Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars {Vegan Option}

These Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars make for an easy “healthier” dessert! Gluten free cranberry white chocolate bars that are made egg free with pumpkin! Super quick to whip up in under an hour! Great for holidays or every day snacking. 

**NOTE: This Healthier Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars recipe was originally published in Fall 2014. I updated the photos and the refined the recipe. Now I’m republishing the updated recipe because it’s WAY better!

We are SOOO in the thick of holiday gift giving and chocolate’s galore! In fact, my husband just received a delivery full of white chocolate and other goodies. You see My husband’s (aka Kiwi Cotter) favorite candy of all time is white chocolate, the milk bar brand from New Zealand to be exact. And every time we head into off season, he gets a care package from his “mum” with white chocolate included. Full proof on his instagram feed!

I’d say chocolate is a pretty good way to enjoy the season, yes?

Well, I like to keep that little ritual going but also add in my “healthified” and “gluten free” version to keep the body from going into sugar shock. Yes, it is do-able! All you have to do adjust a few ingredients to make that treat stretch further (nutrition wise). Now, please hear me out. These Healthier Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars are by no means SUPER CLEAN (eek, don’t like that word). But similar to how I use word “detox,” I gotta be careful how we use the word “healthlified” and “clean eating.”

To me, healthifying a chocolate pumpkin bar recipe means focusing on REAL ingredients, and maybe even adding a secret superfood ingredient. Yep. That works!

What real foods you ask? I mean no preservatives, natural sugars, and healthy fats to round it out! Which is what these are my  “semi-healthy” Holiday Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars!  I mean they are gluten free, vegan friendly, eggless, but not a HEALTH food. Haha, does that make sense?  Basically a dessert bar made allergy friendly. And a much better way to spread out that white chocolate consumption. Just sayin…

I can sense your sweet tooth agreeing with me!

What’s in them? Pumpkin, Cranberry, and White chocolate chips (Or you can use vegan white chocolate). But then you’ll also see I also added in almond/coconut milk and even tiger nut flour, which is a resistant starch and great for the gut flora (thank you Lucie for getting me hooked).

Shhh… just don’t tell the other you added in a good for you ingredient. You see, you get your cranberry white chocolate fix, in pumpkin bar form, and it be GOOD better  for you!

Oh, I should also mention, if you are not vegan, then the white chocolate baking bar from Ghirardelli is great because it has no other additives. Just milk fat, sugar, cocoa butter, etc. You can also make this with dried cranberries without any added sugar. That’s only if you want to take that healthfieid approach up a notch. I won’t judge you if don’t. NEVER EVER!

Now let’s get our Gluten Free Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars a BAKING before Christmas!

Lindsay at Cotter Crunch

Yields 9- 12

Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars {Gluten Free}

Healthier Cranberry White chocolate bars that taste like dessert! These gluten free cranberry white chocolate bars are made eggless with pumpkin and are super easy to make! Great for holidays or every day snacking!

10 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

40 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 2 cups GF flour (Gluten Free Multipurpose flour works Great. I love Bob Red Mills 1:1 ration GF flour)
• 2 tbsp of a starch flour. Like potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot. I actually used tigernut flour starch (a new grain free flour). It gives it a nutty flavor is a great grain flour alternative.
• 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar (or Brown sugar) 2/3 cup if you want extra sweet
• 1/3 cup pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 -3 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1 cup coconut or almond milk
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 -1/2 cup white chocolate chips or vegan white chocolate
• Optional - xylitol sugar in place of the coconut sugar to reduce sugar intake

Instructions

1. Combine your dry ingredients first. Mix well.
2. Then mix in your pumpkin, milk, vanilla extract, and coconut oil until batter is smooth. Make sure batter is not clumpy. Use a mixer if you need do.
3. Fold in your cranberries and white chocolate chips/chopped bits
4. pour into 9x9 baking dish (greased) and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown on top and center is baked through.
5. After cooled, drizzle melted baking chocolate (or vegan chocolate) on top.
NOTES If you want them more moist, I would add in an egg or flax egg.
6. Makes 8-12 bars
7. Baking times will be different.

Cuisine: american | Recipe Type: dessert/snack

6.6.15

http://www.cottercrunch.com/cranberry-white-chocolate-pumpkin-bars/

Well, what do you think? Would these satisfy your sweet tooth? Hope so!

YUM! These Cranberry White chocolate Pumpkin bars must be made! #glutenfree #Vegan friendly!
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Have you ever tried tigernut flour? It’s a great gluten free and grain free flour alternative for those with nut/coconut allergies.

What’s your definition of “healthified?” To each their own I say, yes!

Other White Chocolate Dessert to try!

Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

Sugar Free White Chocolate Bars

No bake White Chocolate Protein Bars

Cheers,

Lindsay

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