Cashew butternut bars that are gluten-free, fudgey and packed with vitamin A! A delicious snack to have on hand!
Behold the secret ingredient in these bars…butternut squash!!! I was walking down the grocery aisle the other day and saw it in the canned section. I grabbed it without planning how to use it. I decided to get creative and bake it into a bar!
It’s amazing how so many ingredients can work into a variety of baked recipes now. For example, sweet potatoes! You can bake it into a cake, bars and even brownies. It works as a natural sweetener and contributes to a fudgey texture.
These cashew butternut bars are SO good. It’s a cakey texture, just a hint of sweetness & is perfect warmed up as a snack 🙂 I was so happy with how they turned out!
Cashew butter, butternut squash, maple syrup & vanilla extract make up the base of this recipe. After, I added in almond flour and the other ingredients.
Vitamin A:
Butternut squash is packed with vitamin A, which is helpful in protecting your eyesight! Butternut squash is also a great source of the two antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein! I mean, if I can add in a kick of extra nutrients into a baked recipe, I’d definitely do it!
I love roasting squash in a savory dish but this recipe was definitely a twist. A well-worth delicious twist. The main base of this baked bar is butternut squash and cashew butter which worked SO WELL together!
I also added some shredded coconut on top!
They actually taste better the next day if you leave them in the fridge. The flavors come out a lot more when you wait (even though it can be really hard to).
IT’S IMPORTANT to let it cool first or else it will crumble. I’m just warning you because you’d probably want to dig in ASAP!
Cashew Butternut Squash Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup pureed butternut squash I used canned
- 3/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pink salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper & spray with oil.
- In a medium bowl, mix together butternut squash, cashew butter, maple syrup & vanilla extract.
- Add in almond flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir until smooth.
- Pour into baking pan, smoothing the top wth a spatula.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Make sure you let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or else it will crumble.
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