As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been following a Whole30/Paleo-inspired diet since early this year and I love how great I’ve felt. If you had told me a year ago that I was going to cut cheese out of my life and not miss it, I would’ve thought you were crazy! But, alas, here we are – and I really don’t miss it or how I felt from eating dairy all the time.

A principle of Whole30 is to not ‘recreate’ baked goods by making them healthier; instead, you’re supposed to eat whole foods – lean proteins, fruits, veggies. Since I’ve overhauled my diet as a lifestyle change, I use Whole30 as a guideline but don’t follow it religiously. That’s where Paleo recipes come in – you can find almost any of your favorite foods made with Paleo-friendly ingredients. Around here, we honestly eat really clean most days – but the occasional sweet treat is welcome!

With the cooler weather we’ve been having, I was craving something pumpkin-flavored and stumbled upon a recipe for pumpkin + chocolate chip bars – paleo-friendly, of course. The recipe was super simple, and I made a few substitutions along the way – which I’ll share below!

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Pumpkin + Chocolate Chip Bars | Paleo Recipe

August 25, 2017

by Brittany

Category Food

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup organic agave syrup (you can also use maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (you can also use almond butter)
1 tablespoon coconut milk (you can also use almond milk)
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips, divided (Ghirardelli are the best, in my opinion!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
Add first six ingredients (liquids) into a bowl and use a mixer to combine the pumpkin mixture until smooth and creamy.
Add the dry ingredients (with the exception of the chocolate chips) to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add 1/3 cup of chocolate chips to the batter and stir to combine.
Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
Cool on a wire rack.
Melt the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the baked bars.
Once cool, cut into squares and enjoy!