Green Edit: Pumpkin Apple Cranberry Bars

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed many delicious dishes at your family feasts.  With the Christmas season already underway, I want to share a dessert recipe that I developed for Thanksgiving dinner that could easily work its way into your holiday baking this year.

I am a sucker for pumpkin pie (and used to think that no Thanksgiving was complete without one), but I dared to be different this year and decided make some pumpkin bars that could theoretically feed a bigger crowd than a standard pie.  This recipe makes at least 16 bars, while a pumpkin pie generally yields 8 servings.    

I used this recipe as an opportunity to test out a new format for the blog that allows you to easily see the process that I go through when I edit a recipe. I call them "Green Edits" - the green text indicates my suggestions for lowering the fat, calories, and sugar in the recipe while maintaining the flavor integrity of the dish.

While there isn't anything inherently wrong with the original recipe, and you can certainly feel free to disregard my changes, I think it's helpful to know what changes you can make to a recipe and still have it "turn out."  These Pumpkin Apple Cranberry Bars are still dessert - they're just a little bit better for you and can be enjoyed with less guilt than a traditional holiday dessert.

This particular recipe starts with the Joy of Baking's Pumpkin Bar Filling and Mollie Katzen's Foolproof Oatmeal Cookie Crust.  I decided to add a chopped apple, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans to the bars, and the result was truly a harvest-themed treat.

 

Pumpkin Apple Cranberry Bars - Makes about 16 bars

Mollie Katzen's Foolproof Oatmeal Cookie Crust: 

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup unbleached white flour 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped*

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter  6 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce; 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Joy of Baking's Pumpkin Filling:

2 large eggs

1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin (2 cups)

3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (Fage is my favorite) + 1/2 cup light unsweetened coconut milk**

1 tart apple (Granny Smith, Gold Rush, and Gala are all good choices)

1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

*To toast the pecans - spread pecans in a single layer on a baking pan and place in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant.  
**I made another version of these using 1 cup of Greek yogurt instead of the yogurt + coconut milk combination, and they turned out great.  The filling just had a thicker consistency.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the pan with a piece of parchment, allowing the paper to drape over the edges of the pan.

1. Combine the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, pecans, applesauce, and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until the oats are moistened and the batter starts to come together like an oatmeal cookie dough would.  

2. Press the batter into the prepared pan using wet hands, making sure that the crust reaches the edges and corners.  Bake for about 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees, until the crust is just firm to the touch.  

3. While the crust is baking, combine the eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and yogurt in a mixing bowl and set aside.  

4. When the crust is finished baking, sprinkle the cranberries over the top of the warm crust and allow the crust to cool a bit.  .

 

5.  Peel and chop the apple into 1/2-inch pieces.  Distribute the apple pieces evenly over the crust, and then pour the prepared pumpkin mixture over the top.  Shake the pan to distribute the pumpkin mixture evenly if it doesn't easily flow to the edges.  Top the mixture with the chopped pecans.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the center is just set.  Allow the bars to cool before slicing.  Use the parchment paper "sling" to pull the bars out in one piece and then slice on a cutting board (or you can leave the bars in the pan if you're traveling with them and use the parchment to pull them out and slice them when you arrive).

Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  You can eat these at room temperature, though I prefer to enjoy them cold with a big scoop of Greek yogurt, chopped pecans, and a dash of cinnamon. 

Nutrition facts for one serving (1 bar, with 16 total servings) of original recipe: 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 78 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 238 Calories from Fat 146

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16.2g 25%

Saturated Fat 9.0g 45%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 71mg 24%

Sodium 131mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 20.6g 7%

Dietary Fiber 2.1g 9%

Sugars 9.5g

Protein 3.5g

Vitamin A 93% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 4% • Iron 7%

Nutrition facts for one serving with Green Edits:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 80 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 148 Calories from Fat 52

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.8g 9%

Saturated Fat 1.8g 9%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 31mg 10%

Sodium 95mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 20.8g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3.0g 12%

Sugars 8.7g

Protein 3.9g

Vitamin A 84% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 4% • Iron 7%