Buckwheat Pumpkin Bars (gluten free)

Here's a quick video I made while making these bars :)

Dry ingredients:

-1 cup almond meal

-1/2 cup tapioca starch

-1/2 cup buckwheat flour

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-2.5 teaspoons pumpkin spice

Wet ingredients:

-1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin or 15 oz. puréed winter squash

-3/4 cup melted butter or olive oil

-1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

-3 eggs

-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

-1/4 cup milk

Frosting:

-1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, at room temperature

-8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature

-1/2 cup powdered sugar or 1/4 cup maple syrup (you can certainly add more sugar to taste, this amount is just my personal preference)

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13"x9" baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin or squash purée, and brown sugar until well combined. Next, add the melted butter or olive oil, vanilla, and milk to the pumpkin mixture, whisk thoroughly until smooth.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir to combine until the batter is smooth. Pour into prepared baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

At the 30 minute mark, check to see if bars are cooked through by inserting a knife or toothpick into center.

The bars are done when a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few damp crumbs on it. Do not over-bake!

To prepare the frosting, combine all frosting ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer, and mix until very smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl down a couple times.

Spread frosting over bars once the bars are fully cool, and enjoy ♥️ Refrigerate leftovers.