Nutritious Pumpkin Pie Bars

Happy Holidays, folks! This month, we’re satisfying all of our warm, wintery dessert desires with these delicious and nutritious Pumpkin Pie Bars. So let’s pull out our scales and dive right in!

Tools

  • Pan/Skillet

  • Hand/Stand Mixer (or a simple whisk if you feel like doing arms).

  • Stovetop/Oven

  • pre-greased 8x8in (or equivalent) high-walled baking pan.

  • Small bowl

  • Large bowl


Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 200g almond meal

    • Substitutes: Almond flour

  • ⅓ -½  cup powdered allulose

    • Substitutes: powdered erythritol or xylitol (to taste*). *Use less than ⅓, as they’re sweeter than allulose

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 112g (~1 cup) melted, unsalted grass-fed butter

    • Substitutes: Coconut Oil can be used, but be prepared for a crumblier crust when cooled.

 

For the Filling

  • 1 15oz can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)

  • 60g (¼ cup)  plain nonfat greek yogurt

  • 4oz (~120mL) unflavored cashew milk

    • Substitutes: Your preferred plant milk works. If you’re watching your caloric intake, I suggest sticking with either cashew milk or flax milk. 

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

  • ¼ tsp ground ginger

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ⅛ tsp black pepper

  • ¼ cup (60mL) pure (100%) maple syrup

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp liquid non-nutritive sweetener

    • Substitutes: Any liquid sweetener works. You can omit too, if you deem the maple syrup to be enough.

  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature & lightly beaten


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.

  2. Lightly toast almond meal in a dry skillet or pan over medium heat, until fully golden and fragrant (2-4 minutes). Stir frequently to avoid burning and to ensure an even toasting.

  3. Transfer toasted almond meal to a small bowl, and mix in sweetener, cinnamon and salt. Add in butter, mix until thoroughly combined. 

  4. Press crust into your greased 8x8 baking pan and place in the oven for 10-18 minutes (depending on thickness) while you make the filling. Pull out to cool when golden-brown or done to preference.

  5. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin purée, yogurt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and pepper.

  6. In the small bowl you mixed the crust in, add milk and cornstarch- thoroughly mix until homogeneous.

  7. Add milk mixture to the rest of the filling and mix until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and liquid sweetener. Then, slowly, add in the egg whites until fully incorporated (in three additions). Try not to overbeat or add unnecessary air to the mixture. Mix at a medium speed to avoid over-whipping the egg whites and stop once all streaks are gone.

  8. Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 30-45min or until done (The center won’t look glossy and when jiggled, the entire pie will move as one (if at all).

  9. Let cool to room temperature, cut into 9 pieces (or less if you’re feeling ambitious), top with whipped topping (if desired) and enjoy!

 

I hope you all have a safe and happy rest of your year and I look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces at the club! As always, if you want professional guidance with your nutrition, health, or fitness goals, don’t hesitate to reach out to my email (below) or in-person at the club.

-Kyler | kyler@ballardhealthclub.com

Cert. Nutrition Coach, CPT

Source(s)/Additional Reading:

Original Recipe that this was adapted from. By Amy’s Healthy Baking



NutritionBallard Health Club