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:
- 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.
- Add to the bowl; coconut flour, coconut crystals, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Mix all the dry ingredients.
- 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.
- Create the bar shapes and sizes that you desire. I use a sushi press for shaping my bars that can be found (here).
- 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.
- OR… skip the drying process, enjoy right away or place in the fridge for a few hours to chill and firm up.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter (if dehydrated) or in the fridge.
- 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™
- Raw Coconut Crystals add a “brown sugar” flavor to a recipe. Read about it (here).
- Why do I specify Ceylon cinnamon? Click (here) to learn why.
- What is Himalayan pink salt, and does it matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
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.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Dehydrated, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
A link to the frosting recipe would be appreciated! It looks beautiful.
It is provided in the preparation for you. :)
where is the pumpkin???
No pumpkin, just what they refer to as pumpkin spice Bear.
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?
I used my basic white frosting with some pumpkin spice added to it. https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/frosting/white-cake-frosting-perfect-for-decorating-with/ Enjoy :)
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!
Hello Madge, I used my basic white frosting with pumpkin spice added to it. https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/frosting/white-cake-frosting-perfect-for-decorating-with/.
Thanks for sharing your results in using buckwheat. I like buckwheat but not very much of it, just always depends on the recipe. Sorry that it tasted bitter for you. Blessings, amie sue
the frosting must be your basic white cake frosting….yes?
this looks delicious. thanks.
It sure is Kate… https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/frosting/white-cake-frosting-perfect-for-decorating-with/. amie sue
Hello
I love your recipes !
I am wondering where you have found dried cranberry with zero sugar
Thank you
Hello Lindsey,
I will be honest, they are not easy to find. Dried cranberries require investigation and you have to weed out what your priorities are: organic? raw? fruit sweetened? Container oil? If a person is really concerned, it is best to make their own.
These are not oiled or sugared but are VERY dry so they need to be reconstituted BUT not organic… https://nouveauraw.com/ingredients/dried-fruits/unsweetened-1-lb-low-moisture-dried-cranberries/
Other organic ones on Amazon have oils and sweeteners…
Nuts.com (http://www.nuts.com/driedfruit/cranberries/freeze-dried.html) has freeze dried ones (and you may agree with that technique) nor are they organic BUT they contain cranberries ONLY. These ~ http://www.nuts.com/driedfruit/cranberries/juice-infused.html – these are not organic, sweetened with apple juice and have oil. I don’t recommend juice sweetened cranberries unless they are organic. Apples are on the dirty list for sure!
Here are some from Living Tree that are organic and apple juice sweetened and also rolled in oil so they don’t stick to one another (http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/product.asp?id=25&catid=23) as well as this company: http://www.naturalhealinghouse.com/Organic-Cranberries-Natural-Healing-House-p/nhh105.htm
Tough huh? The choice is up to you what you use. There are tons of companies to Google and you can read about their products. Again, it’s all about what your priorities are in the foods you eat. If you can’t find any satisfaction in purchasing them and you don’t want to make your own… you can use other dried fruits to your liking.
Good luck! amie sue