Hello you lovely souls. I’m sitting in a beautiful, cozy king bed writing to you from Hilton Head Health, a fitness and wellness resort in Hilton Head, SC. This past week has been so refreshing for me in more ways than I can fathom to write about. Sometimes you just can’t put into words what you feel when your heart is steady and content. I feel beyond lucky to be invited here; the inspiration in wellness classes, new friends and being a little more vulnerable has left me with a realization that I must let go of my fears of judgment when it comes to blogging and being more personal.
My goodness can you believe AK has been cooking for a little over 3 years? I’ve written here about my life experiences, career changes, moving, relationships, friendships and my ever growing obsession with Zac Efron.
What I haven’t included is my real and constant battle with food; certainly it is the love of my life (questionable due to Tony). I don’t want this post to become too heavy, but do want you to know that this blog will change and grow, just as any human being does. And as any relationship goes, I hope we’re in this together; that you’ll still come to AK to make my recipes because they certainly are not going away. I’ll just be writing more about this journey I’m on.
But enough serious business. Let’s get onto the treats I baked for you today! Flourless Pumpkin Almond Butter Bars. I know, right? With dark chocolate and perhaps some coconut if you fancy it (you SO fancyyy).
And now here I am in between my silky sheets wondering why I didn’t pack a few in my bag to snack on in bed. Actually thank goodness I didn’t; these sheets are too wonderful to get crumbified. (Not a word, I’m aware.)
I’m so happy that these bars baked up so delightfully and full of pumpkin flavor. I was afraid the almond butter would come through too much, but it turns out that these satisfy a pumpkin craving like no other.
What I’m especially excited about is the wonderful nutrition in these bars. Lots of vitamins plus antioxidants (from dark chocolate) going on. They’re also gluten free, low carb, dairy free, paleo and grain free. I’m fairly certain you could easily veganize them by adding a flax egg (1 T ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water). I love enjoying mine in the afternoon with a big cup of coffee.
To serve them as a dessert, I suggest topping them off with a little coconut whipped cream or homemade almond butter smeared over the top with a sprinkle of sea salt. Just trust me on this one guys; sweet and salty is always the answer.
To keep up to date with posts and behind the scenes info on Ambitious Kitchen, follow me on BlogLovin’, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. xo!
More gluten free desserts you’ll love:
Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars with Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Crust
Flourless Chocolate chip Chickpea Blondies
Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grain Free Tahini Brownies (the best brownies I’ve ever eaten!)
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Flourless Pumpkin Almond Butter Bars with Dark Chocolate and Coconut
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt (only if using unsalted almond butter)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch cloves
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, divided
- 3 oz your favorite dark chocolate bar (at least 70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except coconut and dark chocolate. Once ingredients are well combined, fold in 1/4 cup of the coconut flakes and all of the dark chocolate.
- Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle the rest of the coconut flakes on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges.
- Place pan on wire rack to cool. Once cool, cut into 16 squares. Enjoy!
Do you have any suggestions for almond butter substitute?
This is a delicious, low carb treat that really hits the spot!! I used a salted dark chocolate with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top and it really enhanced the flavors!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Love this recipe! I have been making it for years! 🙂
Um, yeah. These are amazing and perfect. I didn’t know you could get this kind of texture without flour of any kind. I love it! I probably would never have thought to combine pumpkin and coconut, but they work well together indeed. Problem is I want to eat them all.
I substituted butterscotch chips for the dark chocolate. I also used honey instead of maple syrup (because maple syrup is expensive). But I did use Justin’s maple flavored almond butter. All together, so good, and all the ingredients are healthy!
Perfect! That sounds delicious. Glad you enjoyed!
Made these tonite and they were terrific! I was wondering if you used a baker’s dark chocolate or semisweet? I would like it to be a little sweeter next time. Also, can these be frozen?
Glad you enjoyed! Feel free to use a darker chocolate to have these be less sweet 🙂 And yes! Let them cool completely before freezing.
They barely covered a thin layer of an 8 by 8 pan
Sorry to hear that, I haven’t had an issue as they puff up once baked!
easy to make and so so soft!
Not sure what went wrong but there’s a fairly strong bitter taste to the bars… The only substitution I made was coconut sugar with a tablespoon of water instead of the syrup. Is it the baking soda? I was pretty disappointed…
Hmm that’s odd, I haven’t had that issue. You can try reducing the amount of baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon next time!
These are just lovely. Light and tasty and so easy to make. I expected them to be more brownie consistency, but was pleasantly surprised how light they came out. Definitely will be a regular treat in my household!
So glad you loved them! The perfect fall treat 🙂
Hi! Do these keep well in the fridge? I️ was thinking about making ahead of time but wasn’t sure. Thanks
Hi Kylie! They should 🙂 Enjoy!
These are so so good. Great combo of flavors.
All the best flavors in one! 🙂
These are so so good.
Hi Monique! Love your posts. I made this last night and added a little cocoa powder to give the appearance of brownies for my 2 year old. It was a success!! She keeps asking for more brownie. They are delicious!! Thank you for all that you do. 🙂
These look fabulous! Could I successfully substitute xylitol for the maple syrup?
