These lightened up pumpkin chocolate chip oat bars are soft, sweet, gluten-free and perfect for an anytime healthy snack!
I use pumpkin ALL year long. It's not a fall thing in our house.
I believe in seasonality, sure, but I also believe in pumpkin. And I believe I can keep my pantry stocked with cans of it so I’m never without.
I often find myself using pumpkin for oatmeal jars or pumpkin muffins -- weekly staples for my kids -- only to end up with some extra.
I cannot bring myself to throw away pumpkin, so I keep a list of all the things I have made and would like to make with pumpkin, along with how much each recipe calls for — 1 cup, ½ cup, etc.
These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are a favorite way to use up some extra pumpkin.
They're a delicious, healthy snack with oats, pumpkin, applesauce and chocolate chips. And just 1 tablespoon of butter for the whole batch.
They're easy, too - just mix the dry ingredients, the wet ingredients and put 'em together.
They are also gluten-free (be sure to use certified gluten-free oats) and can be vegan if you opt for oil and vegan chocolate chips. So everyone can enjoy these!
OK, let's get baking.
I've got a few quick recipe notes coming up below. Just tryin' to help.
If you want to go straight to the recipe, just scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is at the bottom of the post, just above the comments section.
Notes on pumpkin chocolate chip bars:
- Oat flour: You can make your own oat flour in just minutes. Measure a heaping 2 ½ cups of regular old fashioned rolled oats into a food processor or blender and pulse until the oats are ground into a flour-like consistency.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar would be fine here too.
- Spices: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 teaspoons cinnamon (instead of 1 teaspoon) and a pinch of nutmeg and cloves.
- Chocolate chips: I prefer the mini chocolate chips so they get more evenly divided in the bars and aren't a big chip to bite into.
One more thing, let's talk about how to store these.
Storage Tips:
- These bars, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- They will store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (I like storing them in the fridge for the extended shelf life and also so they don't get too soft.)
These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are so good you can open a brand new can of pumpkin for them and find another way to use the extra.
And then you’ll be in an endless loop of having extra pumpkin to make more, more, more pumpkin things.
Welcome to my world. It’s a good place to be. 😉
So whether or not it's fall, aka the time for all things pumpkin, whip up a batch of these delicious snack bars soon and snack happy.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
These lightened up pumpkin chocolate chip oat bars are soft, sweet, gluten-free and perfect for an anytime healthy snack!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups oat flour (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 heaping cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or sub canola oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients together (oat flour through chocolate chips) in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients - the pumpkin through oil or butter. Mix very well to make sure all the sugar dissolves.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir everything to combine. No worries about over-mixing here because there’s no flour/gluten to make the dough tough.
- Pour the whole thing into your baking pan. (Or most of it. There’s no egg here either so you can lick the spoon, lick the bowl, or if no one’s looking, plunge your face into the bowl!)
- Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, until done.
- Let cool for a little while in the pan before cutting into squares. Then dive in!
Notes
Oat flour: You can make your own oat flour in just minutes. Measure a heaping 2 ½ cups of regular old fashioned rolled oats into a food processor or blender and pulse until the oats are ground into a flour-like consistency.
Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar would be fine here too.
Spices: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 teaspoons cinnamon (instead of 1 teaspoon) and a pinch of nutmeg and cloves.
Chocolate chips: I prefer the mini chocolate chips so they get more evenly divided in the bars and aren't a big chip to bite into.
Gluten-free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
Vegan: Use canola oil and vegan mini chocolate chips if you need this recipe to be vegan friendly.
Storage: Once cooled, store the bars in a covered container at room temperature for up to 1-2 days. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. (I like keeping them in the fridge for the extended shelf life and so they don't get too soft.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1 large squareAmount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g
This nutrition information is for making 9 large square oat bars. You can also cut these into 12 rectangles or 16 smaller squares.
