illustration by eva hjeltel at peppercookies.com

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Better Than Pumpkin Pie!



At the farmers market this weekend, I grabbed two of the cutest little pumpkins. At the moment I didn’t know what I would do with them as I’ve never used a pumpkin for another other then decorations, but they begged for me to take them home.  I did some research about pumpkins and came across this delightful recipe for Pumpkin Bars from Elana’s Pantry. These bars are so moist, delicious and perfect for fall! They remind me of pumpkin bread my Aunt used to make for Thanksgiving when I was young. And were very easy to make! One of the little pumpkins fit into the palm of my hand and it was the perfect amount of pumpkin needed for the recipe (and they were 75 cents each - can't beat it!) . 

Better Than Pumpkin Pie

Need:
½ cup pumpkin puree**
½ cup agave nectar
2 eggs
1 cup blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves

Do:
**To make the pumpkin puree:
Wash pumpkin and carefully cut in half (use your muscles as sometimes they can be tough to cut). Scoop out seeds with a metal spoon. Place pumpkin face down in a baking dish that has about ¼” of water in it. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. Remove from oven and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Throw away the skin.                        

In a food processor or vitamix combine pumpkin, agave and eggs and pulse for 2 minutes
Pulse dry ingredients into wet for a full minute, until well combined
Pour batter into a greased 8x8 inch pan
Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes
Let cool before cutting and enjoy!

Photos taken from Jess's iPhone

3 comments:

  1. this looks delicious!

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  2. The silver fox made the tastiest pumpkin bread when we were growing up - but it was loaded with vegetable oil and sugar. So happy to have a healthy version to share with her.

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  3. Oh, I just heart-and-soul adore that you made and used pumpkin puree not canned pumpkin! One day I will do the same, rather than giving up on all pumpkin baked goods because I can't find canned pumpkin :P

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