One of my favorite times of year is fall, with all the beautiful colors of the trees, crisp fresh air, and the garden harvest on my counter. As I sat looking at the bounty from our garden harvest, all the squash and pumpkins sitting on the counter called me to use them before they go bad. I find that pumpkin bars are one of falls traditional comfort foods. The smell of so many aromatic spices baking, warms the mind and soul. The smell of cinnamon reminds me of sitting in my grandparents kitchen, playing cards with the whole family, while pies and bars baked in the oven; some of my most treasured moments in life.
Last year, in my quest to be self sufficient, I learned how to make my own pumpkin puree. It tastes so much better than the store bought canned puree. So I set out on the task of making a pumpkin bar that was gluten free with all the pumpkin puree I had available. Her is what I came up with.
4 Eggs (room temperature)
1C. Butter(softened)
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. White rice flour
1/2 C. Sweet sorghum flour
1/2 C. Cornstarch
1/4 C. Tapioca flour
1/4 C. Potato flour
2 TBSP Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
2 tsp. Xanthan gum
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Cloves
1/8 tsp. Allspice
1/8 tsp. Ginger
2 C. pumpkin puree
1/3 C. Pecans, chopped
1/3 C. Raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour a 9"x13" pan, set aside.
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until well blended. Add in the pumpkin puree, nuts, and raisins. Mix for about 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
You can eat it plain like this or make a frosting for it. I made a cream cheese frosting for mine. Here is the recipe I used for the frosting.
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