It’s been quite a year thus far, spending most of the time in some kind of limbo being unsure what’s next. Luckily, there are still some things in life you can be sure about! As leaves are falling, autumn’s calling! And autumn brings you the certainty of pumpkins being in season!
Some of those certainties, those beacons, will be slightly more on ourselves this year. Not that you didn’t already, it’s something you constantly do. But this certainty hopefully makes you happy and cheerful. It’s a lil’ something to get you through this.
Of all flavors, the sweet stuff attracts feelings of energy and fun. That’s why I made you a little something that is gluten-free and tasty, something to warm you up, something that’s good for your body AND mind, because at this moment in time, let’s absolutely not forget the latter.
For this recipe, I’m asking you to go out and look for a dark green pumpkin. One you’ll easily catch at an organic supermarket. It’s flavor is amazing: fuller, creamier, and more nutty compared to the other pumpkins out there. Are you not able to get your hands on a green one? Then go for the orange one. Preferably with a hard shell and a deep orange color: it has the firmest flesh.
Ingredients:
- [Baking tray 20 cm x 20 cm]
- 1 medium green pumpkin (netto weight: 400 g)
- 2 tins of chickpeas (netto weight: 470 g)
- 130 g oat flour
- 260 g peanut butter, liquid
- 80 g ahornsyrup
- 10 g vanilla extract
- 3 ½ tbsp (liquid) sweetener*
- 1 ½ tsp fine salt
- 3 tsp pumpkin spice
- ⅔ tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 170 g dark chocolate in pieces
- A pinch of salt flakes
Preparation
- A day before: pre-heat your hot air oven at 175 degrees Celsius. Wash the pumpkin, remove the stalk and outer end, and cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds with a spoon and cut the halves in 4 quarters.
- Take the oven rack, dress it with baking paper, and lay your pumpkin quarters on here. Bake the pumpkin in the oven for about 40 minutes.
- Let it completely cool down, remove the skin and put the ‘flesh’ of the pumpkin in a (glass) container. Keep it in the fridge until the moment of use.
The next day:
- Take your pumpkin from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
- Pre-heat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius, hot air. Prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking paper.
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse them. Put them in a food processor, grind until a dough-like substance forms, then add 400 grams of the pumpkin.
- Now add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, apart from the salt flakes and the dark chocolate. Mix all of it until it becomes a smooth mass.
- Take the knife out of the food processor’s bowl and stir ⅔ of the chocolate through the dough.
- Pour the dough in to the baking tray, smoothen it out and put the rest of the chocolate on the dough. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and bake the pumpkin chocolate chip blondies in 35-45 minutes. Check if it’s properly baked by inserting a toothpick or paring knife into the center of the blondies to see if it has set. If the tester comes out clean, it’s done. If it comes out gummy or with crumbs clinging to it, the blondies need more time in the oven.
- Take the baking tray out of the oven, sprinkle some salt flakes over the blondies, and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes. Then cut in 12 even pieces.**
NOTES:
*Feel free to add more, or leave out the liquid sweetener to your own taste. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin may vary, so be warned ;).
**If you have pieces of pumpkin left, you can keep these outside of the fridge in a closed box up to 2 days. You can also wrap them individually and freeze them to use (enjoy) at a later moment in time.
About Joy
Joy is 27 years old and has had celiac disease since 19. On top of that, her body doesn’t respond well to dairy and soy, so she always cooks without these ingredients. Photography was one of her first loves, but she lost her heart to cooking. It’s no big shock that she studies Nutrition&Dietetics and has written her own cookbook during the first lockdown. Even on rainy days she’ll fire up her BBQ. Her new favourite country is Mexico. She absolutely loves to travel, but during her time at home she simply fills her pans with memories from all countries imaginable. You can find her online on: www.instagram.com/jbbouwmeester