1-bowl pumpkin pie bars that taste like the fall favorite, but without the crust. They are vegan, grain-free, oil-free, perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert, and have a mere 66 calories per bar!
Resistance is futile. I’m giving in to pumpkin pie spice!
Mosquito bites, intense humidity and maximum air-conditioning are still part of daily life in these parts, but I am nevertheless ready to cozy up with a warm blanket, mug of tea, and a whole lot of pumpkin spiciness.
First up is my Coconut Flour Pumpkin Pie Bars, which I know you will love every bit as much as I do.
Oh my goodness, these bars are so delicious! You can eat them for dessert, because they taste like pumpkin pie (sans crust), but they are also so healthy that you can eat them for breakfast and snacks, too.
Yes, you read that correctly: pumpkin pie for breakfast!
In order for these bars to “work” without eggs, I use a combination coconut flour, chickpea flour, and wee bit of flaxseed meal. The end result is moist, pie-filling-like bars that are also sturdy enough to be eaten out of hand.
Other brag-worthy qualities of the bars? They are:
*Vegan
*Grain-Free
*Oil-Free
*Gluten-Free
*Packed with Vitamin A
Making them is as easy as 1 bowl and 1 pan. I prefer to line the pan with parchment paper, as it makes the bars easier to remove from the pan, but in a pinch you could simply spritz or grease the pan with oil. Next, mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Easy, right?
Within seconds of combining the ingredients, the coconut flour will absorb most of the liquid, creating a mixture better described as a moist, springy dough than a batter.
I have made a note in the recipe to sift the chickpea flour if it looks lumpy. Every few purchases, I get a bag of particularly lumpy chickpea flour. They are usually tiny lumps and, without sifting, they are almost impossible to whisk out! If your chickpea flour has such lumps, save yourself some grief and take 30 seconds to sift it before adding to your recipe 🙂
Once the dough is mixed, simply press into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake the bars at a relatively low heat (325F) for 30 to 35 minutes until they are browning a bit at the edges and the surface feels dry to the touch. They will look a somewhat dark (don’t worry, that’s how they should look! Cool the bars completely and chill until cold (just like pumpkin pie) before removing from the pan and cutting into bars.
Yum.
If you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a murder mystery (set in the depths of winter!), a comfy chair, and a couple of these bars.
Happy (almost fall) baking!
- 1-1/2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup nondairy milk
- ⅔ cup coconut palm sugar
- ½ cup coconut flour (lightly spoon to measure; do not pack)
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour (sifted, if lumpy)
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper; spray or grease exposed sides.
- In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients until completely blended (the mixture will be more like a fluffy, moist dough as the coconut flour soaks up the liquid): spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the top of the bars appears dry.
- Cool completely (in the pan) on a wire rack and then refrigerate until cold. Use parchment to remove bars from pan. Cut into 16 squares.
These bars are delicious! They really do taste like pumpkin pie minus the crust, including the texture! I made 9 larger bars out of them and for anyone who is interested, they have 5 WW Freestyle points apiece this way. They’re sooo good and so easy, and I will be making them again soon! I did have to bake mine longer than what the recipe advised in order to get them to set up good.
Yay, so glad you liked these, Katie! Thank you for providing the WW Freestyle points, too, I know that will be helpful for others!