Blueberry Pumpkin Muffin Breakfast Bars
I kind of loved this weekend. I slept a lot. I worked out. I hung out with friends. I ate most of my meals at home, meaning I saved money. I hung out on my new couch, which is the greatest thing in the entire world. I watched 3 Twilight movies on tv. Those seriously never get old. And I drank a couple glasses of wine. That was the only downer. Makes no sense, huh? Wine should mean great things, but not for me. The less I drink, the more I feel like balls when I do. Not just with wine, but with any alcohol. I seriously swell up like a balloon. Mostly in my feet, but also everywhere else. What’s up with that? I know for a fact that doesn’t happen to everyone. I remember in my college days when I would wake up skinnier from being more dehydrated. Now I’m just a little water balloon. Wtfuuuuu?
Ok, another serious question. Why do people enjoy watching scary movies? I probably watch one scary movie a year. Maybe. And I did last night. I don’t know why I did it, but when ’30 Days of Night’ was on tv, I couldn’t help myself. Maybe because it was just a vampire kind of night, or day (that’s besides the point), but I watched it. And instantly became terrified. Not just of the vampires eating my face off, but of living in Alaska when there is a month with absolutely no sun. Nothing is more terrifying than snow and no sun. That’s why I don’t live on the east coast. Jk Jk Jk, east coast humans. I can’t remember if my nightmares were from my fear of excess snow or vampires. I just don’t know. But I woke up pitting out a couple times last night. I do know that.
It didn’t even have a happy ending. The worst.
Remember how much of a heart throb Josh Hartnett used to be? He was so dreamy. Come back, Josh. Come back.
Wait, I need to go back to one point I mentioned. My new couch. Seriously, this couch is the most comfortable couch of all time. I need to take an instagram picture of it soon. Ya know, because that’s totally what people who follow food instagram pages are looking for. The couch has this giant ottoman that you can push up to the couch and make a bed. Pretty amazing. I kind of don’t want to sleep in my bed anymore.
I really want a churro.
PS- don’t freak out about the ingredient list below. I swear it’s really not that bad. Just man up, man dude bro.
PrintBlueberry Pumpkin Muffin Breakfast Bars
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
For the muffin crust
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon Primal Palate pumpkin pie spice (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ⅛ teaspoon powdered ginger)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
For the toppings
- 2 cups of fresh blueberries (frozen blueberries work, just thaw first)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate or homemade coconut butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
For the crumble
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts, chopped (I used cashews, pecans, and walnuts)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together wet ingredients in a bowl: pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, whisk together coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, powdered ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.
- Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish then cut a piece of parchment paper down so it can fit into the baking dish, leaving two sides out of the baking dish. This way you can pick the bars out of the dish without breaking them apart.
- Pour the muffin batter into the parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Place in oven and baking for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
- While the crust bakes, place a small saucepan over medium heat and add blueberries.
- Add honey, coconut cream concentrate, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Once the blueberries begin to burst, remove from heat and add coconut flour. Mix until completely combined. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up.
- When the crust is done cooking, pour the blueberry mixture on top.
- In a bowl, add nuts, coconut, sesame seeds, honey, cinnamon and salt and mix together and mix.
- Add clumps of the nuts to the top of the blueberry mixture.
- Add to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, then place on a cool rack to cool for 5 more minutes before cutting into 6-8 squares.
- Store in fridge.
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You May Also Like:
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Protein Banana Bread Breakfast Bars
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Oh, Hi! I’m Juli.
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80 thoughts on “Blueberry Pumpkin Muffin Breakfast Bars”
I love scary movies, I watch them all the time, I can’t get enough.
Churro….mmmm…..that seems a lot better than the salad I just had. Oh yea this recipe looks amazing! I’d man up, but I’m lazy today 🙂
Not trying to give you more of a reason to drink, but you might want to try taking some activated charcoal when you do. I find it helps a lot.
I’m with you on scary movies, they’re just not my thing. Unless they’re the “scary” funny kind of movie, like Army of Darkness.
