Sweet Sundays: When my good friend Ricki said that I could share a recipe from her new e-cookbook, Desserts without Compromise, it took me all of five seconds to pick the Apple Pumpkin Crumble Bars. I had many reasons for my selection ... back to school and work means a demand for packable healthy treats, prepping for the upcoming season with delicious guilt-free desserts, and, quite frankly, I am a fall foodie. I love the flavors of fall and seriously can't wait for the produce of September to arrive.  

But regardless of my reasons, this recipe, and all of the recipes in Desserts without Compromise, are amazing. The entire ecookbook is low glycemic, refined sugar free, egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and as Ricki points out, delicious! Within Desserts without Compromise you will find 44 pages of information and recipes; 19 delectable dessert recipes (see below), most with beautiful full-color photographs; An introduction outlining the basics of the anti-candida (low glycemic) diet; and a section outlining key ingredients used in these anti-candida desserts. And remember, this is an ebook, so you can download it instantly (for an awesome price no less), anywhere in the world!

Okay, so here is the recipe list to further entice: 

1. Vanilla Custard with variations (pictured below in Fresh Strawberry Parfait)
2. Mint Chip Ice Cream
3. Grain Free Fudgy Chocolate Brownies (pictured below)
4. Blueberry Chia Pudding
5. Cinnamon Almond Fudge
6. Grain Free Ginger Coconut Cookies
7. Raw Frosted Lemon-Coconut Bars
8. Chocolate Green Tea Truffles
9. Peachy Pudding
10. Chewy Grain Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
11. Mounds or Bounty Bites
12. Individual Bread Puddings with Caramel Sauce
13. Carob or Chocolate Fudge
14. Green Tea Ice Cream
15. Carob Coconut Sweeties
16. Strawberry Mousse (or pie filling)
17. Grain Free Coconut Macaroons
18. Quick Berry Sorbet  
19. and last, but not least ....

Apple Pumpkin Crumble Bars

Recipe from Desserts without Compromise

Dense, moist, and not too sweet, these bars are a perfect afternoon snack or weekday dessert.  The fruity filling isn’t gooey like that of a true apple crisp, but more like unsweetened applesauce.  The bars are even better the second day, after the crust has a chance to absorb some of the moisture from the filling and softens up a bit. 

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) melted coconut oil, preferably organic
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) yacon syrup or agave nectar (or maple syrup would work, too)
• 20 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely ground flax seeds
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) plain or vanilla soy, almond or rice milk
• zest of one lemon
• 3/4 cup (80 g) walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup (90 g) natural almonds (with skin)
• 1 cup (115 g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick cook or instant)
• 1/3 cup (45 g) coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) cardamom (optional)
• 1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
• 2 cups canned or homemade unsweetened pumpkin purée (sweet potato would make a great substitute here)
• 3 medium sweet apples, peeled, cored and grated on large holes of a box grater
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 20-30 drops plain or vanilla stevia (to your taste), or 1/4 cup-1/3 cup  (60 ml-80 ml) agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).  Line a 9″ (22.5 cm) square pan with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, yacon syrup, stevia, flax seed, soymilk and lemon zest; set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the walnuts, almonds, oats and coconut flour until the nuts are ground and mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add the cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and salt and blend just to mix.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the bowl and toss with a fork (as if making pie dough) until it comes together in a very moist yet crumbly dough (it will stick together if pressed, but should readily separate into crumbles if tossed with the fork).  Set aside while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling, mix together the pumpkin, apple, lemon juice, vanilla and stevia. 

Take about half the crumble mixture (you can just estimate) and press it firmly into the bottom of the pan.  Top with the filling, spreading evenly.   Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture evenly over the filling and press gently with the palms of your hands.

Bake in preheated oven until edges are browned and the top of the crumble begins to brown a bit.  (The filling won’t bubble the way typical fruit pie fillings do).  Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting into squares; reheat if desired to serve.  Makes 9 large servings.  May be frozen.

Recipe by Ricki Heller, author of Sweet Freedom. Article by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living.