing guys with Doritos stains on their t-shirts. Give them one, watch them studiously stare at it in utter confusion and drunkly swallow it up. Then watch as their eyes light up in pure bliss once they realize “hey, that fruit sh*& tastes good!” It’s a win win for everyone, I promise.
Low-fat Bellini Bars
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Prep time: an hour
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yields about 16 bars.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
- 3 1/2 medium nectarines or peaches, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup champagne
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
For the topping:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut up
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Prepare filling by placing nectarines, champagne and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix up well. Cover and chill for at least an hour (longer if you can).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 glass pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, applesauce, vanilla and sugar until fully combined. (Mixture will be crumbly, that’s good!) Pour mixture into the bottom of the greased baking dish and press it in using a spatula.
- Remove filling from the refrigerator. Using a slated spoon, scoop fruit out of the bowl and place them onto the crust. Drizzle about 2 – 4 tablespoons of the champagne juice over the apricots.
- Prepare topping by mixing the flour and brown sugar together. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into the flour/sugar until mixture appears very crumbly (like coarse sand). Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle topping over the fruit until they are fully covered.
- Bake for about 40 – 45 minutes, or until golden brown and fruit is crumbly. Wait until the bars cool completely before you cut.
Nutritional information per bar:
Calories: 161
Fat: 3.8 grams
Carbohydrates: 28 grams
Fiber: 1.6 grams
Protein: 2.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
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