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Easy Gluten Free Low Carb Gold Rush Bars Recipe
It is a sweet treat that combines the heavenly flavors of my keto sweetened condensed milk, sugar free chocolate chips, and the satisfying crunch of Low Carb Catalina Crunch graham cereal.
It is my Easy Gluten Free Low Carb Gold Rush Bars Recipe!This recipe for a magical bar started back in the 80’s with a recipe from the side of a Borden’s Sweetened Condensed Milk can.
They called for graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk (caramelized milk) and regular sugar chocolate chips.
I turned it around to be not only gluten free, but sugar free and low carb!
Studded with chunks of golden graham cereal, these gold rush brownies are a crowd-pleasing dessert that combines a rich and fudgy texture with a delightful crunch.
These bars are quick and easy to prepare, making them perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth or impressing guests with a delightful dessert.
When the condensed milk bakes, it creates the perfect taste of caramel that melds well with the chocolate creating a rich caramel chocolate taste!
You can also count on them to be the perfect bar to pack for a picnic or even for school lunch boxes!
Keep reading to see how I mix up these brownies quickly and then get to enjoy their high protein chocolatey goodness with a smile!
I will also go over tips and tricks for additions and substitutions that will jazz it up, and answer questions you may have below.
What you will need to make my delightful California Gold Rush Bars
- Catalina Honey Graham Cereal
- 2 batches of my Keto Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla Extract
Let’s make these delicious Gluten Free Gold Rush Bars
Preheat your oven to 325 F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Cover pan with parchment or foil so that there is excess at the edges to lift it out.
Set aside to make the gold bars batter.
In a food processor, process your Catalina Crunch Cereal into small little bits.
You may need to pulse it a few times to break it down as they are very hard to begin with.
You can alternately put it in a large freezer bag and pound with a mallet or rolling pin.
Now pour your cereal crumbs into a large mixing bowl with your dark chocolate chips.
Stir them up to distribute the crumbs around the chocolate chips.
Now you will need to pour the double batch of my Keto Sweetened Condensed milk over all the cereal and chocolate chips.
If you want to skip the bowl and spoon, you can certainly use an electric mixer.
Take your time and fold them together.Run your spoon or spatula down the side of the bowl and pull up through the middle.
This helps to coat all of the pieces of chocolate and cereal without sticking together in a large ball.
Once the batter comes together, put half of batter in half of the prepared pan.
Start pressing it out to the corners.
Now add the rest of the batter in the other half of the pan and press to the corners.It should naturally spread out to connect in the middle.
Now bake the gold rush bars for 25-30 minutes until they are set and golden brown.
Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Lift foil or parchment paper up and place on a cutting surface.
With a sharp knife, cut into 16 pieces with 3 cuts each way.
Store bars up to 2 weeks on the counter without any problem.
I like them chilled a bit to increase the chewiness!
You can also freeze them if you wish by laying the cut pieces on a baking sheet, freezing for 1 hour, then tansferring to a freezer bag.
They will keep up to 3 months this way.
Maybe longer if you wrap each square in plastic wrap before putting into the freezer bag.
Tips, FAQs and Substitutions
The original recipe is great but maybe you want to add in some additional flavors and textures! Here are some ideas!
- Before you bake the bars, you can sprinkle walnuts or chopped pecans on top.
- Change up the flavor with peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips. You can also sub in half of the chocolate chips and have a combined flavor in it!
- Go with the whole “pot of gold” theme and cut them into diamond shapes instead of squares for a real gem experience! How fun!
- Mix in a handful of shredded coconut for a tropical twist.
- They make excellent desserts for potlucks, parties, or as a sweet surprise in lunchboxes.
- These bars also serve as delightful gifts when wrapped individually and tied with a festive ribbon.
- Try making these more
FAQs
- Can I Make Gold Rush Bars without Sweetened Condensed Milk? If you’re looking for an alternative to sweetened condensed milk, you can try using melted sugar free marshmallows. This is the only binder that would hold these bars together. If you choose to use melted marshmallows, you must add in 1/2 cup butter to thin it, then do not bake. Just go directly to the fridge.
- Can I Use Different Cereal Instead of Graham Cereal? Absolutely! While graham cereal provides a distinctive flavor and texture, you can experiment with other cereals such as crushed cornflakes, rice cereal, or even crushed gluten free pretzels to add a unique twist. Keep in mind that you may need to pull it from the oven sooner depending on the type of cereal you choose.
- Can I Freeze these Gluten Free Gold Rush Bars? Yes, you can freeze Gold Rush Bars for longer storage. Wrap eash gold rush bar tightly in plastic wrap before placing them in an airtight container before freezing. Thaw them in the refrigerator before serving, or enjoy them chilled straight from the freezer for a refreshing treat.
- Are Gold Rush Bars Suitable for Children? They are perfect for children! My kids loved these very much. They are soft and chewy enough that even my toddler ate them without a problem. For little hands, you may want to cut into littler squares than what is called for. They make the best lunchbox dessert!
- Is there a way to make these dairy free? Yes actually! Catalina Crunch is already dairy free so you need to use dairy free chocolate chips and make my dairy free sweetened condensed milk from this recipe of Seven Layer Bars.
Easy Gluten Free Low Carb Gold Rush Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Catalina Crunch Cereal : Honey Graham Flavor or any other flavor. See below for ordering.
- 2 batches Keto Sweetened Condensed Milk (recipe link below)
- 6 oz Sugar Free Chocolate Chips see below for a link to my favorite brand
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped nuts or additional mix-ins optional, I did not use.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Cover pan with parchment or foil so that there is excess at the edges to lift it out.
- Set aside to make the gold bars batter.
- In a food processor, process your Catalina Crunch Cereal into small little bits.
- You can alternately put it in a large freezer bag and pound with a mallet or rolling pin.
- Now pour your cereal crumbs into a large mixing bowl with your dark chocolate chips.
- Now you will need to pour the double batch of my Keto Sweetened Condensed milk over all the cereal and chocolate chips.
- If you want to skip the bowl and spoon, you can certainly use an electric mixer.
- Take your time and fold them together.
- Run your spoon or spatula down the side of the bowl and pull up through the middle.
- Once the batter comes together, put half of batter in half of the prepared pan.
- Start pressing it out to the corners.
- Now add the rest of the batter in the other half of the pan and press to the corners.
- It should naturally spread out to connect in the middle.
- Now bake the gold rush bars for 25-30 minutes until they are set and golden brown.
- Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Lift foil or parchment paper up and place on a cutting surface.
- With a sharp knife, cut into 16 pieces with 3 cuts each way.
- Store bars up to 2 weeks on the counter without any problem.
- You can also freeze them if you wish by laying the cut pieces on a baking sheet, freezing for 1 hour, then tansferring to a freezer bag.
- They will keep up to 3 months this way.
- Maybe longer if you wrap each square in plastic wrap before putting into the freezer bag.
Indulge in the blissful combination of my keto sweetened condensed milk, sugar free chocolate chips, and Catalina Crunch graham cereal by creating your very own Gold Rush Bars.
With just a few simple steps, you can whip up a batch of these delectable bars to satisfy your sweet cravings or impress your loved ones.
Don’t forget to PIN the printable recipe card to your Pinterest board or print out the complete recipe card.
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Here are more recipes that will satisfy your sweet tooth!
Keto Gluten Free Cast Iron Skillet Brookie Recipe
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[…] also use my sweetened condensed milk in these Easy Gluten Free Low Carb Gold Rush Bars Recipe where you combine with your favorite cereal and chocolate chips to create a great snack […]