KETO PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS

INGREDIENTS

makes 16 bars

1 cup almond flour

3 tablespoons coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of salt

1/3 cup coconut oil (or grass-fed butter), melted and slightly cooled

1/2 teaspoon llinea monk fruit

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon maple extract (optional)

8 oz. cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese substitute (like Kite Hill), at room temperature

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

2-1/4 teaspoons llinea monk fruit

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

2 eggs at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a square dish (I use an 8 x 8") by greasing it with some coconut oil. Place one strip of parchment paper in the dish, leaving overhang on two of the sides. Place a second strip of parchment paper the opposite way, overlapping the first, leaving overhang.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the coconut oil, vanilla extract, maple extract, and the liquid monk fruit sweetener. Whisk the mixture together until it's well-combined and crumbly.
Pour the crust mixture into the prepared dish, pressing it into the bottom of the dish in an even layer (I use the base of a measuring cup to flatten it).
Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool while you prepare the pumpkin cheesecake bar filling.

Turn the oven down to 250°F. In a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a standup mixer), beat together the cream cheese and pumpkin purée for 2-3 minutes, or until it's smooth.
Add the vanilla, liquid monk fruit, and spices. Mix about 2 minutes longer, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Drop in one egg at a time, mixing each on low speed for about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl and mix another 30 seconds, or until everything is well-combined.
Pour the pumpkin cheesecake batter into the baking dish to form the cheesecake layer over the pre-baked shortbread crust. Smooth out the top with a spatula.
Bake at 250°F for 50-60 minutes or until the center appears firm and not too jiggly. Check it after 45 minutes of baking - if there are cracks starting to form, remove it from the oven.
Cool the cheesecake for 30 minutes on the stovetop, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Tip: Freeze the cheesecake to get cleaner cheesecake bar cuts (see notes for cutting tips).
When ready to cut the cheesecake, remove it from the fridge (if in freezer, let it defrost 30 minutes), gently loosen the parchment paper from the dish, and lift the cheesecake out. Place it on a cutting board. Make 4 cuts across and 4 cuts the opposite way to get 16 pumpkin cheesecake bars.

To get extra clean cuts, freeze the pumpkin cheesecake and cut it slightly frozen. Cleaning your knife in between cuts always helps, too.

Use room temperature ingredients to help prevent any cream cheese lumps.