Last weekend we celebrated not only my Dad’s birthday, but his retirement! Go Dad! A geek for all things electronic and an engineer his whole career, Dad jokes that in retirement he can take up chemical engineering – converting beer, wine and whiskey into waste water. He also wants a chauffeur.

I made him triple layer bars in lieu of a birthday cake. I figured the occasion was deserving of something special.

I was one of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers selected to receive two packages of Godiva Coffee – French Vanilla and Chocolate Truffle. My Dad is a coffee connoisseur, so I created a recipe with these flavors in mind.

The base layer is a cookie that is tasty enough to stand on it’s own, I have made cookie balls out of this dough. The middle layer is an incredibly dense and fudgy brownie, just how I like them. The brownies are also great on it’s own. The frosting. Rich, buttery, scrumtrulescent.

When I looked up that link, I was happy to see the guest was someone I love, and who from now on will make me think of this friend. The video is funny, you should take a minute and watch…

Also? that frosting? Good on it’s own.

vanilla coffee fudge bars

coffee oat cookie layer

1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup garbanzo & fava flour
1 tablespoon Godiva French Vanilla Coffee
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch sea salt
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs (flax)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips

Combine oat bran, flour, coffee, dry chia seeds, soda and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine prepared flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons warm water = 2 eggs), applesauce, oil and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Stir in carob chips. Press into prepared 9×13 baking dish, partially bake at 350 for 10 minutes only. Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare brownie layer:

coffee fudge brownies

1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg (flax)
10-15 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia
3/4 cup garbanzo & fava flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chunks (Enjoy Life Mega Chunks)

Prepare flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons warm water = 1 egg) and combine with applesauce, oil and stevia. Combine flours, cocoa, coffee, soda, and salt, add to applesauce mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. Pour over cookie base, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Prepare third layer, the frosting:

vanilla cashew frosting

1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight
10 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia
3/4 – 1 cup powdered sugar 

Drain soaked cashews and place in food processor, reserve the soaking liquid if needed. Process cashews until crumbly, starting to go smooth. Add stevia drops, continue to process. Add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time while processing. Keep adding until desired smooth consistency is reached, adding water if needed. Frost bars when completely cool. Store in refrigerator.

These are worth the extra time – and so is my Dad. Congratulations on retirement and happy birthday, Dad! Love you!

Want to try Godiva Coffee? Get a $2.00 coupon!

Did you watch the video? What is your favorite game show?

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Tagged as: chocolate coffee, Chocolate Truffle coffee, Foodbuzz Tastemakers, French Vanilla coffee, gluten free dessert, Godiva Coffee, Inside the Actors Studio, NuNaturals, Scrumtrulescent, three layer bars, triple layer bars, vanilla coffee, vanilla coffee fudge bars, vegan dessert