PS Pumpkin Pie Bites
Chef: Susan Voisin, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Makes: 48 bites
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 40-45 min
Total Time: 1 hr 10-15 min
INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 ½ c quick or rolled oats* divided
1 c sorghum or other whole grain flour
½ t baking powder
½ c brown sugar firmly packed
½ t cinnamon
½ c apple sauce or apple butter
1 T water
Filling
15 oz pumpkin canned or cooked and water pressed out
12 oz extra-firm silken tofu, lite preferred
½ c turbinado sugar or regular sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg freshly grated
½ t ginger
½ t allspice
1 t vanilla extract
½ t rum extract optional
2 T agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
1 t salt
Topping
¼ c quick or rolled oats
2 T brown sugar
¼ c walnuts, roughly chopped
2 T crystallized ginger
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9” x 13” nonstick baking pan with parchment paper.
Crust
Place ½ c of the oats in a blender and crush them to a fine powder. Pour the oat flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the remaining oatmeal and the other dry crust ingredients. Add the apple sauce and water and stir until well-moistened. If necessary, add additional water one teaspoon at a time until all the flour is moist. Pour it into the prepared pan and press it into the pan until the bottom is evenly covered.
Filling
Place all the filling ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour filling on top of crust and smooth with a spatula.
Topping and Baking
Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the filling.
Place pan in oven and bake for 40-45 min, until pumpkin is set in the middle. Remove from the oven and run a non-metal knife or spatula around the edges. Cool for at least 15 min before cutting into 48 squares.
TIPS
The topping, which contributes about 10 calories per bar, is optional, though I think the crystallized ginger adds a lot of zing to these tasty bites. They improve with age, so consider making them a day ahead of serving.
Susan Voisin’s FatFreeVeganKitchen website and blog have created a formidable presence in the vegan world by providing over 1,400 low-fat vegan recipes (created by her and sent in by hundreds of people), offering support to those transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle, and relaying how it benefits health, creates compassion for animals and protects our environment. Visit Susan on social media: FatFree Vegan Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.