Maple Bacon Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Jasmine Schmalhaus - The Upside Blog | Vitacost.com/blog

by | Read time: 1 minute

Maple. Bacon. Pumpkin. Is there a better sweet-and-salty combination out there? We dare you to try these frosted pumpkin squares and say otherwise. The base is a gluten-free twist on everyone’s favorite orange, cake-y dessert classic. But the frosting on top makes it even more special, combining cream cheese, powdered sugar and maple syrup for a sweet and silky smooth layer that’s lick-the-spatula good. Crumbled bacon on top is the finishing touch that’ll really get your friends and family talking (with their mouths full, of course).

Freshly made pumpkin bars with maple bacon frosting

Ingredients

For the bars:

1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 cup almond flour 
2/3 cup coconut sugar 
1/2 coconut oil, melted
15 oz pure pumpkin 
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups almond milk

For the frosting:

8 oz low fat cream cheese
2 cups organic powdered sugar 
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine all pumpkin bar ingredients and pour into 8×8 pan.
3. Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes (until center is cooked through).
4. In a skillet, cook 6 slices of bacon on medium-high heat until crispy.
5. Chop bacon into small pieces and set aside.
6. Remove pumpkin bars from oven and let cool.
7. In a bowl or mixer, combine frosting ingredients.
8. Frost cooled pumpkin bars and top with chopped bacon.