‘Tis the season for fall desserts and unfortunately all of the calories that come with them… But wait! Don’t worry about the calories with these eight easy recipes you can make and definitely won’t regret!
Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bread
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 60 min
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
½ cup oar flour (blended oats—put old fashioned or quick oats in a blender and pulse them until they resemble flour).
½ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour bread pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla, coconut oil, and brown sugar until well combined.
- In another bowl, stir together the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, flour, and oat flour.
- Mix the wet and dry together until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips if desired.
- Pour into the prepared bread ban and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a tooth pick when inserted into the center comes out clean or the bread starts to pull away from the edges.
- Best eaten within 3 days otherwise tightly wrap individual pieces and freeze.
Paleo Pumpkin Bars
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Ingredients:
Bars:
2 cups almond flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond milk
¾ cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Maple Frosting:
½ cup grass-fed butter, softened
⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ tablespoon cinnamon
1¼ tablespoons coconut flour
2½ tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line an 8×8 baking dish and set aside.
2.Combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3.In a medium microwave safe bowl, add the coconut oil and almond butter together. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir well and place back in the microwave to heat completely. Remove from microwave and stir until combined. Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and almond milk to the almond butter and coconut oil and stir until well-combined. Add the pumpkin puree and stir well.
4.Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well until all ingredients are combined.
5.Pour mixture into the prepared pan and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until center is set. Bars will be slightly moist. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes then place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to a few days.
6.While the bars are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the grass-fed butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, coconut flour, coconut milk and coconut sugar and beat will until combined. When bars are cool, cover them with the frosting. Chill in the refrigerator again for 15 minutes. Cut and enjoy!
Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
Prep Time:
Cook Time: None
Ingredients:
1 can of organic, BPA-free pumpkin
2 cans of coconut milk, use ONLY the coconut cream (the solidified part)
1 cup of coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (more if you like)
Top with cinnamon
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients until smooth, using a food processor helps.
- Dip in apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, whatever you like. Enjoy!
Apple Pie Bites
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice + additional apple pie spice (about ¼ teaspoon) for sprinkling on top of crescent rolls
3 tablespoons butter, melted
⅓ cup chopped pecans
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 8 (1/2-inch) slices
1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury Original crescent rolls
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and apple pie spice. Set aside.
3. Melt butter and toss apple slices in butter, set aside.
4. Arrange crescent roll triangles on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Evenly distribute brown sugar mixture onto each triangle.
5. Sprinkle each triangle evenly with the chopped pecans.
6. Place an apple slice on the wide end of each triangle. Wrap crescent roll dough around each apple.
7. Brush each crescent roll with remaining butter. Sprinkle lightly with additional apple pie spice.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
Shortbread Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Apple Filling:
2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)1
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel:
1/2 cup (40g) old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Salted Caramel Sauce
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2. Make the crust: Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling and streusel.
3. Make the apple filling: Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
4. Make the streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
7. Make ahead tip: The bars will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Then, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving and drizzling with caramel.
Clean Eating Apple Crisp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Varies
Ingredients:
6-8 apples, sliced
¼ cup of honey
1 cup whole wheat flour (if you need a gluten free alternative go here)
½ cup butter
1 cup nuts, chopped
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup brown sugar
Directions:
- Add apples and honey to a sauce pan. On low heat cook until desired tenderness.
- Pour into a 9×13 pan and spread evenly.
- Add flour and butter to a mixing bowl. Combine with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Sprinkle on top of apples and bake at 375º until lightly browned.
- Serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream
Healthy Baked Apples
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large apples
1 cup oats
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet or pan with tinfoil, and set aside.
- Wash apples and cut off the tops.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh to make a bowl for the filling. Leave about 1/4 inch around the edge for the “rim” of the bowl, and be careful not to puncture the bottom of the apple.
- Discard cores and seeds, and finely chop the remaining “filling” of the apple (the part you scooped out).
- Mix oats, spices, apple pieces, vanilla, honey and coconut oil in a small bowl until well combined and the oats form a crumble.
- Fill apple “bowls” with a heaping 1⁄4 cup of crumble, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and apple is tender.
Try out one of these recipes and enjoy! Huge shout-out to Pinterest for the lovely recipes!