Makes 8-12 bars
Fudgy in texture but just slightly sweet, these are great as breakfast, for a snack or healthy dessert
Ingredients
1 cup chickpeas (rinse and drain well)
3/4 cup canned or pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup oats (rolled oats/oatmeal)
3/4 cup date paste
4 scoops Elderberry Crystals
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
- Line an 8×8 inch pan, leaving some overhang.
- Add chickpeas, pumpkin, oats, date paste, Elderberry Crystals, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt to a large high-powered blender or food processor and process. Scrape the sides of the machine down a few times to ensure even mixing. Run the machine until the mixture is very smooth.
- Add pumpkin seeds and cocoa powder to blender/food processor or mix in by hand until well combined.
- Scrape mixture into the lined pan.
- Bake for 18 minutes.
- Let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Cold bars cut more cleanly* than room temperature bars, so refrigerate before cutting*. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container and eat within 3-5 days.
Optional toppings
Elderberry pumpkin butter A healthy frosting for your bars is a great way to use up extra pumpkin and makes it possible to easily stick chocolate chips or more pumpkin seeds on top!
4 tbsp nut butter, or allergy-friendly sub
3 tbsp canned or pureed pumpkin
½ tsp cinnamon
1 scoop Elderberry Crystals
Optional: sweetener of choice, to taste
Other topping ideas: chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, sprinkle of salt
Notes
*To get really nice-looking bars, fully cool them on a cooling rack before removing from the pan, to ensure they don’t sweat. Cover and place them in the refrigerator to chill. Remove and cut prior to serving.
**When baking bars in an 8 x 8-inch pan, we usually cut the batch into 16 bars. They will each be slightly under 2×2 inches. For nice, even bars, make your first cut down the middle, rotate the pan and make a second, perpendicular cut down the middle. From there, each of the four squares can be subdivided into 4 more squares.
