Double Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Bites #Choctoberfest

This post for #Choctoberfest is sponsored by Barlean’s. I have received sample products for writing this post. All content and opinions are mine. These Double Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Bites are a healthy sweet treat… and they pretty much taste like a brownie, so there’s that too.

Another day, another #Choctoberfest recipe! This one slightly healthier than the delectable cake from Monday. 🙂 Energy bites, granola bites, energy balls… whatever you call them… are SO tasty and SO fun to make. Just mix, roll, and chill, pretty much. They’re great to have on hand for a healthy yet filling snack option or even a quick breakfast on the go for busy mornings. Most recipes use nut butter as the base, so I was excited to find a version that used PUMPKIN as the binder. I always gotta do something different, haha.

Since we’re smack-dab in the midst of #Choctoberfest, I decided to try to make an uber chocolately energy bite recipe. Thanks to a healthy dose of dark chocolate cocoa powder AND dark chocolate chips, these Double Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Bites pretty much taste like a brownie. I’ve been keeping some in the fridge at work, and they are perfect for a mid-afternoon snack. Healthy, yet satisfying.

I’m so thankful that Barlean’s is a sponsor again this year for #Choctoberfest! They sent me a great package filled with Chocolate Silk Greens (think chocolate protein powder, but powdered greens instead–this stuff is great for smoothies!), Essential Women Omega-Swirl Chocolate Mint (mint-chocolate syrup that just so happens to be full of Omega-3s), and Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, which I used in this recipe. It’s the perfect butter substitute with all the health benefits of coconut oil. I don’t use coconut oil for everything but I really like it in granola bars/energy bites. You can find out more about Barlean’s by following them on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube.

One of the best parts about these Double Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Bites (besides how chocolately they are!) is that it only uses 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree. Sooo it’s a perfect recipe to have on hand to when you have a little pumpkin puree to use up! Waste not, want not. And how could you not want these yummy chocolate energy bites??! Enjoy!

Find more chocolate recipes here today at the #Chocotoberfest linky! And don’t forget to enter this great giveaway before Saturday!

one year ago: Pumpkin & Sausage Pizza
three years ago: Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
four years ago: Funfetti Cookies
five years ago: Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
six years ago: Roasted Vegetable Soup
seven years ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Bites

• Servings: 32 bites
• Time: 2 hours, including chilling
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slightly adapted from A Kitchen Addiction

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons Barlean’s Butter Flavored Organic Coconut Oil
• generous 1/4 cup pepitas
• generous 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together oats, flaxseed, cocoa, and pumpkin pie spice. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together honey, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and coconut oil. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for 4 minutes. Stir constantly so it doesn’t burn! Remove from heat.

Pour honey mixture over oats and stir until combined. At this point, you can stir in the pepitas and chocolate chips so the chocolate melts and gets all gooey OR you can wait for 5 minutes before stirring in the mixins. I stirred everything together right away.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for mixture to cool and chocolate to harden, then remove and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour before transferring to an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Enjoy!

Disclosure:  Though I received products for free as part of my participation in #Choctoberfest, I was not compensated in any other way and was not asked to provide positive feedback.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup + Cold Brew Coffee Method

My Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup recipe has been submitted for the Steviva Blogger Recipe Challenge. Product samples received in exchange for posting this recipe as part of the recipe challenge. #steviva #sweetandeasy

Pumpkin season. Just those two words make me superrr excited! I know, I know. Just like every other girl out there. #oops #sorrynotsorry But I’ve been a pumpkin (and pumpkin spice!) fan long before Starbucks made a fortune selling $6 sugar-laden pumpkin spice lattes. Though I love pumpkin spice lattes, iced coffees, and the like from a wide variety of chain and local coffee shops, I always have fun dabbling in similar coffee drinks at home. I don’t have an espresso maker (yet!) but my pumpkin spice creamer has been a fall staple the past few years. However, I think I’ve stumbled on something better.

Enter: Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup. I’ve made a simple pumpkin spice syrup before but something was missing… oh, that’s right: enough pumpkin! Not so in this coffee syrup. There’s half a cup of pumpkin puree in this syrup! Don’t be scared, guys… the puree melts together perfectly with the Nectevia Original and water to make a delicious syrup to stir into your coffee. For the “spice” part I added a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice and also infused some fresh rosemary in the syrup as it cooled. Perfection!

Serving possibilities for this syrup are endless! I enjoyed my Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup with cold brew coffee and almond milk (because the weather this fall in Nashville has been a little more reminiscent of summer, ahem…). But I think it would also be great with some espresso and cream if you can make that happen in your life, or just regular coffee. Or chai! Or heck, it could even be great drizzled over pancakes or ice cream. Pumpkin ice cream plus pumpkin spice coffee syrup?? Ohhhh yes, please! (Now I’m starting to question the name of this recipe.)

