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Chocolate & Pumpkin Nut Butter Bars

Jonathan Cairns

Triple-Decker Chocolate & Pumpkin Nut Butter Bars

INGREDIENTS

MAKES 32 GENEROUS SQUARES (or you can double that again if you just want a little bite)

FOR THE BASE LAYER

  • 200g dried dates

  • 70g dried figs

  • 90g oats

  • 60g pecans

  • 30g goji berries

  • 1tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE PUMPKIN LAYER

  • 600g pumpkin puree

  • 200g oat flour (if you just have oats, you can blend them in a fast blender or coffee grinder to make oat flour)

  • 100g nut butter (I used almond)

  • 60g maple syrup

  • 1/2tsp cinnamon

  • 1/2tsp allspice

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER

  • 160g pumpkin puree

  • 60g maple syrup

  • 60g cocoa powder

  • 60g nut butter (I used almond)

  • Sprinkle of flaky sea salt

METHOD:

FOR THE PUMPKIN PUREE:

Notes
Prepare the pumpkin puree first as the base can be prepared while the pumpkins are roasting.

I didn’t know how many pumpkins I would need to make enough puree and roasted two small (very small) pumpkins. It made twice enough and I have put the leftover puree into the freezer for another time.

  1. Heat the over to 180°C.

  2. Wash the pumpkins.

  3. Cut the pumpkins in half (don’t try and cut through the stem (mine just broke off easily).

  4. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.

  5. Take a baking sheet and cover it with baking paper. Lie the pumpkin halves on the sheet, cut side down.

  6. They take about 45 minutes to roast in the oven. They are ready when a fork can easily pierce the skin.

  7. Leave them until they are cool enough to handle, then scoop all the flesh out into a food processor and blend until really smooth.

  8. That’s your pumpkin puree ready to use. You’ll need it for the middle layer and the chocolate top.

FOR THE BASE LAYER:

You can prepare this layer while the pumpkins are roasting.

  1. Put the pecans in the food processor and blend until they are well broken up (they will be blended more so don’t go too fine at this stage).

  2. Add the oats and give them a quick blend.

  3. Chop the dates and figs into small pieces and add to the food processor along with the goji berries and vanilla extract.

  4. Blend well until the mixture comes together into a sticky texture. Add more dates or figs if it’s not coming together.

  5. Line a small tray with baking paper (I used a tray 17cm x 25cm) and press the mixture down well

    TIP: Take a second piece of baking paper, slightly larger than the tray, and put it on top of your mixture and now you can use your fist or the back of a spoon to press the mixture down. I find it much easier, and less messy, than trying to press it down without the layer of baking paper.

  6. Once it’s all pressed into one giant bar, pop the whole tray into the freezer to set (30mins should do the trick).

FOR THE PUMPKIN LAYER:

  1. Add all of the pumpkin layer ingredients to the food processor and blend to a smooth texture.

  2. Take the tray from the freezer and pour the pumpkin layer on top.

  3. Spread it out evenly and pop it back into the freezer while you prepare the chocolate layer.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER:

  1. Add all of the chocolate layer ingredients to the food processor and blend to a smooth texture.

  2. Take the tray from the freezer and pour the chocolate layer on top.

  3. Spread it out evenly and pop it back into the freezer to set.

TO FINISH:

Once it’s set, take it out of the tray and cut into bite-sized pieces. My pumpkin layer was very generous so small bites were the perfect size as a little treat. Store in a container in the fridge or freezer. Best served at room temperature.