Hello friends! Are you in a fall mood yet? It has been hard to get the fall feels with 95 degree weather recently, but seeing all the fall recipes on Pinterest  and link parties this week sure did make me start craving pumpkin spice and everything nice! Having gluten, dairy and egg allergies has made it nearly impossible to enjoy yummy fall baked goods, but this past year I discovered 1-2-3 Gluten Free baking mixes at our local health food store and I have been very pleased with the brand.

Yesterday I decided to try out the Sugar and Spice Pan Bars, and I have to say that they are probably THE BEST allergy-friendly treat I have made in 10 years of allergy-free baking. This isn’t a sponsored post, but I just wanted to share for those of you who have food allergies or family members with food allergies because I know how frustrating it can be to find “safe” and tasty allergy-friendly treats. In the past we had tried the 1-2-3 Gluten Free Biscuits and Brownies using egg replacer or applesauce as a substitute for eggs, and both the biscuits and the brownies were good. 

Ingredients: Sugar, Rice flour, Tapioca Flour, Potato Starch, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Salt, Aluminum-free Corn-free Baking Powder (*Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Potato Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Cellulose Gum.  This mix is GMO-free.

Ingredient notes:

I am allergic/sensitive to wheat (gluten) dairy/casein, soy, chicken eggs and beef. I also have issues with corn, citric acid, and some gums like guar gum.  Sodium Acid Pyrophospate is a “safe” food preservative but I am not crazy about eating any preservatives and I usually have some sort of reaction to even safe preservatives, so we won’t eat 1-2-3 Gluten Free products on a regular basis. Monocalcium phosphate how is considered very safe for food consumption with no known adverse affects.

Sodium Acid Pyrophospate is a “safe” food preservative but I am not crazy about eating any preservatives. I eat an organic, low sugar, whole foods diet 95% of the time so I usually have some sort of reaction to preservatives even if it’s just feeling groggy the next day. Monocalcium phosphate is very safe for food consumption with no known adverse affects. 

I am extremely sensitive to excess sugar and starch, so I rarely eat any products with cane sugar. I do eat some products with coconut sugar which has a lower glycemic index  Treats like these pan bars have to be consumed in moderation and only on special occasions. Does the official start of fall this week count as a special occasion? I think so!

Chicken egg allergy or sensitivity? Try duck eggs!

My sons and I have chicken egg allergies, but our this summer our doctor recommended that we try to introduce duck eggs into our diet. Duck eggs have a similar taste to chicken eggs (richer and tastier I think! They have different proteins, so often times people with chicken egg allergies can eat them with no problem. So far, so VERY good! We love them! I have to use restraint or I could develop a sensitivity to them, so I don’t eat more than three a week. Duck eggs are slightly bigger and great for baking. I only used two duck eggs in place of three chicken eggs for these pan bars. I will do another post soon all about duck eggs with a little more information about them.

Easy as 1-2-3 Gluten Free/Dairy Free Pumpkin Pan Bars

Step 1: Mix ingredients:

1-2-3 Gluten Free Sweet Goodness Sugar and Spice Pan Bars

3/4 cup of organic canned pumpkin

3/4 cup vegetable oil  *I use avocado oil, it is very healthy and has a slightly nutty but overall neutral flavor

3 chicken eggs or two duck eggs. *If you can’t eat eggs or prefer a vegan treat, I recommend Ener-g Egg Replacer or  The Neat Egg as egg substitutes.

Ener-G Egg Replacer (affiliate link)

The Neat Egg (affiliate link)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Add baking mix and all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix it up by hand or with a hand mixer until it is well mixed.

Step 2. Bake and savor the pumpkin spice aroma as it fills the kitchen!

Spread mix in a 9×12 non-stick baking pan. *I think you should still use non-stick cooking spray or a bit of oil. I lightly greased my pan with avocado oil.

Here is how the mixed looked when I poured it in the pan. It was very wet so I was skeptical that the bars would set up with a cakey consistency, but I placed them in the oven and hoped for the best. After about 10 minutes the kitchen smelled so good,  so I really, really hoped they bars would turn out!

After 35 minutes I removed the pan and inserted a fork and it came out dry. I could tell right away that the bars had baked up just fine, like a moist cake. After cooling I dug into them ravenously cut them into 12 large bars.

*Not all stores carry 1-2-3 Gluten Free products but you can order them online. This mix was close to $8.00. That seems very expensive but if you figure that it makes 12 large bars or 16 medium bars and think about how much it would cost to purchase a gluten-free/dairy free pastry at a specialty bakery, it’s actually pretty inexpensive.

Step 3. ENJOY!

Oh my goodness, these bars were fantastic! I emphasized “were” because they didn’t last long! The whole family loved them.  As you can see they have a wonderful texture. My husband doesn’t have food allergies but he said they were one of the best pumpkin treats he has ever had. I did regret not saving one for breakfast this morning!

The bars had a slight cinnamon-pumpkin flavor that wasn’t overwhelming so if you aren’t a huge fan of pumpkin spice you might still like these. I think I might add some more spices to the mix next time to give it more of a pumpkin-spice flavor. There is also a recipe for applesauce pan bars on the box that I might try in a few weeks.

I hope you have been inspired to try out  the 1-2-3 Gluten Free Pan Bar mix! The brownie and biscuit mixes are great too. If you have never tried duck eggs, I highly recommend them! They can be a little tricky to find but if you check around with all of your local farmer’s markets or co-ops you can probably find some. I am not sure if Whole Foods carries them but I will check, and if so I will update this post.

Stacy Lynn’s Workshop

Thanks so much for visiting today! Happy Pumpkin Spice Season!

Amber