Stop trying to fight it. It’s pumpkin season. And whether you like it or not, pumpkin season begins earlier and earlier every year nowadays. Because it’s freaking delicious!! Stop trying to push back, there is really no use. Just give in to the fact that anything pumpkin related should be put in your mouth at some point this season. Unless it’s sh*tty ingredients from a sh*tty store. Don’t waste the calories. It’s not worth it!
What definitely is worth it are these little squares of joy. I make these bars using a shortbread crust that I’ve used in other recipes such as my Chocolate “Peanut Butter” Cookie Bars and Holiday Raspberry Caramel Tart. And this crust goes perfectly with the creamy pumpkin center using Pacific Foods 100% USDA Organic, non-GMO pumpkin. I don’t know about you, but MANY times I’ve gone into the store trying to get simply pumpkin puree and I’ve walked out with the crappy pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with lots of sketchy things. But not here, Pacific Foods uses only creamy pumpkin puree and that’s it! Nothing else! So all you have to do is add delicious spices and other ingredients in it to make it your own! Try their pumpkin puree in my Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins with Apple Cider Caramel, Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie, or Chocolate Pumpkin Sunbutter Treats or one of the many other pumpkin inspired recipes I have on my site!
Ok, I’m heading back on a plane once again. I just got back from Omaha on Sunday morning after heading out to Wayne, Nebraska to watch my brother-in-law play college football. He’s the best. If you follow me on snapchat, you probably noticed that I was annoying AF from my alcohol consumption on a party bus. And yep, that’s exactly what happened. We did the same thing last year, renting a party bus to take all of my husband’s friends and I to Wayne then watch the game then head back to Omaha. Wayne is about 2 hours outside of Omaha which means A LOT of drinking can happen in that amount of time. And A LOT of bathroom breaks when 7 females are on the bus. I remember peeing in a corn field last year. Keep it classy, Juli. But this year I kept it together a little better. Sure, I had probably 4-5 green apple jell-o shots that were honestly delicious and sure, I had 3-4 vodka/coconut waters, BUT I bought waters on the gas stations we stopped at and I packed plenty of snacks. But that didn’t make our early flight back to Denver any easier on Sunday. Everyone was truly worthless all day Sunday. Stupid alcohol, you ruin life.
But I’m feeling back to normal after a grueling workout yesterday and healthy eating choices! Which is perfect timing because today I’m hopping on a plane to Phoenix then Kansas City then back to Denver, all for some book signings! I’m meeting up with Diane Sanflippo, Cassy Joy and Liz Wolfe to sign books, talk paleo, and celebrate Diane’s new book Practical Paleo 2nd Edition and Cassy’s new book Fed & Fit! So if want to talk food, fitness and hopefully some other girly ass sh*t like fashion, then definitely come out! Click here for all the details of the events, times and venues!
And if you have any paleo/gluten free restaurants you recommend for Phoenix or Kansas City, I’d love to hear them so hopefully we can eat somewhere delicious on the road! I’ll be doing a little research tonight but your recommendations are always the best! Hope to see some of you guys at the events!
Pumpkin Magic Bars
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cream layer
- 1 cup of canned full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup of Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
For the crust
- 1½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the toppings
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- optional: Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce from Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook (on page 250), for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place all pumpkin cream ingredients in a saucepan, except for the arrowroot powder, and whisk. Let come to boil and reduce for about 20 minutes. It should reduce by almost half. Once reduced, whisk in arrowroot powder until completely combine. Set aside.
- Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish and line with parchment paper and grease once more. Add all ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until completely combine. The dough should combine into a slight ball once combine. Put dough in the greased dish and use your fingers to press dough around evenly throughout the dish, pressing the dough higher on the sides. Use a fork to poke about 10-12 holes in to keep the crust from rising as it bakes. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Turn oven temperature up to 400 degrees.
- Once baked, remove from oven and place chopped pecans on top. Then pour the pumpkin layer on top and spread out evenly. Next the chocolate chips and then shredded coconut.
- Place in oven to bake for 8-10 minutes, until coconut has browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely then place in the fridge to set for about 1-2 hours. You really want it to cool completely because the pumpkin will be very runny if it hasn’t cooled.
- Once cool, drizzle on some caramel sauce, if you like, and cut into squares and eat up!
In Partnership With:
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It’s Pumpkin Season!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Cream Donut Sandwiches
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Waldo Pizza in KC has delicious gluten free pizza 🙂
Some other places that are really good are Lulu’s Noodles (thai food), The Farmhouse (for locally sourced deliciousness), The Local Pig Pigwich food truck (down in the West bottoms, it doesn’t move). If you go to the Local Pig they can take any of their sandwiches and put them on a bed of arugula!
True Food Kitchen and Flower Child are two great places to eat here in Phoenix! Both have a lot of gluten-free options and the True Food recipes are based on an anti-inflammatory diet.
LOVE true food…one of my favs when I go visit. I’ll have to try Flower Child.
Oh lawd I have been waiting for this recipe ever since the teaser on Instagram. I will be making this ASAP!
Also, I’m so dang excited you’re coming to KC this week! I’m ready to fan girl it up, rain or shine.
Gluten Free Creations Bakery!! Locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale depending on where you’re staying.
So excited to have you visit KC!!! Can’t wait to meet you 🙂
Great places to try: cafe gratitude, Fud, mudpie bakery, westside local.
Hi, can I substite arrowroot powder and tapioca flour with guargumi and some more coconut flour?
Thanks
Haven’t tried it
Oh My!!!! Get in Mah Belly!!!
Wonder if I can fake an illness to get out of work and take the 6hour drive to Denver to see you ladies!
Hi Juli! I don’t live in KC or PHX but travel both places often for work/to visit friends. If you have enough time for a long dinner, you should try Posh Improvisational Cuisine in PHX. You start the meal with a list of all the foods they have in the kitchen that night, and you basically just cross out the things you don’t want and note any dietary restrictions. Then, the chefs cook each course (min. of 5 courses but they’re small) tailored to you. Depending up on how many people you to go to dinner with, everyone at the table will likely get a completely different meal. It’s so fun and the food is DELICIOUS! Another amazing restaurant choice in PHX is a placed call FnB. Make a reso because they fill up fast. Kaleidoscope is also bomb for quick coffee, breakfast or healthy grab-n-go lunch.
In KC, you should DEFINITELY try Cafe Gratitude for breakfast or lunch. It’s the best! Also, The Farmhouse is amazing for dinner!
Wish you were coming to Minneapolis. Maybe next book!? 😉
i hope you have a great time in KC! i can’t wait to hear about your trip here! the other recs above are great but for a quick bite T. Loft, Simple Science and the Unbaker are great, and the Farmhouse is a great restaurant and super paleo friendly if you want a sit down meal. Have a blast juli!
Yes! Kansas City has a few really great options. Simple Science Juices has Paleo grab and go snacks and meals in addition to juice. T. Loft is fully gluten free and has great bowls (I love the Primal!). If you want to sample KC barbeque, try Q39. They have lots of GF options and their chipotle sausage is so good. I really like Farmhouse, but do not find that they have quite as many paleo/gf optionsas other places. Cafe Gratitude is amazing, but you need to know that it is vegan. It is delicious, but don’t expect meat. If you want super fancy food, go to Blue Stem. If you want fantastic, but comfort-ish food, go to Rye in Leawood (same owners as Blue Stem). Room 39 is also pretty fantastic and super accommodating. Sheridan’s Unforked (also KS side) has a pretty decent GF bun available for their burger and lots of cool sides. And a drive through! And the list goes on. So much food!