Pumpkin Pie Bars

Thanksgiving Classic Made with Healthier Ingredients

If you’re anything like me and don’t have patience to make a whole pie, these pumpkin pie bars are perfect for you. They take less than half the time of a normal pie, but you still get all the delicious flavors.

These bars also happen to be vegan and gluten-free, but you’d never know. They are made with healthier ingredients and are allergen friendly.

These are always a hit each year around Thanksgiving time.

Almond flour: I used almond flour in this recipe to keep these bars gluten and grain free. I haven’t tested any other flours in this recipe.

Maple syrup: I like using maple syrup as the main sweetener in this recipe. You can substitute for any liquid sweetener of choice. For example, agave or honey if you aren’t vegan.

Vegan butter: any vegan butter will work. I haven’t tested this recipe with oil instead of butter but that should also work. If you aren’t vegan, traditional butter should work as well.

Pumpkin puree: be sure you are using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filing.

Vanilla extract: this is optional, it just adds some extra flavor.

Sugar: I used white sugar in this recipe. If you are looking to substitute this, you can use any granulated sugar of your choice. For example, monk fruit or coconut sugar.

Nut butter: I used almond butter in this recipe. Any nut or seed butter will work. You want it to be on the runnier side rather than chunky.

Pumpkin pie spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can do a mixture of cinnamon, nut meg, and ginger.

Ingredients:

• Almond flour

• Maple syrup

• Vegan butter

• Pumpkin puree

• Vanilla extract

• Sugar

• Nut butter

• Pumpkin pie spice

Recipe:

Small batch recipe. Double for larger batch. Makes about 6 bars

Crust:

• 2 cups almond flour

• 6 tablespoons maple syrup

• ½ cup vegan butter

Pie filling:

• 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 5 tablespoons maple syrup

• ¼ cup sugar

• ¼ cup nut butter

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (can do more or less depending on taste preference)

• ¼ cup almond flour.

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

2.    In a small bowl melt the butter. Transfer to a larger bowl and add in the almond flour and maple syrup. Stir until a crust forms.

3.    Press the crust into the loaf pan. Be sure it is evenly spread out. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

4.    While the crust is baking, move on to the filling. In a large bowl add in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, maple syrup, sugar, and nut butter. Stir until combined. Add in the spices and almond flour. Stir to combine.

5.    Once the 10 minutes is up, pour the filling on top of the crust. Be sure to spread evenly.

6.    Bake for 20-30 minutes.

 Be sure to allow to COMPLETELY cool before cutting and eating. This is super important as the pie filling needs time to firm up otherwise it will all fall apart. I would recommend allowing the bars to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting and eating. The longer you allow them to sit in the refrigerator the better they will turn out!

Be sure to store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer. The bars should last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can store in the freezer to last longer. They should last for a month minimum.

If you try this recipe and enjoy it, I would love if you could press the “like” button at the bottom of this page or leave a comment. Either one of those really helps me out!

If you ever have any questions about a recipe or substitutions, don’t hesitate to reach out!