I am haunted by pumpkin + Pumpkin Almond Butter Bars

Dear Baking World,

Last weekend I got pumpkin pie ice cream with my boyfriend after we had eaten pumpkin spice cookies for lunch, oh and we had a pumpkin pie shake for dinner that weekend as well.

Needless to say I am tired of pumpkin and I am tired of half cans of pumpkin in my fridge. If I eat/see/smell one more pumpkin thing, I will promptly explode.

That being said, I have a half can of pumpkin in my fridge and a large jar of almond butter waiting to be used up. Oh and a gluten free little sister who wants desserts. So it's time to get creative, and this is what I got.

These were oddly delicious. They're gluten free, so the first bite was weird because Brynn and I expected a bar, but they were very eggy. (Four eggs will do that.) After one bar, we both looked at each other and said, "THESE ARE REALLY GOOD!" and kept eating them. They're super good warm and extra good with the glaze.

Throw everything into one bowl (this was when I did only a half batch and whipped up another quick batch and added it to the pan.)

Gluten Free Almond Butter Pumpkin Bars

(with maple glaze)

1 cup creamy almond butter 

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of cloves
dash of ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (if your almond butter is salted, don't add salt)
1 tsp baking soda

For the glaze/frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. very soft, if you want melted, butter
dash of vanilla
2 tbsp. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. (If you do a 9 x 9 only do a half batch.)

Combine all ingredients until a medium bowl and mix until a thick batter is formed. Drop desired cookie size onto cookie sheet and press with a wet fork to flatten.

Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Leftovers In My Cupboard Pumpkin Gluten Free Granola Bars

Dear Baking World,

Friday I ventured into another world, one where baker's deflate and so do breads. It's the world of gluten free. My younger sister recently decided to go gluten free because she's had stomach problems since forever and classic Brita, I've been researching recipes to make for her. (She feels a ton better by the way, so I'm expecting to post many more gluten free recipes on my blog.)

Friday's gluten free experiment involved pumpkin, surprise surprise/tis the season. Oats are gluten free except they are frequently cross contaminated with wheat products during production, so you  have to buy oats that say "gluten free oats" which is what I did.

My roommates and my sister and I went to Woodman's on Friday for the first time and needless to say none of us have seen anything so beautiful. There were three mini aisles of bread. Bread! I had so many fiber bread options I spent twenty years trying to decide which loaf to buy. I think I just ended up grabbing a loaf and praying I didn't just buy a bag of sawdust. Anyways, they also had an aisle full of gluten free products, which is where my sister and I got lost for hours. This is where I found my old fashioned gluten free Bob's Red Mill oats. We also got some cake mixes, an all purpose flour mix and some Cheetos. (Cheetos are gluten free, as are Tostitos blue corn chips.)

We spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out the self checkout line, but I think both of us fulfilled a life long dream of bagging our own groceries. What is it with kids and bagging groceries? I swear it's a career that I've wanted to have since forever.

Brynn requested something pumpkin and so here is the bar I made called "Leftovers In My Cupboard Pumpkin Gluten Free Granola Bars" because I threw in my leftover coconut and anything else I could find in my cupboard. She loved them. I wrapped them individually so she can grab one from her fridge no matter where she goes. And they're a lot cheaper than buying gluten free granola bars, which go for $5 a box. These babies only cost at 15 cents a piece to make. Bargain Brita!

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats

Pre-cooking

Om nom

Leftovers In My Cupboard Pumpkin Gluten Free Granola Bars

2 3/4 cups old fashioned gluten free oats (I crushed them up a bit with my hands)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

dash of cloves

dash of ginger

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. maple syrup (optional)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips/chunks

1/4 cup craisins

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 11 pan.

In a bowl, crush the oats with hands. It will shrink down to 2 1/2 cups which is perfect. Then whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, vanilla, applesauce, brown sugar, olive oil and maple syrup. Whisk for 1-2 minutes or until slightly creamy.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just incorporated. Then carefully stir in the craisins, chocolate chips and craisins. Sprinkle a little brown sugar and chocolate chips over the top.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sides pull a little away from the side of the pan. Don't bake them over 25 minutes.