I made these last night, and I totally loved them!! So soft and fluffy, and the perfect amount of sweetness. I did use 60% cacao instead of 70%, and I added in a handful of walnuts into the batter, but besides that I made the recipe exactly as written. I’ve honestly never made a “flourless” baked good (unless you count recipes that use only oat flour), and this was an awesome low-carb snack bar! Your baked goods are ALWAYS my go-to when I want healthy, sustaining treats that are still really tasty! I’ve made at least 6 of your baked goods recipes and I’m a huge fan. Keep up the good work!
I pinned these forever ago and just made them this afternoon. They made a perfect afternoon snack (with coffee on the side!). I also think they’d be perfect as a pre-workout snack. Thanks Monique!
Hi! Saw these on Pinterest and made them just now. This was my first time making a sweet treat without flour and I’ve always been pessimistic, however THESE ARE AMAZING! Great texture and combo of flavors. My 3 yr old gobbled them up and my husband, who doesn’t like any type of food altered to be healthy, had two servings. We ate them warm and they were delicious, I can’t wait to try them in the morning. Thanks for the recipe.
So so happy you liked them! And I hope you come back for more yummy recipes! 🙂
I just made these, I didn’t have dark chocolate…. So I made them with semi sweet chocolate chips. Also, I’m allergic to nuts so I (against your recommendation) used sunflower butter. They turned out delicious but the top and coconut turned a weird greenish hue when they were cooling in the pan. Any idea what might have happened? I’m assuming they are still safe to eat? Thank you for any feedback you can provide!
sunflower butter does that (turns green ) when cooked – that’s why it’s not always recommended
Hey there! Curious, I’m wondering if I did something wrong because 1)I only got 9 from 8×8 pan and 2)They were bland (not awful, just nothing special), do you think it was because I used a sugar-free syrup (keeping keto) and cacao nibs? I’m not sure how sweet 70% chocolate is. Thanks! Would love to make it again!
just made these! so simple to make and delicious! thank!
Dear Monique, Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! It is such a special treat when something that is agreeable to the tummy is also such a very tasty comfort food! With only two small adaptations, we made the recipe SCD friendly (use honey instead of maple syrup and skip the chocolate). Not only is the result absolutely delicious, but it provides a nice, steady energy with no crashes. We carry these with us everywhere… Golfing, work, travel. They are the perfect snack, or occasional meal replacement. Thank you again!
Hey there, Monique! Love AK, and absolutely *adored* this recipe 🙂 Tried it out just now – without the coconut – and I’m in love! With that said, and these being flourless, is there any way I could successfuly turn them into muffins? Thank you already!
Just made these today for Canadian thanksgiving. They’re exactly what I wanted (mmm, pumpkin, coconut AND chocolate!). Thanks for another great recipe Monique <33
Can I substitute banana for the pumpkin?
I think that would work wonderfully!
Made these w/of coconut and chocolate but a maple glaze. Yours sounds better. Love chocolate.
Hi there! I featured this recipe in my fall recipe round up post today at http://physicalkitchness.com/healthy-paleo-fall-recipes/
Thank you for the inspiration!
My boyfriend is allergic to coconut. Is there sometime I could sub for the coconut?
You can simply leave it out.
I made these without the coconut and it was lovely 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
I just got up at 6 am to make these and oh my were they good! They were so tender and pillowy, and the mix of spices was great! They just came out of the oven and I could hardly wait to try them. I will definitely make these again! Thank you for the great recipe!
I just made these and they came out so soft and nothing like the picture…..not sure what could be wrong?
Hi Diane – they are supposed to be soft; similar to cake bars. They are delicious.
Thank you Monique! Actually I baked it like 10 minutes longer, then when it cooled I cut them into bars and find them to be absolutely delicious! Happy holidays and keep up the great recipes I am fan of yours!
I really appreciate the gluten free recipes. These look to DIE for, so I must make them this week. 🙂
These bars look delicious! I can’t wait to see what is in store for your blog!
Made these this morning- just lovely! Thanks Monique!
Aw, glad you liked them Emma!
Big hugs to you, sweet lady <3 I definitely know what it's like to struggle with food and body image, and I think that introducing a more personal side to your blog is an awesome move. Oh… and these bars? Ah.maze.ing — but I think that goes without saying 😉
Thanks so much. 🙂
Now even more than before would be my reply to your hope we as readers will stick around as your blog changes direction. As much as I like finding recipes – and all of yours are making me hungry – the part I like most about blogging is connecting with others through sharing our lives and stories with each other. I’m looking forward to getting to know you even better and keeping my fingers crossed for your journey!
Always here for you girl! Really looking forward to future posts with any change you see fit – that’s the fun part about reading blogs! And this recipe?! Definitely need to try it 🙂
Thanks love!
Mmmmm…. I am wondering about baking something like these at high altitude. Just moved to 6,500 feet. My understanding is to generally increase liquid, decrease leavening slightly and decreasing sugar slightly. But since they are flourless, I just don’t know. Any thoughts?
I think these should be just fine, however you may need to increase or decrease baking time.
Hi! Do these keep well in the fridge? I️ was thinking about making ahead of time but wasn’t sure. Thanks!
Mmm those look great! Love how healthy they are too, especially with dark chocolate 🙂