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Gingerbread is one of my seasonal favorites.
Sweet and spicy, these gingerbread bars are made with buckwheat flour, one of my favorite pseudo-grains. Despite its deceptive name, buckwheat isn’t at all related to wheat, and is actually a seed that’s loaded with protein and fiber. It’s the perfect flour alternative for those who want to remain gluten-free and nut-free, without giving up the classic baked goods we all love.
You may also know that I love sneaking an extra dose of vegetables into my baked goods whenever possible, and these spicy gingerbread bars are no exception. They feature an entire cup of zucchini, which goes undetected in taste, but adds moisture and an extra boost of vitamins in each bite.
After all, who couldn’t use an extra dose of nutrition around the holiday season?
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Gingerbread Bars (Vegan, Gluten-free)
makes one 8″ x 8″ pan
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup zucchini puree
2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds
3 Tablespoons water
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F and line an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. In a small bowl, stir together the tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water, and allow to sit for 10 minutes, until gelled together.
In the meantime, whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, including the buckwheat flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the gelled flax mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir in the melted coconut oil, zucchini puree, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well until a uniform batter is formed.
*Note: You may choose to leave the skin of the zucchini on or off, depending on how you want the final baked goods to appear. I chose to leave the skin on, for added nutrition, but there were a few green specks visible in the final result. If you want to be really sneaky, feel free to peel the zucchini first!
Transfer the batter to the lined baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until the top begins to crack and the center is firm.
Allow to cool completely, then slice into bars and serve! Feel free to top with a sprinkle of coconut sugar for presentation, if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil , melted
- 1 cup zucchini puree
- 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. In a small bowl, stir together the tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water, and allow to sit for 10 minutes, until gelled together.
- In the meantime, whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, including the buckwheat flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the gelled flax mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir in the melted coconut oil, zucchini puree, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well until a uniform batter is formed.
- Transfer the batter to the lined baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until the top begins to crack and the center is firm.
- Allow to cool completely, then slice into bars and serve! Feel free to top with a sprinkle of coconut sugar, for presentation, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
- I used Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat Flour to create this recipe, so that is the brand of flour I recommend using for best results. Other brands or homemade flours may affect the outcome.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: Are you a fan of gingerbread? Ginger cookies are my all-time favorite holiday cookie, so I’m definitely a fan of this flavor combination!
would these work well baked in a muffin tin instead? thanks!!
I subbed pumpkin for the zucchini and tapioca starch for the flaxseed. Such a great recipe!
Hi and thank you for all fantastic recipes! I wonder I you ever use buckwheat germs, or any other germ, in your bakings?
Anita from Stockholm, Sweden
I didn’t have any zucchini, but I did have a cucumber. Haha, don’t laugh. It worked. I didn’t use a full cup…it was somewhere between 3/4 and 7/8. The cup of flour was slightly heaping, as was the tablespoon of flaxmeal, to make up for the extra water content of the cucumber. Very tasty.
These are in the oven right now!! I added some nutmeg and some extra cinnamon (because you can never have too much!!) and if the finished product tastes as good as the batter did, I can’t wait!!!
These are AMAZING! I used apple sauce instead of zucchini and brown rice flour instead of buckwheat flour. Came out so delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I used 1 cup of pumpkin instead of the zucchini and it was delicious. Also did not have maple syrup, so I increased the molasses a bit and used coconut sugar.
Great, thanks for the suggestion!
Any suggestions for zucchini substitutes? I prefer to cook with the seasons and I’m not sure which fall/winter vegetable would match the consistency of the zucchini when puréed. Any ideas?
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner (Canadian) and served with home-made maple walnut frozen yogurt. It was very good! The texture was moist with a great pop of ginger and spices. You can’t even tell its good for you!
I know that buckwheat is not in the wheat family, but do you have a good suggestions for a flour to substitute for someone who is Gluten Free, Soy, Dairy, Egg Free and can’t have rice, tapioca! BTW you make awesome deserts!!! I have tried 4 so far and my kids LOVE them!