Oh wait – is that a bandwagon? Let me jump on it! With this recipe, I am going feet first onto both the Paleo and Pumpkin bandwagons. These bars satisfy those chocolate cravings and feel really decadent while still being healthy enough to have with coffee for breakfast (or with just a fork, the pan, and a dark corner – go ahead, I won’t judge).

My husband teases me because of my firm belief that chocolate chips make everything better.  These bars are no exception. They are not overly sweet, which is something I love about them; the real pumpkin flavor shines through. But when you hit a chocolate chip, you get a nice burst of sweet, chocolatey goodness.  As an aside, chocolate chips make banana bread, pumpkin bread, pancakes, muffins, cupcakes, applesauce, peanut butter and granola (all GF of course) way better.  I don’t recommend them on chicken, pizza or eggs.

I tried this recipe with both cassava flour and coconut flour – the cassava flour worked beautifully, but you got a more spongy texture to the bar.  The coconut flour provides a little more crumb while keeping it the right kind of gooey. I highly recommend experimenting with both.

Welcome to my bandwagon.

Paleo Chocolate Pumpkin Bars

Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 40 min.
Serves: 12 bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup Coconut Oil (virgin/organic)

16 oz. can Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

2 Tbs. Honey

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Coconut Flour

1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 cup Mini baking chips

 

 

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix until combined
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just incorporated and uniform
5. Stir in the chocolate chips
6. Pour batter into your prepared pan and shake gently to evenly distribute
7. Bake for 40 min until the center is set and feels “spongy” to the touch (the inside should still be gooey, but the top should no longer jiggle.
8. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares – if you can stand it.

Notes