No matter how you serve it, this Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup is sure to make your fall a little tastier. Oh, and I did want to mention something real quick: I created this recipe as part of a recipe contest for Steviva. (If you want, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Google +,  Pinterest, and Instagram.) I don’t have much experience cooking and baking with stevia products but it has been so fun experimenting with them. I totally understand though that dietary needs and preferences can vary, so I did include some other sweetener options in the recipe below… but check out Nectevia Original if you can–it’s a great blend of stevia and blue agave and has 1/4 the calories, carbs and sugars of regular agave, or table sugar. I was impressed with it! Hope you enjoy!!

one year ago: Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake
two years ago: Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
three years ago: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice
four years ago: Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese
five years ago: No Bake Tropical Energy Bites
six years ago: Garlicky Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
seven years ago: Pillow Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup

• Servings: approximately 8 ounces
• Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Nectevia Original
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2-1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I used a full tablespoon but some may prefer the spice to be a little less intense.)
• 2 sprigs rosemary

Directions:

Stir together Nectevia Original, water, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add rosemary, then continue to cook until mixture is bubbly but not quite boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 4-5 minutes until mixture reduces and thickens. Remove from heat, and then let rest for 20 minutes to to continue to infuse rosemary. After 20 minutes, remove rosemary sprigs and discard.

Transfer syrup into a glass jar, cover, and store in the refrigerator. Syrup should keep one to two weeks.

I enjoy stirring a couple tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup stirred into cold brew coffee (method below!) and unsweetened almond milk. Adjust the amount of syrup to taste!

Notes: Nectevia Original is a liquid blend of stevia and blue agave. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to substitute regular sugar or brown sugar, as well as other sweeteners like honey, agave, stevia, or maple syrup. I’ve made simple syrups with white sugar, brown sugar, and honey all with great results in the past. I’ve also done a combination of those sweeteners plus agave or maple syrup. Your choice!

Cold Brew Coffee

• Servings: 32 ounces
• Time: up to 24 hours
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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coffee, medium-grind is best
• 4 cups cold water

Directions:

Stir together coffee and cold water. I like to do this in a large measuring cup, but a jar or French press would work too.

This ratio of coffee to water is not super concentrated but you can increase the amount of coffee while keeping the water amount constant if desired.

Cover and let rest at least overnight, but optimally 12-24 hours. This can be done at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Strain mixture in one of the following ways:

• pour into a French press and press as usual to strain.
• a cheesecloth or coffee filter set inside a mesh sieve, with coffee draining into a measuring cup, jar, etc. You may need to strain coffee twice using this method to remove all grounds and silt.

I find it easiest to use my French press but either way works!

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Serve with milk, half and half, sweetener, etc. as desired.

 

 

SRC: Pumpkin and Sausage Pizza

Pizza gets an autumn twist with pumpkin sauce! Mmmm mmm good!

Welcome to another SRC post! Secret Recipe Club has been my big blog event for most of my blogging career, and it was just announced that the club will be disbanding this fall. But don’t you worry–there are still a few more posts before that happens! Tear! It’s sad, but great to see the club go out on a high note.

This month I was assigned to Natural Noshing. Nora began her blog as a way to share her passion for nutrition and healthy, real food. She has tons of great recipes to share and I love her passion for food! I was drawn to SO many of her healthy recipes–it was hard to pick what to make, but I finally narrowed it down. Breakfast Quesadillas sounded interesting, as did Cappuccino Sour Cream Muffins. But I must have been in a pizza mood when recipe choosing because I loved the sound of anything and everything pizza–Pizza Potatoes! Pizza Quinoa Casserole! And lastly… the winner… Sausage and Pumpkin Pizza!

You guys know I love pumpkin so really, it was a no brainer. I don’t know what took me so long to make this decision. 🙂 Oh wait I do. Ben. He loves pizza, but this qualifies as “weird pizza” in his book so I was a bit skeptical if he would enjoy it. And I do like him to enjoy the food I make. 🙂

Well, I am happy to report that he not only enjoyed it, but he loved it! We both did, actually. It was a wonderful, hearty, fall pizza–the flavorful pumpkin sauce was the perfect base for sausage and kale. Nora’s original recipe used spinach, but she made this recipe as a “clear out the fridge” meal so I decided to do the same here! Why buy something else if you don’t need to? This pizza may just become a surprising fall favorite in our house. Hope you enjoy as much as we did–and thanks, Nora, for the great recipe!

two years ago: Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
three years ago: Funfetti Cookies
four years ago: Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
five years ago: Roasted Vegetable Soup
six years ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Pumpkin and Sausage Pizza

• Servings: 8
• Time: 2 hours
• Print

from Natural Noshing

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust – I used my favorite recipe but any will do
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces sausage, thinly sliced – smoked sausage is what I used, but chicken sausage, brats, etc. would all be great
• 1 1/4 cups tightly packed kale, washed and chopped into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped – I used rosemary, basil, and marjoram
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F [or follow directions for your specific pizza crust].

In a small saucepan, mix pumpkin puree, water, sage, garlic, and pepper. Heat over low heat until combined, then set aside.

