Pumpkin Spice

Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Blondies

With it being all things pumpkin season I want to share with you a sweet recipe I fell in love with last year. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I made it. What is this creation? It is Vegan Pumpkin Pie Blondies from Allrecipes. The name blondies is a bit misleading for this recipe because it is much more cake like than blondie like but that said it is delicious! We have eaten it plain, drizzled with caramel, with vanilla ice cream and caramel on top. Every way we have tried it we have loved.

The problem with the recipe it is that I don’t eat gluten anymore so I had to convert the cake to a gluten free recipe if I wanted to continue enjoying it. Which is something I most definitely want to do. So I tested it out and I am so glad I did. I now have a gluten free and vegan pumpkin pie blondie recipe that my family loves!

If you love pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavored things as much as my family and I do that I am sure you will love it too! Try it for yourself!

Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Blondies |Country Girl Gourmet

 

Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Blondies

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
  2. Sift flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Stir pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract into flour mixture until a thick batter forms. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 minutes.
  4. Serve plain, with caramel sauce, ice cream, cream cheese frosting etc.

Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola with Chia and Quinoa

It is the first day of fall so i’m bringing you a great fall recipe! Fall brings so many great things especially to the food world. Soups, stews, comfort food galore, apples and pumpkin, yes pumpkin! We love pumpkin in our house and while I keep pumpkin in my pantry year round there is just something about eating it during the fall and it appears i’m not the only person who thinks that either. Other than Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte have you been to a grocery store and have seen all the pumpkin spice goodies they have now? It can be a bit overwhelming but at the same time really tasty.

While the world is on pumpkin spice overload there are still a few things that have not found a pumpkin spice version so I decided to make my own. My kid’s and I are addicted to granola. While it is easy to make I kept picking up bags of our favorite brand and it was devoured in no time at all. So I decided to save my $4 a bag and make my own, pumpkin spice flavored of course and it was delicious!

If you like granola and pumpkin spice this is the granola for you! Plus I added all sorts of other goodies to it like quinoa and chia seeds to add to the nutrition factor. Just don’t tell my kids that it is healthy.

Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola with Chia and Quinoa | Country Girl Gourmet

Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola with Chia and Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Rolled Oats
  • 1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed
  • 1/4 cup Quinoa
  • 2TB Chia Seed
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree (canned or fresh)
  • 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1T Cooking Oil (canola, coconut, etc.)
  • 2t Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 t Cinnamon
  • 1/2t Nutmeg
  • 1.2t Ground Ginger
  • 1/2t Cloves
  • 1/2t Salt

optional add in’s include your favorite nuts (such as pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds etc.) and dried fruit (such as craisens and dried cherries). I have a kid in braces so I leave these things out.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees . Line a large baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
  2. Combine the oats, ground flax seed, quinoa, chia seed and nuts (if you are including them) in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin puree, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg,cloves,salt and vanilla in a saucepan and coat oat mixture well. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
  3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring  at 30 minutes. Due to differences in ovens  bake until toasted and crispy.
  4. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Dried fruit can be added once the granola has completely cooled also.