We may be living a different type of fall here in California than the kind that I’m accustomed to at home but that’s not going to stop me from getting up to my elbows in orange!
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been baking oatmeal pumpkin breakfast cookies (so yummy), savoring squash soups and experimenting with different versions of these chocolate chip pumpkin squares. We are definitely on some kind of pumpkin roll. Now all I need is a copy of Charlie Brown’s It’s the Great Pumpkin and all will be complete.
The squares that I’m featuring today are very reminiscent of pumpkin pie. If you’re not a fan of the taste or texture of pumpkin pie, these are not your squares. On the other hand, if you enjoy pumpkin pie, you will find the taste of these squares remarkably similar with an accent on the fresh ginger. The texture of the squares is slightly firmer than pumpkin pie which allows them to be hand held but you get the same soft, melt-in-your-mouth quality minus the copious amounts of sugar, cream and groovy condensed milk. You can skip the chocolate if you wish and mix in any nut, seed or dried fruit instead.
If you’re sulfite sensitive, you may wish to use your own blend of spices to avoid the preservative that is commonly found in commercial “pumpkin pie” spice. Pumpkin pie spice is generally made up of a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice but cinnamon/nutmeg will get you mostly there.
Ginger Infused Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares (Grain Free, Dairy Free) ~ Inspired by Elana’s Pantry
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) almond flour
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch)
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
- 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) dairy free dark chocolate chips (substitute nuts or dried fruit if preferred)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup (62.5 mL) melted coconut oil
- 1 cup (250 mL) pumpkin purée
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh grated ginger, optional
- 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
- 1 banana broken into pieces
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) pure maple syrup
Makes 16 Squares
Notes:
- The fresh ginger comes through distinctly and, in my view, beautifully but if fresh ginger is not your thing, simply omit.
- You can use any combination of nuts, seeds or dried sliced fruit in place of the chocolate if you wish. One of my favorite combinations is salted macadamia with pumpkin.
- You can try cornstarch in place of tapioca (I have not attempted the experiment) but if you omit the starch altogether, you may find that the squares are spongier/wetter and flatter — still tasty but not the same texture.
- The taste of the banana in this recipe is undetectable — it is used as a natural (and nutrient rich) source of sugar as well as a bulking agent.
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl combine: almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt. Mix in chocolate chips.
- In a separate larger bowl, use a hand-mixer to blend: eggs, coconut oil, pumpkin purée, ginger, vanilla, banana and maple syrup until smooth (or as smooth as possible – there may be small pieces of banana which are innocuous).
- Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing only until combined.
- Pour pumpkin batter into an 8′ x 8′ baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper and gently greased with olive oil.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes or until set and firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes on a rack and then move to fridge for at least one hour to firm up before slicing into squares (toughest part I know ;-). Store squares in fridge.
© Inspired Edibles
There’s 23 grams of sugar in 2 Tbsp of sweetened condensed milk (120 calories) and, predictably, the “low fat” (aka: let’s add more garbage) actually has more sugar than the regular! Too funny.
Thanks Amy! The apple/pumpkin pics are from home :( that’s ok, no shortage of beauty here :) :) :)
Boys are transitioning like champs — happy apple picking!
xo
Kim! So nice to see you here, thank you for dropping in with your kind words. We were at the meet (spent most of the time in traffic – lol) sorry we missed you! Saw Brad at the finish line — tough course!!
Hi Kelly, I was hoping to run into you at cc meet today to tell you how much I love your blog! It’s so well put together – the food, the writing, the photos – I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. Kim (Brad’s mom)
Those look amazing and though pumpkin doesn’t always rock my world, I do like it from time to time. Chocolate helps! I can’t get over how little sweetener there is! Total winner! very excited to try these.
I love the versatility of this recipe. Doh! I just stuck some pumpkin puree in the freezer. Time to defrost it, I guess.
Thanks for dropping in Yvonne – always nice to see new names and faces at Inspired Edibles; welcome!
Oh dear. No pressure. LOL! We find them tasty anyway!! Happy cottaging ;-).
Another winner for my brother’s family Kelly, they are MAD about pumpkin pie. Me on the other hand, not so much, which makes this perfect to take to their cottage next weekend; I won’t be tempted to snack! That’s a real plus. I’ll just have to take your word for it that these are so tasty!
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com
I really like pumpkin so I’m sure I could squeeze down a few of these :) What a great snack/dessert!!
Groovy condensed milk indeed (haha!) — whenever I come across that ingredient, I just ignore it (refuse to use it) but always wonder how to replace it without flubbing the whole recipe. That’s what I love about your blog Kelly, you’ve already done the experimenting for us :) and provide an alternative to what’s already out there a million times. Your bars look gorgeous, I love the photo; very serene. And now I want to know when we’re going to see those oatmeal pumpkin breakfast cookies?!!
I feel like baking fall things totally bring fall into the house even if it’s not that cold out yet :) How are your boys adjusting to their new life?
I love pumpkin pie so I think these would be right up my alley! Love the apple and pumpkin picking pictures! We’re going apple-picking this weekend and I can’t wait.
The way you describe these – how could one resist them?!? Pumpkin pie that you can hold in your hand – I’m in! Love all of the non-traditional ingredients that you added with the banana, ginger and chocolate chips. These look awesome! Guess it’s time to buy a pumpkin. :)
Perfect combination of flavors, they look amazing…. Fresh ginger is definitely a great addition to them!
These look so delicious! Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts so I’m sure I will love these. All your desserts are so great…I feel like I know I’m getting something healthy but it will still be full of deliciousness!!
These are definitely my type of squares! They look very moist and irresistible, Kelly.
Seriously! I have been drooling over these all day since I saw them on Facebook. I neeeeeeeeeed these. They sound amazing and I just love that you added fresh ginger to them. With pumpkin and vanilla and maple syrup….ooh what could be better. These are definitely gettin’ pinned and they are on my list to make this winter.
Gorgeous little treat!