In a medium skillet set over medium-high heat, cook sausage for about 2 minutes per side. I used precooked sausage, so this was just to add color. Top with kale and herbs and stir together for about 30 seconds or until kale just begins to wilt.

Spread pumpkin sauce over uncooked crust [unless you bought a precooked crust]. Top with half of the cheese, then the sausage and kale mixture, and finally the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Broil for a minute to make the cheese look extra delicious, then remove from oven. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting, then serve and enjoy!

Check out the other SRC recipes today at the link below!

SRC: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Hearty and savory pumpkin bread… this is a recipe you don’t want to miss!

Hey everyone! Welcome to another SRC post! This month I was assigned to Smruti’s blog, Herbivore Cucina. As with most food bloggers, Smruti loves to cook–and the more unconventional the recipe, the better! Though she lives in the US now, she is originally from India so she has a wide variety of Indian and international recipes on her blog. Everything sounded SO good that I had a tough time deciding between Indian dishes like Layered Vegetable Biryani, Cilantro Coconut Chutney, and Oats and Dry Fruit Chikki… or Pizza Buns… or finally, Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread. I had to go with the seasonal favorite, ya know? 🙂

This bread is so simple to make, and so delicious. Though there are a lot of steps involved with making a yeast bread, every time I make one I wonder why I don’t do this very often. It’s just mix, knead, rise, shape, rise, and bake. And then enjoy! If you have a stand mixer, it’s even easier because the mixer does the kneading for you. 🙂 This bread is way different from your average sweet pumpkin bread… but yummy in its own unique way. Of course, there is pumpkin pie spice to liven things up, yay! I served this hearty pumpkin bread with one of my favorite soups that has yet to make the blog [SOON! I promise]–Curried Lentil Soup. And if you’re waffling between adding the seed topping or not–DO it! It’s well worth the extra effort, even if you have a baby you’re trying to entertain in the meantime. Enjoy! Thanks, Smruti for the great recipe. 🙂

two years ago: Sausage and Ranch Potato Skillet with Fried Eggs
four years ago: Peach Ginger Pie
five years ago: Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
six years ago: Chili Burgers

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

• Servings: 8
• Time: 3 hours
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from Herbivore Cucina

Ingredients:

• 1 packet yeast [2 1/4 teaspoon]
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 cup water, heated to 110-115 degrees F
• 3 cups whole wheat flour [I used 1.5 cups whole wheat and 1.5 cups white whole wheat]
• 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds, optional

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and water. Stir together and then let rest for 5 minutes or so until yeast is frothy. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, vital wheat gluten, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin and olive oil.

When yeast is frothy, add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately, stirring with paddle attachment until combined. Then, use the dough hook to knead bread dough for 7-8 minutes, until a soft dough forms. Remove dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour until, doubled in size.

Punch dough down and let rest for 5 minutes. Grease a 9×5 inch bread pan with cooking spray, then shape dough into a log and place in bread pan. Sprinkle seeds on top, if desired, gently pressing in. Flip dough and sprinkle the other side with seeds too. Cover bread pan and place in a warm spot to rise for another hour.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, until top is golden brown. Place pan on cooling rack to cool completely before cutting, about 3 hours.

Be sure to check out all the other SRC recipes today at the link below:

Pumpkin Cornbread

Light, airy cornbread with a hint of pumpkin and spice! Perfect for all your soup-dipping needs. 🙂

I always forget about making cornbread or any bread for dinner until it’s too late. The soup is already done, or we’re starving. I don’t know what it is–I always plan ahead for a salad or other veggie side, but when it comes to bread I just forget about it. Makes no sense because I love it! So whenever there’s a soup-based meal planned at work or with our friends, I love to volunteer to make the bread or cornbread for dipping. I made this pumpkin cornbread earlier this fall and it was absolutely FABULOUS! It didn’t have that dense texture that some cornbreads get, so it was light and airy, just like I like it. Plus it was a little sweet but not overly so… delicious with or without extra butter and honey. 🙂

Isa the kitten was very interested in it too, btw! Don’t worry–these photos were taken AFTER I served this cornbread to others. 🙂 My favorite part of this cornbread was how crispy the edges got. I’m not really an edge brownie girl [give me the fudgy middle piece any day!] but crisp edges of bread or cake are my jam. There’s just something about how everything caramelizes as it bakes that’s delightful. I know pumpkin season is nearly complete, but soup season is still a-happening so this pumpkin cornbread should happen in your kitchen too! Enjoy!

one year ago: Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream
two years ago: Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares
three years ago: Caramel Apple Dip
four years ago: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls
five years ago: Pumpkin Pancakes

• Servings: 16
• Time: 40 minutes
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from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon molasses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and cornmeal. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, oil, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into the dry, then gently stir to incorporate. Mixture may be a little lumpy. Transfer to prepared baking dish, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm! Cool completely before covering, then keep at room temperature for up to 3 days before freezing any leftovers. Leftovers can be cut into individual pieces and wrapped in plastic or foil to enjoy later.