“I don’t know what’s in these that makes them so good mom,
but they’re so good …”
~ son
There you have it. That’s all the proof you’ll ever need.
The funny thing is, I had made one of those quiet promises to myself that I wasn’t going to post anything with pumpkin in it until October (kind of like my habit of listening to Christmas music in November – a bit annoying). And here it is, prime apple month, and what am I doing? Leapfrogging right over my draft apple post (which is lovely by the way), to bring you pumpkin.
But not just any pumpkin. These may be the tastiest bites I’ve ever made… (so far). I think it’s the fresh sage that just kills it. (Note to my Mom: ‘kills it’ in this context means it makes it really good).
Sweet & Savoury Maple Pumpkin Bites with Fresh Sage and Macadamia
(Gluten Free)
-
1 + 1/3 cup almond flour
-
1/2 tsp cinnamon
-
1/4 tsp nutmeg, fresh ground if possible (the taste is incomparable)
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 heaping Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, (pumpkin only not ‘pumpkin pie’ filling)
- 1/8 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into small pieces (I used dry roasted)
- Sea salt
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Makes about 24 bites.
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, assemble: almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and fresh sage, mixing to combine.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together: egg, olive oil, vanilla and maple syrup. Add pumpkin purée and whisk until well integrated with other ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing just until combined. Place bowl with batter in the fridge to allow it to firm up slightly (about 30 minutes – or about 10 minutes in the freezer if you prefer).
Remove bowl from fridge/freezer and roll pumpkin batter in the palm of your hands (it will still be quite soft) into bite-sized shapes using just less than 1 tablespoon per bite. If the batter is still too wet to work with, simply return it to the fridge.
Place bites on a parchment lined baking sheet with some room separating them.
Top each bite with a touch of sea salt and a few macadamia pieces before placing them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. For testing, the bites should still be soft to the touch but have a nice golden colour on the bottom. Allow them to cool for a couple minutes before enjoying.
“1/4 tsp allspice” – you know, I only found out a few months ago that “allspice” is actually a thing on its own. As in… an actual singular spice called “allspice”. I always thought it was a blend, like mixed spice, d’oh!
These look lovely – totally. I absolutely adore sage, but it’s hard to come by here. Usually the only fresh herbs I can find in stores/markets are water based ones, like basil, coriander (cilantro) etc. Oily ones like sage, oregano seem non-existant. I can get around it by buying a mini sage bush from the garden centre but no matter what I do it dies after a couple of weeks :(
I love these little savory sweet bites, just in time for fall!
Oh Kelly…I have always loved the combination of sweet and savory! I bet that sage lends a magical, mysterious flavor to the pumpkin. And the crunch of macadamia nuts for texture. That is such a great compliment from your son! I might just have to settle myself down with a plate of these while listening to Christmas music! ;- }
Pleeeeeeeeeeeease send me some IMMEDIATELY! mmmmm
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sea salt and fresh sage…so interesting. I must give them a try!
Nice! Sage sounds like the perfect compliment to the pumpkin.
Oh my word those sound amazing. I love the choice of flavors. You have a knack for tasty an simple. Bookmarked to try!
I see lots of pumpkin recipes being shared and I feel so happy! Your little bites are not only cute and adorable but I love the sweet and savory in one – very sophisticated flavor!
Definitely a YUM! I love pumpkin recipes throughout the year but I love seeing the recent influx and surplus of them all. I can imagine how good these are!
You are forgiven for skipping the apple recipe for these pumpkin bites! I love apple and pumpkin season and all of the possibilities of what to do with them are endless! All of the flavors of sage, maple and macadamia sounds delicious!
First of all, let me get this out in the open: I WILL be using “leapfrogging” in some post in the future. Too good to pass, I’ll have to steal the expression. Plus, it’s one of my favorite exercises in plyometrics. Ok, back to cooking. Loved this pumpkin recipe, and I am glad you leapfrogged it. Great move! ;-)
These bites have a delicious mix of flavours :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Ooh, what delicious looking bites!
These look positivly delicious! Skipping straight to the pumpkin is looking good to me! :-)
Hey pumpkin in September is cool especially these cute little bites. Interesting you only used almond flour, I haven’t tried that yet. Loving the macadamias and the fresh nutmeg.
Ohhhh Kelly. You’ve done it! I was going to hold off on the pumpkin, too, but I know I have to make these! I guess since I’ve already planned my entire Halloween costume, I might as well break down and start the pumpkin baking/cooking, too. You really did kill it with this one!
Can eat pumpkins all the year round! These pumpkin bites look gorgeous.
I have everything in the pantry and fresh sage in the garden ready to make these! And no, it is not too early for pumpkin when the air is this crisp in the mornings. :)
Gotta love glowing praise from loved ones! They sound delicious and they look just as good!
I think you’re safe to post a pumpkin recipe – fall starts this weekend!
Sage is such a fantastic herb and I rarely think to use it. I will definitely be trying these out!!
You are seriously killing me (in a good way) with these last two posts. I have your last recipe printed and sitting on my desk where I have been drooling at it all week. Time to add another to my make ASAP pile! It’s too bad I can’t will the photos to turn into the real thing! :)
I’m all for pumpkin recipes in September! Or even august for that matter. Fall is my absolutely favorite time so if I can get away with it feeling like autumn in the summer then I’m in :) These sound SO good! perfect little bite sized treats!