Cotter Crunch

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Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars {Vegan Option}

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Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars are a “healthier” easy dessert! Gluten free cranberry white chocolate bars with pumpkin, that are made egg free! Super quick to whip up in under an hour! A great holiday dessert or for every day snacking. 

healthy pumpkin bars with cranberries and white chocolate

**NOTE: This Healthy Pumpkin Bars recipe was originally published in Fall 2014. I updated the photos and the refined the recipe. Now I’m republishing the updated recipe because it’s WAY better!

We are SOOO in the thick of holiday gift giving and chocolate’s galore! In fact, my husband just received a delivery full of white chocolate and other goodies.

You see My husband’s (aka Kiwi Cotter) favorite candy of all time is white chocolate, the milk bar brand from New Zealand to be exact. And every time we head into off season, he gets a care package from his “mum” with white chocolate included. Full proof on his instagram feed!

I’d say chocolate is a pretty good way to enjoy the season, yes?

white chocolate chips and dried cranberries

Vegan cranberry white chocolate pumpkin bars on a baking sheet, drizzled with white chocolate

Well, I like to keep that little ritual going but also add in my “healthified” and “gluten free” version to keep the body from going into sugar shock. Yes, it is do-able! All you have to do adjust a few ingredients to make that treat stretch further (nutrition wise). Now, please hear me out.

This Healthier Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars recipe is by no means SUPER CLEAN (eek, don’t like that word).

But similar to how I use word “detox,” I gotta be careful how we use the word “healthlified” and “clean eating.”

Healthier Goodness in Pumpkin Bars

soft pumpkin bars drizzled with white chocolate

To me, healthifying a chocolate pumpkin bar recipe means focusing on REAL ingredients, and maybe even adding a secret superfood ingredient. Yep. That works!

What real foods you ask? I mean no preservatives, natural sugars, and healthy fats to round it out! Which is what these are my  “semi-healthy” Holiday Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars!

I mean they are gluten free, vegan friendly, eggless, but not a HEALTH food. Haha, does that make sense?  Basically a dessert bar made allergy friendly. And a much better way to spread out that white chocolate consumption. Just sayin…

I can sense your sweet tooth agreeing with me!

dessert bars with white chocolate, cranberries, and pumpkin

Pumpkin Bars Recipe Ingredients

What’s in these super moist pumpkin bars?

  • Pumpkin puree
  • Cranberries
  • White chocolate chips (Or you can use vegan white chocolate)
  • Almond/coconut milk
  • tiger nut flour, which is a resistant starch and great for the gut flora (thank you Lucie for getting me hooked).

Shhh… just don’t tell the other you added in a good for you ingredient. You see, you get your cranberry white chocolate fix, in pumpkin bar form, and it be GOOD better  for you!

Oh, I should also mention, if you are not vegan, then the white chocolate baking bar from Ghirardelli is great because it has no other additives. Just milk fat, sugar, cocoa butter, etc.

You can also make this with dried cranberries without any added sugar. That’s only if you want to take that healthfieid approach up a notch. I won’t judge you if don’t. NEVER EVER!

Now let’s get our Gluten Free Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars a BAKING before Christmas!

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Cranberry White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars {Gluten Free}

  • Author: Lindsay Cotter
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 9- 12 1x
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Description

Healthier Cranberry White chocolate bars that taste like dessert! These gluten free cranberry white chocolate bars are made eggless with pumpkin and are super easy to make! Great for holidays or every day snacking!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups GF flour (Gluten Free Multipurpose flour works Great. I love Bob Red Mills 1:1 ration GF flour)
  • 2 tbsp of a starch flour. Like potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot. I actually used [url] tigernut flour starch ∞http://amzn.to/2ewcXA9[/url] (a new grain free flour). It gives it a nutty flavor is a great grain flour alternative.
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar (or Brown sugar) 2/3 cup if you want extra sweet
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 –3 tsp baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 1 cup coconut or almond milk
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 –1/2 cup white chocolate chips or [url] vegan white chocolate ∞http://amzn.to/2hTDcPT[/url]
  • Optional – xylitol sugar in place of the coconut sugar to reduce sugar intake

Instructions

  1. Combine your dry ingredients first. Mix well.
  2. Then mix in your pumpkin, milk, vanilla extract, and coconut oil until batter is smooth. Make sure batter is not clumpy. Use a mixer if you need do.
  3. Fold in your cranberries and white chocolate chips/chopped bits
  4. pour into 9×9 baking dish (greased) and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown on top and center is baked through.
  5. After cooled, drizzle melted baking chocolate (or vegan chocolate) on top.

NOTES If you want them more moist, I would add in an egg or flax egg.

  1. Makes 8-12 bars
  2. Baking times will be different.
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 190
  • Sugar: 16.2g
  • Sodium: 90.7mg
  • Fat: 5.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 36g
  • Fiber: 3.4g
  • Protein: 2.9g
  • Cholesterol: 1mg

Keywords: pumpkin bars recipe, gluten free pumpkin desserts, vegan pumpkin desserts, healthier desserts

Well, what do you think? Would these satisfy your sweet tooth? Hope so!

hand holding a cranberry white chocolate pumpkin bar
plate of vegan and gluten free pumpkin bars made with tiger nut flour

YUM! These Cranberry White chocolate Pumpkin bars must be made! #glutenfree #Vegan friendly!

