Pumpkin Blondies
October 25th, 2018 
0 comments
‘Tis the season for pumpkin and it’s easy to start packing on the pounds with all the seasonal goodies. I wanted to make a treat I felt good about giving to my clients. These babies are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. You can of course use regular flour if you’d like. You will also notice there is no sugar added in this recipe, instead I use dates. By soaking the pitted dates it makes blending them easier and smoother in the batter. Using a food processor makes this recipe quick and painless to make. That means more time to do everything else this fall, like head to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch!
Print
Pumpkin Blondies
window.location.href
24, 2x2 inch squares
20 minutes
40 minutes
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 cup Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 baking flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup almond butter, unsweetened
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil
- 1/4-1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper. Place dates in a bowl and cover completely with hot water, soak for 10 minutes. In a separate small bowl add the flax and 2 tablespoons of water, stir and set aside. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt.
- Drained the dates, being sure to remove as much water as possible. Place the dates in a food processor and pulses a few times, then turn on for 5-10 seconds until the dates become one solid mass. Scrape the side of the food processor, add the pumpkin puree, almond butter and oil. Blend for 10 seconds until smooth and homogenous.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Mix in the nuts and pour the batter into the lined baking pan. Smooth out the mixture with the back on the spatula until evenly spread across the pan, mixture will be thick. Baked for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let cool for 10-20 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing into 24, 2x2 in squares.
- Try adding dried cranberries or raisins in addition the walnuts.
- Want to keep it nut free? Swap out almond butter for apple sauce and omit the chopped nuts.
- Make mini muffins, try scooping the batter into mini muffin tins instead for a bite side treat.
