Salted Honey Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Bars

Baking is the best way I know to get into the Christmas mood. As soon as November rolls into December, I love putting on my favorite holiday tunes, getting the wood stove crackling hot, and getting to work on old standby recipes and adventurous new ones. Like my grandmother used to do, I love having a stash of seasonal treats in a big round lidded tin in the cupboard to use as needed.

I developed the recipe for these bars just recently because I wanted a cookie that was a bit healthier than the usual fare yet still delicious and festive. Im pleased to say that these have gotten rave reviews so far. They have only seven ingredients in total: spelt flour, coconut oil, sea salt, lemon zest, honey, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

I like this recipe because its a busy time of year and its nice to have a few easy back-pocket recipes that are quick to prepare but still elegant and gratifying. And also, not too sweet or rich.

These little bars will be appealing to some in that honey is their only sweetener and coconut oil replaces my beloved butter, which I have a little tendency to over-indulge in at this time of year (ahem). If youve ever tried my Baba au rhum or my Tourtière, youll know what I mean. So its nice to vary it up sometimes. If it wasnt for the honey, these bars would be vegan-friendly, but the honey is really what makes them so luscious!

I had actually started off with the idea of making cherry pistachio bars but I was trying to avoid the high cost of dried fruits and nuts because I wanted to make several large batches of these. Theyre nice to have on hand for friends and guests as well as for gifting. Cranberries and pumpkin seeds were a more affordable option yet still festive-colored and tasty, so I went with those instead. But you could certainly try dried cherries (or even goji berries), and pistachios instead. Anything that sticks to the red and green color theme will look great. A little citrus zest in the spelt shortbread base layer gives a sweet zing to the tastebuds and a salted honey caramel made with only honey, coconut oil, and a little salt coats the cranberries and pumpkin seeds and hardens into a sweet chewy delight. Feel free to modify the ratio of pumpkin seeds to cranberries based on your own preference. I prefer a bit more pumpkin seeds, for their crunch and to avoid an overly sweet bar.

Let me know how you like these. Enjoy this month of holiday preparations!

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards for Best Video Webcast (On Location). In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine's Best Food Blog award in the video category.