Healthy Home
co-written by Erin Odom, site owner, and Kelly of The Pretty Bee
I love fall baking. I love apples, and pumpkin, and cinnamon, and nutmeg, and crunchy oat toppings. I love the way my house smells when I have a delicious dessert in the oven, and I love the way it feels to put a warm and comforting dessert on the table on a chilly fall evening. I’ve always loved baking, but there was a time when it was more difficult for me to be enthusiastic about my time in the kitchen. Both of my children have food allergies and sensitivities, and we are a wheat free, dairy free, and egg free household.
When I was learning to bake without wheat, dairy, or eggs, it was a bit frustrating! I definitely had some recipes that just didn’t turn out. But I kept trying, and as I grew more comfortable with this way of baking, I became passionate about developing my own delicious and comforting allergy friendly recipes.
I especially love coming up with holiday recipes that are gluten, dairy, and egg free. There’s something very special about making a holiday treat that is delicious and safe for my loved ones to eat.
Just because you have food allergies or special dietary needs, you don’t have to miss out on your favorite dishes. There are so many ways to make the foods you love safe for your family. I love sharing my recipes on my blog – I have been blessed to connect with many other moms who have children with food allergies and sensitivities.
I want to help as many people as possible feel good about cooking and baking again. I’m especially enthusiastic about holiday baking – so much so that I’ve just written two ebooks on the subject: Gluten Free Gifts in Jars and Vegan Holiday Treats. I’ve included my favorite recipes for the holidays in these books – from crinkle cookies to Chex mix to candies and more! I hope that many families will find new favorite allergy friendly holiday recipes in my books.
Pumpkin recipes are my favorite in the autumn months. I really LOVE pumpkin baked goods with chocolate chips, like these gluten free and vegan pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips and pecans, or this chocolate chip pumpkin cake. However, I decided it was high time that I made a pumpkin dessert with a buttery, crumbly topping, and we loved this version so much that I will be making it again on Thanksgiving day.
If you are not dairy free, go ahead and use real butter and dairy yogurt; this recipe will still work out, and I think you will enjoy it!
Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars (THM XO)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup gluten free oat flour*
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup gluten free oats
- 1/3 cup sugar (3 T. Pyure or THM Gentle Sweet)
- 1/2 cup butter (or vegan buttery spread if dairy free), chopped into small pieces
- pinch of salt
- 2 T. water
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 2ggs (or 2 T. ground flax seed meal + 6 T. water if dairy free)
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup vanilla flavored coconut milk yogurt (or plain Greek yogurt for THM)
- 1/4 cup sugar (or 2 T. Pyure or THM Gentle Sweet)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Crumb Topping:
- 6 T. butter (or vegan buttery spread if dairy free), cut into small pieces
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 1/4 cup gluten free oat flour*
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar (or 3/4 c. Lankanto Brown or Swerve Brown)
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, almond meal, oats, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to mix it all together. Add the 2 T. of water and mix it until it comes together as a thick dough.
- Place the dough into an eight inch square baking dish and use your hands to spread it out and pat it down. Put it into the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you make the pumpkin filling and crumb topping. Set the empty bowl aside so that you can mix the crumb topping in it as well.
- Make the pumpkin filling: If not using eggs, mix 2 T. of ground flax seed meal and 6 T. of water in a small mug and let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until it gels up. In a large bowl, combine the eggs OR flax seed gel, pumpkin puree, yogurt, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix together with a spoon. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping: In the same bowl that you made the crust in, combine the oats, oat flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Combine with the pastry cutter until the mixture looks like a crumbly topping. There should be some larger balls of buttery crumbs in the mix.
- Assemble the dessert: Spread the pumpkin filling over the crust, smoothing it out with a spoon. Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. If the crumb topping starts to get too brown, cover it with a piece of foil. Let cool fully before serving.
Notes
*If you cannot find oat flour, you can make your own by grinding gluten free oats in the food processor. Just process them until they turn into a fine flour.
Notes from Erin - creator of this website, BA, nutrition coach, and certified Trim Healthy Mama coach:
With the written modifications, this recipe is an excellent Trim Healthy Mama Crossover (XO) meal. All ingredients are on plan, and XOs are excellent for those in maintenance mode, pregnant and nursing women, and growing children to consume on a regular basis.
Men tend to have higher metabolisms and can also eat more XOs on a regular basis without gaining weight.
XOs are not "cheat" meals. They are a healthy and nutritious part of the Trim Healthy Mama eating framework. However, for those in current weight loss mode, XOs are best eaten occasionally and not for every single meal or for every single day.
For more information on Erin's Trim Healthy Mama coaching programs, check out this page or purchase one of her menu plan bundles here.
These bars are wonderful plain, but they are also scrumptious when topped with whipped cream! There are dairy free whipped toppings made with rice milk. You can find them at the health food store. You could also whip some coconut cream for an extra special treat.
For more pumpkin recipes on The Humbled Homemaker, check out this page!
What pumpkin desserts will you be making this holiday season?
Hello, I’m Kelly. I’m a violinist who is blessed to be able to stay at home with my boys while they are young. I love cooking, baking, crafting, and homeschooling. My two boys have quite a few food sensitivities and allergies, and I’ve had to adapt the way that I cook and think about food in the last few years. Most of my recipes are gluten free, dairy free, vegan or all three. I share my recipes on my blog, The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating.
Trish
As someone that is not very good at making pies this looks like a great alternative.
Shannon
Hi! I’m baking for a baby shower for a mom to be who cannot have almonds. What could I use as a substitute for the almond meal?