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages
I love baking with pumpkin and these bars look delicious! My girls would love them. #FFF
Kathryn
Pumpkin is the BEST! So glad it's fall and I can indulge non-stop 🙂 Hope you'll give them a try and that you and the girls enjoy!
Michelle at A Dish of Daily Life
These look like such a yummy fall treat! Thanks for sharing them with us at #FoodieFriDIY! Sharing!
Kathryn
Thanks Michelle! They are such a good little fall snack or dessert! And thanks for hosting such a yummy party 🙂
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile
Do you know that I've never made anything sweet with pumpkin before?! But you've totally convinced me with these bars. They sound great! Thanks for linking up with Fabulous Foodie Fridays!
Kathryn
Oh Lucy, you gotta do it! We are serious pumpkin lovers here (year round) and it's a great for sweets and baking because it can be used to cut down on oil/butter in a recipe - an easy, healthy swap! Hope you give these a try! XO
Lauren | The Oatmeal Artist
Hello! I’ve included this recipe in my list of oat-tastic recipes to check out in my Saturday round-up. Don’t worry: it’s simply a link that takes my readers to your fantastic blog. 🙂 Check it out! http://www.theoatmealartist.com/
Have a great weekend!
Lauren / The Oatmeal Artist
Kathryn
Thanks Lauren! We are oatmeal fanatics around here 😉 Hope you're having a great weekend!
Julie is Hostess At Heart
These bars look delicious. They may be low on the sugar but not the flavor! Your #1 fan is adorable!
Kathryn
Aww, thanks Julie! They really are SOOO good... we all are big fans here 🙂
Carlee
I think I'd be happy in your world of endless pumpkin use! these look amazing!
Kathryn
Haha, come on over Carlee! It's a good place to be, with endless pumpkin goodness 😉
Alli @ Tornadough Alli
Yum Kathryn these look so good! I too do the endless loop of the pumpkin can situation. Seriously I wish I had a recipe that used the whole can, but then it gives me an excuse to keep making pumpkin treats which I love! Thanks for sharing with us at #ThrowbackThursday!
Kathryn
It's a good "problem" to have 😉 Thanks for hosting such a yummy party, Alli! Have a great weekend!
sarah grace
umm, hello delicious! And I love how pumpkin also serves as the "oil" part in most of this recipe as well as just the main flavor 🙂 #iloveeverythingpumpkin
xo
Kathryn
Thanks Sarah! I'm with you on eating ALL.THE.PUMPKIN.THINGS - bring it on! Especially when they're nice and light like this 😉 Have a great weekend!
Sue
Could I use honey instead of brown sugar?
Kathryn
Hi Sue! You can certainly try it that way. I would recommend using a bit less - 1/4 to 1/3 cup of honey instead of the 1/2 cup brown sugar - and reducing the applesauce by 1-2 tablespoons to account for the extra liquid. Would love to hear if you try it!
Joyce
Could these be made into cookies? Maybe to avoid crumbs from little ones! 🙂
Kathryn Doherty
Hi, I think multiple changes would be needed to allow these to set up as cookies and I haven't tested them that way, so I'm not sure. Would love to hear if you try it!
Suzanne
This looks so good! What a great way to blend fall flavors with favorites!
Kathryn Doherty
They are so good! Hope you give them a try!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Kathryn Doherty
Yes, they keep for up to a week! I store them in the refrigerator after the first day or so though, so they don't get too soft.
Suzanne
This looks so good! What a great healthy snack for the whole family!
Kathryn Doherty
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they freeze well?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Vanessa! We always go through them so quickly, they never make it to the freezer. 🙂 I'm not sure the texture would stand up well to freezing and thawing, but you could certainly give it a try.
Dani
These are exactly what I was looking for, I made them yesterday and my husband is already asking for another batch! I used keto maple syrup instead of brown sugar and added cranberries and walnuts for some extra flavor and they came out perfect. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved these, Dani! Thanks so much for sharing! And thanks for sharing your substitutions, too - so helpful! 😊