Why would you WANT to take activated charcoal?!?! We use that to prevent people from being poisoned?!?!?! To induce vomiting!!! Maybe not eat/drink what makes us sick in the first place. Usually distilled beverages are safest. Whether it be vodka, tequila, scotch, whiskey, gin, etc…….
activated charcoal is great for GI distress. i have awful food allergies (hence the paleo diet) and charcoal really helps reduce bloating if I’ve eaten any kind of wheat or dairy. the amount found in a pill is much much less than would be given for any kind of food/otherwise poisoning. you can find it at any grocery/drug store! 🙂
Coming in late, but…
You use ipecac, not activated charcoal, to induce vomiting. You wouldn’t *want* AC to induce vomiting because if it gets into your lungs you will just have a really bad day. It has the effect of “locking up” some poisons so you actually would WANT to use it in situations where vomiting is not indicated (bringing the poison back up would be worse for you than leaving it where it is).
Also, calm down, huh?
Ahh These look so good! Def trying this weekend, since I’ve been trying one of your recipes every weekend for the past two months now, #addicted
🙂
Random quesiton for you: I’ve been reading your blog for a couple months now, I found out about it after I started crossfit (about 6months ago). I love it, helps me stay motivated with clean eating! I love your fitness/crossfit motivation also, love reading your rants! 🙂 Is there any other paleo/gluten-free blogs that you yourself enjoy following or reading up on for a good laugh or inspiration?
🙂
i honestly don’t read a ton of blogs. i think cavegirleats.com is really funny!!!
Check out “Clean eating with a dirty mind”
She’s great too.
I love Nom Nom Paleo’s recipes, too. They have really kept me living Paleo.
These look great….with you on the drinking thing!! Since doing 30 day challenges and laying off of alcohol more, when I do drink or go out, I feel like balls!!!! I also get alcohol insomnia! Some people sleep like babies..not me!!
These bars look absolutely amazing! I currently have 5 cans of pumpkin in my pantry from overzealous fall grocery shopping, and a 10 lb bag of frozen blueberries. Guess I know what I’ll be baking tonight!
I swell a bit too when I drink…mostly in my fingers. Dang it. However, these bars look mighty good as usual!
The first thing I am doing when I walk in the door is making these beauties! I will report back immediately. Thanks!
I would *love* to see your new couch. It sounds absolutely divine. And I don’t instagram. 🙁 Maybe you can post a pic here, and just put a plate of plantain chips on the ottoman for the photo? 🙂
you can see my instagram online as well! instagram.com/paleomg
So…I was going to make the raspberry almond muffins on your buddy George’s website, but now I think I’m going to make these with a raspberry/blueberry combo! The ingredient list is long, but I have everything in my kitchen. Yeah! If/when I make them, I’ll report back.
These look amazing & I love your tip about using parchment paper so they do not crumble. I love blueberries too so I’m a sucker for them in anything!
I swell in my fingers when I drink. Then my rings are tight and I hate it!
I hate hate hate scary movies….. Why do people like them?
Twilight will never get old
Can’t wait for hunger games, can’t wait for divergence!
Comfy couches are important. My couch is amazing. Everyone that sits on it says I’m never getting up!
Sounds like a great weekend to me! I love Twilight haha. These bars look amazing! I have to make them later when I am no longer on crutches. Grocery shopping and standing up to bake is a little difficult at the moment. Can you just mail a batch to a poor gimp in Chicago??
The older I guess, the worse alcohol makes me feel (and I’m only 33). I used to drink many nights a week, sometimes as much as a bottle of wine all by myself and it would have little to no effect on me. If I did that now, I’d end up in the ER, I’m sure of it. Although I’d also add that on the rare occasion when I was younger that I managed to drink enough to make me ill the next day, it didn’t deter me from doing it again (drink alcohol in genera, that is, not enough to make me sick) a few days later. Now, I feel like being hungover for a day isn’t worth it… it feels like wasting a day of my life feeling crappy for nothing.
that looks so delicious! I haven’t made anything with coconut flour yet, but I really need to!
