From our food contributor, Diana Bauman.
Can I just say that I am humbled that Diana, from My Humble Kitchen, agreed to share her voice on our site? Diana’s food background is so much more diverse than my own and she knows about foods I have never even heard of. Not only that, but her recipes are so very nourishing to our bodies. I cannot wait to learn more about food from her.
Hello – what a blessing to be here as part of the MomAdvice contributing team! I’m excited to get to know you all a bit better and feel privileged to be able to share my food recipes with you.
I’m a real foodie at heart… built on grace. As much as I enjoy serving up my family savory meals using vegetables from my gardens, I also enjoy baking sweet treats made with nourishing ingredients and natural sweeteners.
I know Amy has turned to a gluten-free lifestyle, so I thought I’d introduce all of you to an ancient grain that has 3 times less gluten than our modern hybridized wheat of today.
It’s called einkorn. It’s the first grain to have been domesticated from the wild. Its never been hybridized so it was fascinating to me when I found out that many people with a gluten intolerance can tolerate this ancient grain. It still has gluten so if you have celiacs disease, then this is still off limits.
In my research, I’ve also found out that einkorn is more nutritious than modern varieties of wheat. It’s high in thiamin, protein, fiber, and a number of b vitamins. It also contains a significant amount of the the powerful antioxidant, lutein. As compared to modern varieties of wheat, it’s higher in protein and has a lower percentage of nutrient loss during processing.
Since einkorn has a lot less gluten, baking with it can be a bit tricky if grinding your own wheat berries at home; however, I’ve found incredible success using organic high extraction einkorn flour that’s already been milled.
In using einkorn flour, so far, I’ve had great success – all of my baked goods have turned out lovely. I’ve also enjoyed that I’ve been able to substitute it 1:1.
To share with all of you, I decided to roast the last of my pumpkins I had stored in my basement and make a batch of naturally sweetened pumpkin bars.
Who says pumpkin bars are just for the fall, right?
No pumpkin? No worries… if you don’t have any pumpkins in your basement or can’t find any at your local grocery store, feel free to use an organic canned variety.
My husband loves it when I surprise him with a batch of pumpkin bars. I sweeten them with honey. The flavors are gently sweetened and allow the flavor of the roasted pumpkin to shine through. The use of the honey makes this an incredibly moist bar that your family will love.
For the cream cheese icing, I add 3 tbls of maple syrup allowing me to cut down on the organic powdered sugar. You’ll never notice the difference.
Now, let me ask you, what can be better than a nourishing dessert?
Naturally Sweetened, Einkorn Pumpkin Bars
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Diana Bauman
Serves: 8-10
Einkorn pumpkin bars are a completely nourishing dessert make with the ancient grain einkorn and gently sweetened with honey.
- For the Pumpkin Bars
- 2 cups einkorn flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground all spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbls pure maple syrup
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Butter and flour a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the einkorn flour, baking powder, cinnamon, all spice, and baking soda; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs, honey, butter, and pumpkin puree over low speed. A 3 on my KitchenAid.
- /4 cup at a time, add the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9″ x 13″ pan and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter. Mix together over medium speed until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and powdered sugar. Mix on low until mixed through then raise the speed to medium to cream together.
- Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.
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I’m sure that once you try your hand at baking with einkorn or natural sweeteners, you’ll feel great serving your family some sweet treats every now and then.
So, what are your favorite sweet treats to eat during this time of year?