Paleo Pumpkin Bars with Maple Frosting

I confess, I'm a basic chick. I love ALL things pumpkin, pretty much any time of year, but no season gets me going like the fall. Fall here in Arizona is not the picturesque scene filled with gently falling leaves, and crisp overcast skies. Fall in the west valley is HOT. I don't mean like labor day weekend, last chance to go swimming, lets all hang out outside and barbeque temps. I mean like don't leave your house, can't touch your steering wheel, handing out bottled water to people on the street temps. This extreme landscape makes me crave fall, and pumpkin everything, even more than I normally would. One of my favorite pumpkin recipes to make in the fall are these pumpkin bars. They taste just like pumpkin pie, without all the extra sugar. They're sweetened using honey and raw maple syrup, so they're not quite as bad as all the other pumpkin treats you might find in the store this time of year. I have been making these for a few years now, and a lot of people love the maple frosting. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of frosting on anything, and I actually think these are just as great (if not better) without any topping at all!

(shown with and without frosting)

Ingredients

Bars:
2 eggs
1 c. pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
3/4 c. honey, warmed
1/2 c. coconut oil, warmed
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. almond flour
1/4 c. arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Frosting: 1/2 c. coconut oil, softened
4 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
2. Combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or a mixing bowl using a whisk or hand mixer).
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the almond flour, arrowroot powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture; stir until combined.
4. Pour the mixture into a square 8×8″ pan (or sometimes I use a pie pan). Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is set. Remove and cool completely before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, beat the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt together until light & fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use and soften before spreading on the bars.

Paleo Corndog Muffins

Sometimes it can be a challenge trying to eat healthy while still finding foods that young kids will eat. I like to try out fun finger foods for my two year old that fit within the paleo guidelines as often as I can. She's a pretty reliable test subject when it comes to new recipes. If she likes it, then everyone else is guaranteed to love it!
One of her favorite foods is chicken sausage. She would eat this breakfast, lunch, and dinner if we let her (and to be honest, when I was in the depths of morning sickness, she did). In order to give her a little twist on her favorite food, I decided to try out these corndog muffins. Instead of hot dogs, I used Aidell's chicken sausages (which we buy from Costco) and cut them into small chunks. They taste even better than actual corndogs! Everyone in the house helped out in devouring these. I made several batches, and the whole lot of them only lasted two days! They're great for dipping, but also amazing by themselves. These are portable, dunkable, and handheld, making them great as a game day snack, or an easy to pack lunch. They would also work well as a side dish, paired with comfort food like a big bowl of chili.

Ingredients

• 5 uncured hotdogs or sausages 
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons ghee, melted
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup cashew milk, or other non-dairy milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Cut each hotdog or sausage into pieces and set aside.


Preheat oven to 350° and line a muffin tin with 10 parchment paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, ghee, coconut oil, honey, cashew milk, eggs, salt, and baking soda. Mix util fully combined and smooth.
3. Divide evenly among the 10 muffin tins then top with 3 slices of hotdog or sausage each.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.