Need a festive appetizer for a Christmas gathering?  I guarantee NO ONE will have this fruity recipe!  I love bringing fruit to parties, so that I know there is at least 1 healthy food for me to eat, and so often fruit is neglected at meals!  Try them this holiday season and all year long!

RECIPE:  CHRISTMAS FRUIT SQUARES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chopped mixed fruit (apples, strawberries, pears, grapes, etc)

¼ cup almond flour

1 ½ cups almond flour

1/3 cup Earth Balance spread OR ghee

2 Tbsp Earth Balance spread OR ghee

¼ c Swerve or Stevia

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, divided

1 egg

¼ tsp almond extract

½ tsp baking soda

½ c chopped walnuts

1 c Swerve confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9×9 inch square pan.

In a big Ziploc bag, toss together the fruit and ¼ cup of flour, just enough to coat the fruit. In a medium bowl, cream together the Earth Balance/ghee and Swerve/stevia. 

Stir in 2 Tbsp of orange juice, then the egg, and almond extract.  Stir in the 1 ½ cups flour and baking soda into the creamed mixture.  Finally, stir in the flour-coated fruit and the walnuts.

Spread the batter evenly in the 9×9 pan. Bake 20 minutes, or until the bars start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Remove from the oven and cool before frosting.

To make the frosting: combine Swerve confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbsp Earth Balance/ghee, and 2 Tbsp orange juice in a small bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.  Spread over cooled bars, then cut into squares.