Pumpkin brownie bites

Pumpkin brownie bites – because who wouldn’t love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate in a bite-sized parcel?

Ahh yes, it’s still pumpkin season.  And I’m reveling in it – aren’t you?  Every year around this time I buy a number of BIG tins of pumpkin, and then got nuts with making old favorite recipes, like pumpkin pie, pumpkin peanut butter bread, chocolate date fudge (which contains pumpkin), and others.  And then I start experimenting with pumpkin.  Usually trying to substitute pumpkin in for other oils, or eggs or the like.  Some work, like this one.  Some don’t, and are dismal failures which end up in the trash.

But lets talk about these pumpkin brownie bites for a moment, shall we?  Adapted from my bran muffin recipe, which also got adapted into carrot and walnut bran muffins, which also got adapted into zucchini muffins (do you see a trend here?), these were an instant hit with all the testers.  Some comments from them included ‘I’ll take a pan-ful of these thanks’ and ‘Holy cow!’.  So, here was my thought process – lets use pumpkin instead of applesauce and oil and see how they go.  And add cocoa to make them chocolate, because most everyone loves a chocolate treat every now and then (sorry Dad – I know you’re not one of them!).

And then I added a coconut cream frosting.  Because that made them look pretty.  And taste just that extra bit more special!  But you could totally choose another frosting if you wish … or just eat them warmed up with ice cream.  Whatever you wish!

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Pumpkin brownie bites

(Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, no refined sugar)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the muffins

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 10 Medjool dates pitted
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch cloves

For the frosting

• 1/2 cup coconut butter softened
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Instructions

For the muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cocoa, ground flax, spices and baking soda.
3. In a food processor, blend dates, eggs, and pumpkin on high speed until very smooth
4. Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse until smooth.
5. Spoon batter into lined muffin tin, approximately 1/4 cup in each.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully prior to frosting.

For the frosting

1. Combine all ingredients together until smooth.
2. If difficult to mix, microwave the mixture in 15 second increments, or add a touch more almond milk.
3. Pipe on top of cooled muffins.
4. Store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the frosting to set. Once set, these can be kept at room temperature in a sealed contained for up to 3-4 days.