These look delish. However, I can’t stand the smell of pumpkin, much less the flavor. I’m trying to think of a substitute that would have a similar consistency. Any suggestions?
Steph, you can always substitute baked sweet potato for pumpkin – I’m not a pumpkin fan either.
or squash
@Steph -I will attempt a sweet potato puree substitution.
Same thing with me. I used to enjoy the post-drinking skinny aftereffects. I also started to have hangover symptoms for the very first time last year (I’m 28 now). Used to be I could eat, not eat, drink a ton, I’d wake up skinnier and happy. Now I have to eat real food if I drink to feel normalish in my head the next morning, and it’s hit or miss whether I feel thin or bloated. Oh well. :/
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Watching scary movies is like watching a train wreck, sometimes you just can’t look away.
I can’t wait to make these, they look beyond delicious! Blueberry anything is amazing.
I’m jealous of your couch, and I don’t even know what it looks like. An ottoman that can make your couch into a bed? I’d never leave my house!
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Omg I just made these blueberry pumpkin muffin breakfast bars following your recipe and I just wanted to say that they taste so good 🙂
I’ve even noticed a bit of a energy kick as well.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
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Hi Juli! I love reading your blog and you are hilarious and I love your writing style!
I have an idea about the swelling.
Before I was tested for food intolerances, I had horrible edema (swelling) in my feet. It turns out that it is how my body reacts to many of my intolerances. The one that makes my feet swell the most though is Yeast Extract or Brewer’s Yeast. It’s in all forms of alcohol and vinegar. The only vinager I can now have is Apple Cider vinegar. Also, I have to avoid anything that has Brewer’s Yeast in it as a flavoring enhancer.
Something to consider at least.
hmmmm that’s definitely possible! i never ever swell other than drinking so that must be it, right?
I not only get swollen feet/calves from alcohol, I also have had heat edema for 30 years. I didn’t think about the heat edema being food related. As soon as warm weather hits, puff, there it is and if it’s humid? omg, my feet feel like if you prick them they will pop. Will have to see what else might have to be removed from my diet and hope it makes a difference.
Thanks for this tip.
These look Ohhhmazing! Perfect time of the year for blueberry anything =)
Hi Juli, Love, Love your blog! If I didn’t I’d skip the parts you rant or talk about yourself and go straight to the recipes. They taste so good. When reading what you share, it feels like we’re in your kitchen, chatting like a couple of old friends over baked goods and coffee.
So I’m not intimidated by all the ingredients, just Wonder how you managed to whip up all this in 10 min lol! Will try this. The best part is bringing the goodies to the office and sharing everything I make. There’s never any leftovers. I rate that a 4 and if they ask for 2nd’s I rate it a 5! Thx for the recipes.
Have a great day Juli 🙂
haha I guess I just took into consideration how long it took to prepare the muffin layer, but i changed that so now the prep time is around 20 minutes. sorry about that!!
Congrats Juli! This was a hit with my people 🙂
Delicious as is. Incidently, it inspired me to want to try making a muffin version of this. Maybe just add the crumble + blueberries in the mix instead of on top. Will do that when I decide to man…um woman up again.
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Super random question, and it’s okay if you don’t want to answer it but how did you get out of the last few months of your lease?!
I’m looking to do the same thing but not sure how to go about it. Any advice would be great.
Again, pretty personal question, so I understand if you can’t help me out here! 🙂
haha I didn’t!! I’m paying 2 rents for 3 months lol. bummer but totally worth it in my opinion
I had to almost do this once before, but for 6 months. It’s in the lease contract. In talking to my landlord, he said the only way I could get out of it was to find a renter and hire someone to clean the apartment before they moved in. So, maybe your landlord will work with you.
