Pumpkin Spice Snack Bars

Pumpkin Spice Snack Bars recipe

Wet ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree or 1 sugar pumpkin for roasting (see instructions
• below)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• juice from half an orange
• zest of 1 orange
• 4 chia eggs*

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups ground almonds
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, or 1 teaspoon for a spicier version
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

Topping:

• Chopped walnuts (or pumpkin seeds)

* Add 4 tablespoons of chia seeds to a cup with 12 tablespoons of water and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes until the chia seeds have absorbed the water and formed a gel-like consistency.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Measure 1 cup of pumpkin puree and place it in the food processor. Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend until smooth.

2. Add all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add wet mix to dry mix and stir to combine.

3. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with coconut oil and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle the walnut pieces on top and bake for 30 minutes.

4. Let cool for 15 minutes before you cut the bars. (This step is important; otherwise the cake will fall apart.) Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Pumpkin Puree Ingredients:

1 sugar pumpkin (approximately 2 pounds)
Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. Slice the stems off the pumpkin, then cut it in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, place facedown on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast until soft (about 45 to 60 minutes). The exact time will depend on the size of the pumpkin.

3. Once cooked, let cool for 10 minutes, then scoop out the pumpkin flesh and place into a food processor and blend until super smooth.

Source mindbodygreen.com