I am once again humbled, thrilled, and honored to host a guest post from one of my most favorite people on earth!  Alisa from Paleo in PDX continues to inspire me daily with her gifts in the kitchen, her life story, and her gracious outlook on life.  She creates amazing and spectacular food to share, she touches so many with the way she has led her young life, and she truly nourishes us all with a sense of daily gratitude and joy.

Thank you, Alisa, for being a part of my life…
AND, for providing us with this absolutely exceptional fall PUMPKIN recipe!

“Peanut Butter” Pumpkin Brownies

I’m so happy to be here guest posting for Ashley today. I was fortunate to meet Ashley through my blog last year, when she was still living in Portland. We became friends in an instant and our relationship continued to evolve thereafter. I miss her now that she lives away, but am grateful we still have ways to communicate and keep in touch. Thanks for your friendship, Ashley, and for hosting me on your wonderful blog!

Initially, I was stumped about what recipe to make for my guest post and didn’t even have an idea of what ingredients I wanted to feature. Ashley has such a talent for combining flavors and creating amazing dishes that I didn’t really know which way to go. It’s sort of funny, but truthfully, I felt a little intimidated! This is not to say that I don’t come up with delicious recipes (I do!), but it’s much more of a guessing game for me (versus intuitive like it is for Ashley). Anyway, worry aside, I realized I hadn’t created any sort of pumpkin treat recipe yet this fall and am a major sucker for pumpkin desserts. Knowing that Ashley is a fan too, I thought it made perfect sense to move in that direction and decided upon a pumpkin brownie. Not just any pumpkin brownie though, but a “peanut butter” pumpkin brownie. The trick here is using sunflower seed butter to add a peanut buttery flavor, without adding any actual peanuts. I avoid legumes (remember, peanuts aren’t nuts, they’re legumes) and couldn’t eat peanuts even if I wanted to, so sunflower seed butter is a stellar option.

Anyway, my husband, Jesse and I thought the brownies came out great and both gave them two thumbs up. I think these tasted extra special because I hadn’t made any treats in a long time. Treats have a time and a place in our house, but are too dangerous (and unnecessary) to have around all the time. But, for the fall and holiday season, these are totally legit.

Cheers and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
• 1/3 cup raw honey (use 1/2 cup if you want sweeter brownies)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp melted grass-fed butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 pan and set aside.
2. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well (a stand mixer works great, but if not, a hand mixer does the job just fine). Scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula and mix again, until everything is well incorporated.
3. Pour batter into greased pan and place in preheated oven. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. Allow brownies to cool before slicing. Cut into desired size squares and eat!

Alisa is an advocate of the paleo lifestyle and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, Jesse and their two fur babies (aka cats). She is passionate about living optimally, inspiring others and enjoying life. But, most of all, she is really grateful. Alisa blogs over at Paleo in PDX and can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.