Stacy
My daughter had to do the same thing after she kicked out her cheating boyfriend. She contacted the property manager and they agreed to place the rental on the market and she would pay until it was rented. It was rented in two weeks cuz it was super clean and she made sure it smelled like cookies anytime someone came to look at it!
You ladies are awesome. Thanks for all the replies! Unfortunately, I still have 6 months (and a total bummer of a roommate), so 2 rents aren’t an option at this point. Hopefully my roommate knows someone who will want to take over my half of the rent or something can be worked out with the apartment complex. Wish me luck!
Mary, LOVE that she made sure it smelled like cookies. I would totally rent an apartment based off that. Best smell ever.
Not sure what I did wrong but my pumpkin crust turned completely blue after baking it with the blueberries on top. Very, very moist almost like sponge cake (a blue sponge cake in this case). Could it be because I used the frozen blueberries? Or maybe need to cook the crust longer to crisp it up more? It still tasted delish but didn’t look nearly as appetizing as yours!
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did you thaw the blueberries prior to cooking them down? the crust is definitely not crispy, it’s a muffin crust
Yes, I did thaw them. I was just wondering if anyone else who used frozen blueberries had the same problem. If so, I will just use fresh ones next time. Otherwise, I am stumped to why that happened.
I used frozen blueberries (thawed first) and did not have this problem.. (They were not packed in a lot of water crystals; had clearly dried before freezing.)
One of my more ambitious friends picked 150 pounds of Oregon blueberries last summer and gave me an over-stuffed gallon bag of them last weekend, so this recipe came along at the perfect time. These bars are delicious! Props to you, Juli, for keeping it fabulous. I’ve been paleo two years now and fundamentally grateful for your amusing blog and excellent recipes.
I’ll try it with frozen and report back! This looks so delicious.
Great! Thanks!
I am always looking for new, paleo friendly breakfasts and this looks wonderful! Running out for more blueberries now!!
I’m so glad I’m not the only (relatively) grown woman who watched the Twilight movies on TV last weekend… I just can’t stop once I’ve started!
If I don’t have coconut cream concentrate or homemade coconut butter, what can I use? I have coconut oil, ghee, and regular butter in the house.
im not really sure. you could try coconut oil but i haven’t tried it
These weren’t as much of a pain in the a*s to make as I anticipated!
I did experience the same thing as someone else above with a certain spongey texture … but I also made some substitutions which probably contributed to that: I only had frozen blackberries, so I used those (I did de-frost them and tried to soak out as much of the water as I could); I didn’t use the jarred coconut cream concentrate … I scraped the top off of a refrigerated can of full fat coconut milk; and I used baked sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin.
To me, this came out like a coffee cake (obviously not in taste but in shape, size, texture), but a little lighter/less dense. I think the phrase “breakfast bars” sets up an expectation for something a bit denser. But I do like these – have been eating pieces topped with coconut whipped cream and a nutella cream pudding spread thingy that I made up. Yum!
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These are delicious! I am fairly new to paleo. I have made a few baked goods, and these are my favorite to date.
I look forward to trying with other berries! Thanks for the great recipe!
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These are so amazing! I’ve made 2 batches in two days because my husband and roommate love them so much!
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I’ve been looking for healthier alternatives for my daughter, who won’t eat eggs in the mornings. I made these last week, and they were a hit! They were very easy to make, and super delicious.
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I’ve been making some of these for a while and would first like to thank you for pulling me out of a simple chicken breast and broccoli nightmare (there’s only so many times I can shove that down my throat). Anyway, was wondering with this recipe what I’d do if I didn’t have an 8×8 baking dish. i have a standard 9×13 and was wondering if you know roughly how to calculate how much more of everything I’d need for that. Thank you and again thank you.
