Doesn't the smell of fall, the crisp air, and the beautiful leaves just make you crave the flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon together? You'll love this recipe for grain-free pumpkin cream cheese bars. In case you're wondering, I still haven't figured out the issue of grains (good or bad?) – there will be more on this in upcoming posts, but I am having fun experimenting with grain-free recipes. Let me know what you think of these and if you have a recipe that's different in some way, share your variations in the comments – I love tweaking my recipes. As a matter of fact, I totally came up with this recipe myself, and was fully prepared for it to become my next Friday Food Flop, but it turned out really good. What a surprise!
Grain-free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Yield 8x11.5 Pan
Craving the flavors of Autumn? Why not try this?
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup Almond Meal/Flour
- 2 pastured eggs
- 4 Tablespoons soft butter, pastured butter is best
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (click for sources)
Filling:
- 8 ounce cream cheese (I use organic)
- 1 cup pumpkin (yes, I use the canned kind, but there's just pumpkin in there)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup palm or coconut sugar (click for sources)
- 2 pastured egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Mix up the crust and spread into an ungreased 8 x 11.5 glass baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 350*. Blend the filling ingredients together (I used my immersion blender) and pour over the crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350* or until almost set. Let cool in the frig before serving. Don't forget the real whipped cream!
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More fall recipes:
- If you love pumpkin, you'll love this pumpkin pie ice cream recipe.
- Or the grain-free Halloween (pumpkin/squash) pancakes I posted recently.
- A list of recipes for soups and stews
- Organic Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe
- Uncooked/Raw Applesauce
- Kettle Corn made with coconut oil – a healthy fat!
- Gluten-free Almond Cookies – not really a fall recipe I guess, but there's good info here about Arrowroot flour
- Caramel Apples – no mess!
- Grain-free gluten-free apple crisp!
- Stag’s Antlers – Festive Fall Cookies
- Thanksgiving recipes/ideas for leftovers
- Share your favorite fall recipes in the comments!
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I made these last year and these were amazing!
Can you tell me how many cups pumpkin is used in this recipe? I have my own cooked pumpkin to use.
Linda, as stated in the recipe above, it calls for one cup. 🙂
Kelly
YUM!! these just came out of the oven and of course I had to test a little corner to see how they tasted….sooo good! I have to get them in the fridge quick otherwise they won’t even make it to the “chill and cut into bars” step!! thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Annnnd I made these yesterday and brought them to my Italian class this evening. Everyone loved them! I have to make them again.
It looks super yummy and I love the gluten free crust. I’m sure it would work for all kinds of desserts!
Thank you for the recipe. I have them baking in the oven now. I hope they taste as good as they smell, and as good as that photo looks.
Alright, I definitely need to try making this. LOVE pumpkin.
This is seriously a drool-worthy recipe. Can’t wait to bring these for Thanksgiving (and not tell anyone in the family they’re actually healthy!)
YUM! Do you think I could subsitute almond flour with coconut flour or something else? We’re deathly allergic to tree nuts…
Yes! 🙂
These look yummy. I’ve been adding arrowroot starch to my almond flour recipes when I want a more flaky feel to the dough. It does introduce more carbs into the recipe but you’re only using a few tablespoons for a recipe like this. Arrowroot is used in Nourishing Traditions so I consider it a “real food”. Kelly, what are your thoughts on arrowroot?
I like it! Here’s more on it:
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/10/gluten-free-almond-cookies-made-with-arrowroot-flour-real-food-wednesday.html
Okay…I don’t want to be the buzz-kill at the party, but after reading your yummy recipe, I went searching for palm sugar and the first thing I came upon was this post…..
https://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_palm_sugar.htm
Basically it shares how the demand for palm sugar is destroying coconut crops because tapping the trees for the sugar guarantees that the tree will never produce coconuts. I’m all for being able to have sweet stuff on occasion, but not while sacraficing the coconut trees! I love coconut oil too much to sacrifice that for some sugar.
Any other ideas on what I ban use instead of the palm sugar in the recipe??
You can try the other ideas above, but from what I’ve read, this isn’t true at all, at least for the kind I use.
https://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/collection-of-coconut-sap.php
Kelly
Kelly- you are so quick to reply! Thank you! I love your blog.
I read your link and I like it much more than the one I posted! I looked at the wilderness website and was curious: Do you use their coconut sap sugar? Is that the same as palm sugar?
And if you are using the sap sugar, how long does a 5 pound bag last for your baking needs? If I tell my husband I spent $25 on sugar he may fall over dead unless it lasts a while. I’m a moderate baker -very occasional-
Thanks again!
It lasts a long time because I don’t use it all that much, either, so you should be good. 🙂
Yes, coc. sugar and palm sugar are the same. Oops, I just double checked and I may be wrong, looking into this…
Kelly
For a GAPS friendly version of this, I wonder if yogurt cheese would work instead of cream cheese? I might try it (also substituting date sugar for palm sugar and honey for maple syrup). Looks so delicious!
Have you tried with yogurt cheese? I just make kefir cream cheese type stuff and want to know if it will work with this!
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it, but my *guess* is that it would work fine. 🙂
Fingers crossed!!! 🙂
Update: I did crust a little different. Almond flour, coconut oil and soaked dates with cinnamon.
Instead of cream cheese I did coconut milk yogurt. Added about 5oz since its less solid and more liquid.
These were bomb!! My husband loved them which says alot! We will make there again and again I’m sure! Thanks for the recipe!!!! 🙂
Kelly,
Can you sub out the palm for reg or sucanat in equal amounts?
I dont buy palm here because it is expensive.
Also I am trying to cut out wheat and love having recipes like this.
Thank You!
Yes, that should be just fine. 🙂
Ooooh! We’re having a neighborhood get-together in a few weeks and I think I know what I’m bringing!
That looks delicious! And I am going to show the boys the sponge bob pumpkin they are going to love that. My blog was on vacation for the last week getting a make over. I was very stubborn and insisted on writing my own WordPress theme. I was getting traffic from blogging but no one was commenting. I have employed a professionally designed theme that let me make the changes I wanted and now I would love anyone that has a minute to check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.
Yippee! I will definitely be trying these, as a year of getting away from the SAD led me to discovering wheat issues for me and mine (sigh). I just broke down and bought a can of pumpkin…now I will be able to resist making pumpkin bread! Thanks so much for sharing!