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Have you ever tried tigernut flour? It’s a great gluten free and grain free flour alternative for those with nut/coconut allergies.

What’s your definition of “healthified?” To each their own I say, yes!

Other White Chocolate Desserts to try!

Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

Sugar Free White Chocolate Bars

No bake White Chocolate Protein Bars

Cheers,

Lindsay

 

Related Posts

Photo of Lindsay Cotter of Cotter CrunchHi, I’m Lindsay!  Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of Nourishing Superfood Bowls, and meal plan guru! I’d love to know you more! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and drop a comment below.

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  2. Lauren says

    November 5, 2014 at 4:44 AM

    I used to love white chocolate and hate dark chocolate as a kid. Now I can’t get enough of dark chocolate!
    I love that you have made these pack a nutritional punch too. Real food desserts – amazing 🙂

    Reply

  11. Cara's Healthy Cravings says

    November 5, 2014 at 7:00 AM

    I am sure I would love the white chocolate in these, but I am not a white chocolate fan in general, sorry Kiwi Cotter 😉
    I remember my older sister alway requesting those huge white chocolate rabbits from the Eater bunny, that was one thing I never tried to steal from her!

    Reply

  14. Tina Muir says

    November 5, 2014 at 7:09 AM

    I think the kiwi and I may share the same brain! No wonder you said he likes milky bar! White chocolate ismy absolute favorite too! Tell him to try a white chocolate toberlerone….oh my gosh! SO gooooooddd! Okay, anyway, back to reality….these sound lovely, and if you didnt guess already, with white chocolate in, they have my support 🙂

    Reply

  21. Shashi @ runninsrilankan says

    November 5, 2014 at 8:49 AM

    Lindsay – you always have a cool product I have never heard of before – like this tiger nut flour! Thanks Lady!
    These bars sound perfect, yes, I eat white chocolate, but in very limited quantities – love your use of cranberries to balance of the sweetness of white chocolate!

    Reply

  25. Katie says

    November 5, 2014 at 9:29 AM

    I used to be SUPER anti white chocolate, but it has surpassed milk chocolate for me. Dark still wins, but white is so creamy and delicious. It can be a little too swee tthough.

    Pumpkin, cran, and white choc = an awesome fall flavor combo! Pinned this and I WILL be making it!

    Reply

  36. Lisa says

    November 5, 2014 at 12:48 PM

    These would totally satisfy my sweet tooth! You are seriously the best at creating recipes, I love them all! And the fact that this has pumpkin too is just an awesome bonus:)

    Reply

  37. jobo says

    November 5, 2014 at 1:09 PM

    These look fantastic!! anytime you write about James’ favorite sweets, I think about that post race cheesecake he had here from Whole Foods and how Nala tried to drink his nespresso 😉 <3 miss you guys!

    Reply

  38. Sarah says

    November 5, 2014 at 1:19 PM

    I can’t wait to make these!! Can’t add them in to my macros right now but on the agenda in 2 weeks! One of my favorite fall flavor combos, my family loves pumpkin scones with white chocolate and cranberries.

    Reply

  46. Tara Newman says

    November 5, 2014 at 8:46 PM

    LOL. I know someone else who has been eating chocolate since his off season started. I am a terrible baker. We need to figure out some kind of barter arrangement.

    Reply

  50. Sarah says

    November 6, 2014 at 7:32 AM

    YUMMY! Pumpkin + cranberry = always a good idea. Add in some coconut butter and these sound awesome. I’m going to need to give TigerNut flour a try, especially around the holidays. Lovely lovely gut. Chocolate is totally a good way to end one season and start a rest season. For sure.

    Reply

  51. Abby says

    November 6, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    These sound/look delicious! Gorgeous photos.
    Somebody made me a raspberry white chocolate scone at work yesterday. White chocolate is soooo good!

    Reply

  55. Yoojin Lee says

    November 7, 2014 at 9:18 PM

    this recipe looks so good! i usually don’t like white chocolate, but i’ve found it pairs with pumpkin really well 🙂

    Reply

  58. Megan (The Lyons' Share) says

    November 30, 2014 at 5:38 PM

    I made these today for my family and everyone adored them! I added in 2 Tbsp. of xylitol, and used 1/2 cup oat flour + 1 cup quinoa flour since that’s what I had. You are a genius – everyone loved them, including me!!

    Reply

  62. Emily says

    December 16, 2016 at 9:00 AM

    I absolutely love how you make allergy friendly baked goodies, but they don’t skimp on flavor. 🙂 Leaving these up to make …. soon! 🙂

    Reply

  64. Blair says

    December 16, 2016 at 10:08 AM

    I just got back from the grocery store, where I bought cranberries and white chocolate chips for cookies. Now I want THESE instead! Perfect flavor combo!

    Reply

  69. Cassie Autumn Tran says

    January 13, 2017 at 1:23 AM

    I know the holidays are over, but I’m such a sucker for winter desserts! Peppermint, gingerbread, snickerdoodle ANYTHING. HIT ME UP. 😀 Absolutely in love with these bars! The pumpkin flavor is absolutely perfect!

    Reply

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