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Cranberry Pumpkin Spiced Bars

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Every good bar deserves a good home, and that good home is in my belly.   Well, I actually made these for my papa’s belly while he was here visiting.  He had a two-day drive ahead of him, so as our visit came to an end,  I loaded him up with some raw treats to sustain his energy and road-worthy-alertness… that is just the kind of daughter that I am. :)

I love the flavor combination of cranberries and pumpkin… they are an exact match made in heaven.  For the pumpkin flavor, I used a pumpkin spice mix.

You can easily make your own by combining; 1/3 cup ground cinnamon, one tablespoon ground ginger, one tablespoon ground nutmeg or mace, 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves, and 1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice. Combine in a small mason jar, tighten the lid and shake vigorously to mix.

This will make then what is needed for this recipe, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it will be nice to have some extra on hand to play with.

I choose to use almonds as my base, but a person could use just about any nut. Always keep in mind that each nut will impart its own flavor.   If you don’t have cranberries on hand, you could use raisins or other diced dried fruits.

To create nice tight, compact bars, I used my all-time favorite sushi press.  I bought it specifically for molding my raw bars, not raw fish. :)  It can be found (here), if interested.    It is my go-to tool whenever I am making bars these days.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

yields roughly 12 bars

Preparation:

  1. Place the coconut in the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade.
    • Process until it breaks down to a small crumble.
    • Pour into a medium-sized bowl.
    • Do this same process with the almonds.
  2. Add to the bowl; coconut flour, coconut crystals, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.  Mix all the dry ingredients.
  3. Add the date paste, coconut oil, cranberries, and vanilla.
    • With your hands, mix the batter.
    • If the batter doesn’t stick together well when pinched, add 1 Tbsp of water at a time, until it does so.
  4. Create the bar shapes and sizes that you desire.  I use a sushi press for shaping my bars that can be found (here).
  5. Dehydrate at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour then reduce to 115 degrees (F)  for 2-4 hours to dry the outside, leaving the inside moist.
  6. OR… skip the drying process, enjoy right away or place in the fridge for a few hours to chill and firm up.
  7. Store in an airtight container on the counter (if dehydrated) or in the fridge.
  8. The frosting I used is my basic white frosting with some pumpkin seasoning added to it.  Click (here) for the recipe.

The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™

Culinary Explanations:

  • Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)?  Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
  • When working with fresh ingredients, it is essential to taste test as you build a recipe.  Learn why (here).
  • Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do, however honestly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.

12 thoughts on “Cranberry Pumpkin Spiced Bars

  1. tunie says:

    A link to the frosting recipe would be appreciated! It looks beautiful.

  2. bear says:

    where is the pumpkin???

  3. Karyn says:

    This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Could I ask what is the beautiful looking frosting that you have on top?

  4. Madge says:

    Hi Amie Sue. This looks like another yummy recipe for me to try! What icing recipe did you use? By the way, I did make the pumpkin bread using the buckwheat groats. It wasn’t my favorite because it had a bitter taste. I did sprout them for one day which resulted in a short tail. Oh well, I’m going to remake it and use almond pulp…I’m sure it’ll be delicious!

  5. kate says:

    the frosting must be your basic white cake frosting….yes?
    this looks delicious. thanks.

  6. Lindsey says:

    Hello
    I love your recipes !
    I am wondering where you have found dried cranberry with zero sugar
    Thank you

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