Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I’m practicing pumpkin desserts. (Also, because of recent braces, my list of palatable foods is short – baked potatoes, yogurt, applesauce, scrambled eggs … you get the picture. So, I’m looking for some variety.)
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup maple sugar or brown sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks (1 stick)
1 (29-oz) can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup Fruit Sweet
3/4 cup canned milk (I use soy or coconut milk)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, blend together flour and sugar; cut in buttery sticks with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
3. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture; press remaining mix into bottom of baking dish.
4. In a large bowl, whip pumpkin, eggs, Fruit Sweet, milk and spices with wire whisk until well blended.
5. Pour pumpkin mixture onto crumb crust in baking dish.
6. Mix reserved 1 cup of crumb mixture with chopped pecans; sprinkle evenly over pumpkin mixture (this photo without the pecans; unfortunately against the *braces rules*).
(This photo with pecans.)
7. Bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes; cut into 12-15 bars and serve warm.