Okay, I took the pumpkin dive! It’s officially been fall for 3 weeks and I’m just now baking with pumpkin, crazy I know. I’ve been so consumed by the harvest season of pears, apples, and zucchini that I’m just now making my switch to pumpkins!
I’m starting off the season with a guiltless treat. This recipe is moist, delicious, tastes super “naughty”, but is gluten free and low carb, the current perfect way for me to celebrate. The thing is, this treat doesn’t taste a thing like deprivation, in fact it tastes like indulgence! I served it to a group of people and not one person even questioned if “there was something different” about it, that means it passes the test for all good “healthy dessert” recipes, it can be served to guests!
The sweetener used in this recipe is erythritol. It is 70% as sweet as sugar, with zero calories. It is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, found in foods such as melons, grapes and pears. It has zero affect on your glycemic index, which makes it perfect for diabetics and those trying to maintain a low glycemic index diet. But the best part about this sweetener is, it can be substituted for sugar with a 1:1 ratio which means, if you don’t want to use it or don’t have it, regular sugar can be used in it’s place and you’ll get great results as well, so the choice, is yours!
- 1 cup almond butter (smooth or creamy)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup erythritol or white sugar or honey
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 Tbs. butter
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat variety), softened
- 4 Tbs. butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup erythritol or powdered sugar, adjust quantity to suit your tastes
- NuNaturals Stevia Extract to taste, if desired
I hope you take the time to enjoy this fall treat, it is super yummy!
THM ladies, this is a S breakfast or dessert, enjoy!
Flourless Pumpkin Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 8×8 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large bowl beat together by hand, or using a mixer, the almond butter, pumpkin, egg, sweetener, baking soda, vanilla, pumpkin pie seasoning, cinnamon, and butter. Make sure all the ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust sweetener as desired.
Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean, 30-40 minutes. Cool completely and then refrigerate or frost.
To make the frosting:
Beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and sweetener until creamy and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust sweetener as desired. Frost the pumpkin bars and refrigerate until served.
The kitchen is where I express myself. It is where I go when I need to process or escape. Cooking is my creative outlet and my stress reliever. When I am in my kitchen, my ingredients listen to me, they do what I want, and I can produce something that is satisfying, tasty, and healthy without it whining or talking back to me! Join me as I journey through life in my kitchen. 
Sounds yummy! Needs a picture so we can Pin it to Pinterest.
There is a picture, did it not show up for you?
I can see your lovely pumpkin cake, and I want to eat it. Looks delicious!
Thank you for linking up at Trim Healthy Tuesday! Your cake will be linked on Pinterest in the Trim Healthy Mama S Breakfast Recipes board.
This was so delicious. I didn’t have almond butter but had cashew butter, oddly enough. The whole family loved it. I used Truvia as my sweetener. I used probably half the amount of sweetener in the recipe. Then I used a little NuNaturals in the cream cheese frosting. I’ll play with the sweetener when I make it again. I now need to find a nut free one so I can make something for my sister-in-law.