Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Almond Flour
My pumpkin craze has continued! It's hard to get pumpkins off the mind during this season. They are on every porch, on almost all Halloween decorations and the canned stuff is on every shelf in the grocery stores right now.
I had created my almond flour pumpkin muffins earlier this month but have been craving something a bit more indulgent. More dessert-esque. So I got to playing in the kitchen and came up with some satisfying pumpkin bars...with a yummy crust! And these guys are not full of white sugar or the other not so healthy stuff you find in regular desserts.
These bars would be great to bring to a work potluck, to that friendly neighbor who you have been meaning to thank for the help with the yard work or for Sunday dinner.
There are 2 parts to this recipe: the crust and the filling.
As always these are husband approved!
First you will want to start with the crust! I used an 8x8 pan for this recipe. I did end up doing it in a parchment lined pan, but if you make sure you grease your pan really, really well you could probably get away without that step.
To make the crust you will need maple syrup, coconut oil at room temperature, pumpkin spice seasoning, almond flour, a pinch of salt and a few chopped nuts. Now the nuts are 100% optional...I just liked the texture and crunch of them.
Can we just take a moment and look at how cute these measuring cups are?!
To make this crust work you will have to do an extra step. You will want to use an electric mixer and beat the maple syrup and coconut oil until fluffy and the mixture has lightened in color. It should look a little like this...
Then add in the rest of the crust ingredients and mix! Press into the bottom of your pan. This is a little tricky but try to keep as even as possible. You could even press down on a spatula to get it even and thin.
I struggled a bit with the parchment as seen here so next time I think I will just grease the bajeezers out of my pan and skip the paper. Don't judge me! :)
Bake the crust in the oven at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes or until golden brown. The center may still be pale and that's OK as long as the edges have turned golden.
While the crust is cooling you are going to just gather all of the filling ingredients together in one bowl and mix up! I like to keep things as simple as possible! Once everything is thoroughly mixed, spread evenly over the crust and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until set and the ol' toothpick comes out clean!
These do need to be kept refrigerated and are best served chilled once they firm up!
These would be great topped with fresh made whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar.
Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Almond Flour
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Yield: 16 bars
Crust ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil at room temperature
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning
2 TB chopped nuts (optional)
Pinch of salt
Filling ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
4 TB nut butter (I used peanut butter with no sugar!)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of cayenne (optional but adds a nice depth)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. LIne an 8x8 pan with parchment paper OR heavily grease (with butter or coconut oil) the pan.
For the crust put the maple syrup and coconut oil into a medium size bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium to high, whip the syrup and oil until fluffy and the color has lightened several shades. Then add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Consistency should hold together.
Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Make sure dough is pressed in firmly and as flat as possible. Recommend using a spatula and your palm to get it even. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light to golden brown. The center may still be a bit pale and that's OK.
While the crust cools slightly toss all of the filling ingredients into a large bowl. Mix with a spoon or an electric mixer until well combined. Spread filling over slightly cooled crust evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool about 30-60 minutes and place in your fridge to chill! These are best served chilled.
Enjoy!