Gluten Free Pumpkin, Persimmon, Banana Bars

One of my daughters has decided to go gluten-free. It's not a medical necessity. Just a choice. In respect of her choice, I am trying to find recipes for her that she will enjoy (and because gluten free breads and desserts are so expensive at the stores)

Pinterest can be an amazing thing. Easy to categorize and share and search. Anyways....I saw a recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars and that's what inspired my version.

Btw, if you dont have a banana and a persimmon on hand....use all pumpkin as the original recipes uses. I did it the first time I made these bars and it is amazingly good.

These bars are moist and flavorful. If someone gave me one of these bars and didn't tell me, I'd have no idea that it's gluten free.

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Persimmon, Banana Bars
Printable Version

4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (or a flavorless oil of your choice)
15 oz mashed very ripe banana, pureed persimmon and canned pumpkin combined (I found that 1 banana and 1 persimmon come to about 8 oz. I added pumpkin to make up the remaining amount)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour (if you don't have oat flour, use rice flour)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup potato starch (if you don't have potato starch, use corn starch)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350' F. Grease a 13x10 baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin, banana, persimmon and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 or 3 minutes. Sift together the remaining ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour into your prepared dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool before cutting.

If you're anything like my daughter, you'll eat them as is.

If you're anything like me, you'll grab some icing and smother it before eating it as midnight snack

Note: I've done a small amount of research on oat flour. Often times it is not labeled as gluten free due to the fact that some oat flours are processed in a plant that processes wheat flours and may contain trace amounts of wheat. If this is of concern, please use an alternative flour or confirm that the oat flour you are purchasing is indeed gluten free.