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I’m honestly not sure
Can I use Almond Flour instead of coconut flour or do you not recommend the change?
you could but the amount of almond flour would be very different and i’m not sure how much since i haven’t tried it
I made these bars last night and they are delicious! My only concern is when cutting and eating them they tend to fall apart – the blueberries fall off the top if the muffin, and the crumble, well, crumbles off and I ended up having to eat it with a fork. Any tricks for getting everything to stick together? Maybe cooking the blueberries longer before adding them to the muffin crust? I also considered possibly using less coconut flour – 2 tbsp seems like a lot. I love your recipes and will keep trying! 🙂
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Another great recipe! Had it for breakfast this morning. My 19 yr old son is home from college. It will done before I get home from work. I made your banana bread on Monday. That was finished Wednesday night. Thank you!
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Looks yummy! How long can they last in e fridge? Can i keep them in freeze? If yes,how long?
about a week. yes, not sure how long
Yum! Mine are not stable enough to be bars that you can hold with your hand, but they are good. I stored them in the fridge and warmed them up in the microwave for 30 secs
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I made these tonight & mine were definitely more spongy than I expected, but, I didn’t have the coconut cream concentrate or butter, so I used coconut milk instead. Regardless, they were DELICIOUS!! I am going to have to make a larger batch next time!!
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Hey there! These look AMAZING! Question: I’m really not a fan of coconut… is there any way to replace the coconut ingredients in this recipe with something else? If not, that’s cool, I was just wondering.
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not sure, i haven’t tried it another way
Thanks for the recipe it tastes so good! I have a question though, I have to have my recipes egg free due to an allergy. ALL of my recipes that I bake never turn out right. They never set up. (i.e. a binder) The egg has an important factor when making baked goods. I have used many different replacements but literally none have turned out. Do you have any suggestions? These bars turned out a little better than others but for me it is still not a bar. I used about a tsp or two additional coconut powder and I think that helped but I don’t want the bars to come out dry if I were to use more. Thanks so much for the recipe, even though it did not turn out I will still make it again. 🙂
i’m not very good with egg substitutions. you should check out brittanyangell.com for egg free recipes and substitutes, she’s great with that!
I will check that out, thanks!!
I made these earlier this eve. They are delish! I used frozen blueberries and only thawed them long enough to get home from the grocery store and make the muffin crust. They worked out just fine! I love how dense and decadent these are without being overly sweet. Perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast. I found out too late that I only had about 1/3 tbsp. of pumpkin pie spice left and no nutmeg or cloves, so I made up for the spices as best I could with cinnamon and ginger. It was still yummy.
The weather is getting cooler here in San Diego (and by cooler, I mean it’s in the low 70’s…), and I’m ready to switch from my morning smoothies to something less chilly/refreshing. I’m really looking forward to snacking on these bars!
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So, I made this recipe – and it’s delicious. But when I made the blueberry topping, and used two TBS of coconut flour it turned insta-super-thick – not at all the shiny, blueberry filling that I see on yours. Should it maybe be two tsps? Coconut flour is super dense.
Also, instead of using maple syrup in the batter, I used 1/3 a cup of unsweetened apple sauce – and the muffin part turned out beautifully and delicious. For those folks still on whole30: there are ways to make this work for you! It just takes a little experimenting. I have just finished W30 – so I went ahead and used the honey in the topping and the vanilla extract. 🙂
Not sure what happened with your topping. Maybe add the coconut flour in slowly next time until you get the consistency you want.
This is in the oven right now! Can’t wait to try it!
This was amazing!!! Used frozen blueberries (that is what I had). Omitted the sesame seeds (didn’t have any and generally don’t care for them that much). Very easy to make. So glad I found this recipe. Looking forward to trying your other recipes. I think that I will try putting these in muffin tins next time. 🙂
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Oh, heck yes! These just came out of the oven, and I cannot WAIT to have them with my coffee in the morning. This was to be my last attempt at a yummy blueberry breakfast treat, and it did not disappoint. So good! Thank you, Juli!
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tried to pin this one recipe and it takes me to the web site then you get to search for this recipe and guess what…. not there… this is the reason I hate to follow these things… why can’t you just be able to pin 1 thing?
i’m not sure what you’re talking about mary…
I dont have coconut cream or the other option- is there something else I can use to sub?
no