Paleo and Vegan Pumpkin Blondies

Preheat oven to 325ºF and line the bottom of an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray the sides generously with coconut oil spray (see note).

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt almond butter with the maple syrup in the microwave (see note) until almond butter is creamy, about 1 minute. Add pumpkin and beat with an electric hand mixer until well combined, scraping the sides down as necessary.

Beat coconut sugar, vanilla and apple cider vinegar into almond butter mixture until well combined. Add the sifted coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice into the mixture and stir until smooth and well combined. Make sure you scrape all the flour off the sides of the bowl into the mixture.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Let batter stand for 5 minutes before baking, to allow the coconut flour to begin absorbing the moisture.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are crisp, about 50–55 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into bars and devouring (see note).

Notes:
1. Gluten free baking can be tricky, so I highly recommend measuring your flour to make sure you get perfect results.
2. These bars are very moist and dense and you need to get them out of the pan carefully. If you want them to be super easy, you can leave an overhang of parchment paper, so you can lift them out of the pan to cut once they are cooled.
3. Don’t like microwaves? You can melt them together on the stove too!
4. Since these brownies and dense, you need to cook them low and slow. Resist the urge to check them before the time is up, or they will deflate. Also, make sure they are completely cooled before cutting. If you want them to be a little firmer, then let them completely cool in the refrigerator.
5. Store blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.