Pumpkin and winter squash are among my favorite fall foods! They taste great savory and sweet, and can be made a variety of ways. They are actually starches I can eat right now too, as I currently need to steer clear of any sort of yam, sweet potato or regular potato to continue healing.
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this tasty fall-inspired dessert. Let me know know what you think, especially about the date caramel!
October 12, 2016 update: watch this replay of me making these bars on KATU Afternoon Live here in Portland!
For the pumpkin layer:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened sunflower seed butter or unsweetened almond butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I like this brand)
For the caramel layer:
- 10-12 medjool dates, pitted and soaked briefly in boiling water
- 3 Tbsp water
- 4-5 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk (I used this brand)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Dash of sea salt
- Mix coconut oil, honey, pumpkin and spices together in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat.
- After several minutes, once the ingredients are mixed together well, remove from heat and mix in the sunflower seed or almond butter and vanilla. Stir until everything is combined.
- Pour into an 8×8 pan or an 8 or 9-inch round baking pan. Place in the freezer to set.
- Meanwhile, get going on the caramel. Add the softened dates to the food processor, along with the water, 4 Tbsp of the coconut milk, sea salt and vanilla. Pulse to combine. If mixture still seems a bit too thick or chunky, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of coconut milk and blend again. Please know, it’s not going to have the same texture as traditional caramel.
- Take your pumpkin layer out of the freezer after 45-60 minutes and top with the date caramel. Place back in the freezer to set further. Store in the refrigerator (or freezer if you like a more solid/frozen bar – it’s good either way!)
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Those look amazing! I will have to try the recipe!
Thanks! It was an experiment that worked out quite well! Just watch out, they’re kind of addicting!
The best food is always highly addicting! That’s why I always try to give extras away!
I agree! Sharing is always a good idea too, but sometimes I want it all to myself 😉
Wow those look really good…I think my wife and I need to do some fall baking this weekend stat!
I just had my first pumpkin spice latte this morning…fall is officially here for me!
Yum, pumpkin everything, right?! I love fall flavors so, so much. If you try these out, let me know how you like ’em 😉
These look absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to try this. Yum!
Thanks! Beware, they’re really addicting 😉
I cannot wait to try these! Pumpkin is the best, I’m so excited it is fall
Ditto 😉
holy crap, these look insanely good! maybe even something my non-paleo family members would like during thanksgiving time! thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Aly! Yep, paleo or not, I think these will win many people over … as long as they like pumpkin!
Reblogged this on eat. drink. & be paleo. and commented:
my mouth is drooling, and I just had to share… this will definitely be one to aide my pumpkin obsession (an ex-boyfriend once nicknamed me “pumpkin” after realizing that I had a problem…)
enjoy!
Thanks for the reblog, Aly 😉
Yum! Just made pumpkin porridge this morning. Gotta love fall!
I love it, Brandyn! Pumpkin everything, right? 😉
Planning on trying these out this weekend for a pot luck I’m headed too, just wondering how many this recipe makes?
Great! The quantity depends on the size you cut the bars, obviously, but it’ll yield about 16-24 bars. Hope they’re a hit!
Forgot to tell you I made this the other weekend for that pot luck. Everyone loved them! At first I wasn’t sure, thought they were really sweet, but then I couldn’t stop eating them :). They disappeared FAST
Yay, happy to hear that! The bars get a lot of sweetness from the dates, which is why I use the lesser amount of honey in the bottom layer. So glad you liked them 🙂
these look divine! We are having a celebratory end to our 30 day challenge next week and I think I’m gonna bring these for the potluck 🙂
Nice, sounds like a tasty way to wrap up the 30-day challenge 😉 Watch out though, they’re addictive!
I’m finding the date mixture watery …should it be?
No, it shouldn’t be watery. It’s thick like caramel. How much liquid did you add? Always start with the lowest amount and add more if need be. Also, if you use dates that are already pitted, you may need a little less liquid. These dates tend to be smaller than those with pits. My recommendation would be to try pureeing more dates into the mixture.
These look and sound amazing! I am very new to paleo, so I’m excited to try new recipes! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Thanks, they taste pretty fabulous too! Welcome to the paleo world, by the way and thanks for the follow 🙂
Reblogged this on Gym Heroine and commented:
These look awesome!
Thanks!
These are so good! First pumpkin recipe this year- delicious AND nutrient dense 🙂
Thanks! I’ve been thinking of making these again soon, especially now that’s officially fall (as of today!) and pumpkin season. So glad you enjoyed them!