Hi guys! Sorry about taking last week off of blogging. I was in Boston on a little vacation with some of my friends from college. We had an unbelievable time baking cookies (new recipe coming soon), exploring the North End, running around Southie, and laughing until we couldn’t anymore. Life is good!
I’ll have a recap soon of all of my Boston outings plus some favorite things of mine, too! But of course, Monday came and vacation ended. And now it’s October; I can’t believe it! I’ve been busy running outside trying to soak it all up before Minnesota weather comes swinging in with negative temperatures. Obviously since it’s been so lovely, I’ve been slacking in the baking department. Sorry about that! I’m back now… with tasty little bars. You’re excited, right?
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You should be! I’m a HUGE fan of all things pumpkin. In fact if I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would be a simple slice of warm pumpkin pie with whipped cream. That’s my heaven. Seriously pumpkin is the JAM to my peanut butter. What I really mean is that it completes me.
These bars are just as wonderful as pie in their own way. They make mornings a little brighter. Somehow they feel romantic and will definitely have your house smelling like fall.
Oh and did I mention that they’re healthy? Yes, you can totally eat them for breakfast or as a snack — there’s only 128 calories per bar and healthy ingredients, too!
How can that be? Well I made these bars based on my vegan and gluten free banana bread. It’s one of my favorite recipes on my site and I knew that I could make some tweaks to convert it into an amazing healthy bar. Usually you can sub pumpkin for bananas in recipes with ease; just make sure you account for any sweetness that may be removed.
To ensure this recipe was gluten free, I used gluten-free oats to make oat flour (listed in the instructions). Making oat flour one of the easiest things to do, and especially wonderful if you are gluten free! Oats hold a ton of moisture and provide healthy carbs — so eat up!
Secondly, I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips to keep the recipe vegan-friendly. However if you aren’t vegan, regular mini chips will work just fine!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I’ve been working hard to create better for you treats and snacks! So of course… more coming soon!
More healthy bar recipes to try:
Pumpkin Pie Bars with Brown Sugar Oatmeal Crust (gluten & dairy free)
Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars with Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Crust
Coconut & Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Pumpkin Bars
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars {vegan and gluten free}
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten free oats
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or sub 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive or melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make oat flour: Place oatmeal into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. You may need to stop blender and stir oats a couple of times to ensure that all oats have been blended.
- Measure out just 2 1/2 cups of the oat flour and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, salt and spices; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla extract, oil, and applesauce for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy.
- Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Timing will depend on what size pan you use, but definitely check around 15 minutes. Once finished baking, cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Cut into 16 slices.
Have a look at this – did you know you can make brownies from courgettes and icing with advocado!!!
My dish came out dry and flat and tasteless. Not a keeper??
Mine turned out the same. Awful.
Based on the most recent comments I increased the Apple sauce and oil by 50% as well as the chocolate chips. Very tasty! Also used an 8 by 8 Pan which resulted in a more cake like texture.
I also used an 8×8 pan, turned out cakey as well! So good, too. I wasn’t sure about chocolate and pumpkin but it was a really good combo. Also, I subbed applesauce for maple syrup because that’s what I had around. Still yummy, not sure if that effected the texture at all
Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Boston. I’m from Canada but Boston is probably my favourite US city, love it there! Now as for these bars, how can you turn down a treat with pumpkin and chocolate?? You can’t!
A perfect fall recipe! Love it!
Did you use GF old fashion rolled outs or GF quick cooking oats?
Gluten Free rolled oats. 🙂
Once ground into flour it doesn’t matter which one you start with. Quick cook are “pressed/cut” to smaller/thinner pieces before sale.
Love all things pumpkin! And chocolate:). So excited to have you back! Pinning and on my weekend baking list!
Monique- your recipes are so wonderful and creative. I always look forward to your new posts! So many of your creations have now become weekly staples in my home. Thank you!!!
Love that these bars are healthy and full of flavor! They seem like a great treat!
These look wonderful! What kind of oats do you recommend? Do you think Quick oats are okay, or do you recommend something heartier?
Well, you’ll be making oat flour so I recommend using rolled oats. Quick oats would probably work fine though!
It’s amazing you got so much texture, flavor, gooeyness, and just good stuff packed into such a healthy treat. Pinned!
Thanks! 🙂
FYI for anyone who frequents Trader Joe’s … they sell gluten-free oats! Not the quick kind. ;o)
They look delish. Sounds like you had a great break too.
Recipe left out when to add cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves. Just add to dry ingredients at the same time as salt. 🙂 They are baking right now and smell divine. I love pumpkin as much as Monique- yummy fall!
Thanks for catching this. It’s fixed now! 🙂
Awesome. The family LOVED them. My almost 10 year old decided he wants me to make this recipe for his birthday cake! Thanks for your blog- it’s totally fantastic & scrumptious.
And FYI, I used steel-cut organic oats (all I had on hand) from Trader Joe’s and they made gorgeous oat flour!
Can I just use oats vs oat flour ?
i notice that we measure out just 2 1/2 cups of the oat flour, what do i do with the other 1/2 cup? did i miss it?
Hi Pamela! You'll simply have a little extra oat flour lefttover. Three cups of oats make about 2 1/2 cups of oat flour. Hope that helps!
Yes confusing Pam but I think it's because 3 cups of oats will not turn into exactly 21/2 cups of flour but that's all they want you to put into the recipe or want to make sure you put in only that amount in the recipe.
Do you think I could make this with gluten free all purpose flour? (Namaste brand) I don't have gluten free oats on hand…
Ummmm… yes please! These look absolutely incredible. Quite possibly the yummiest thing I’ve seen in a while. And I love that they’re healthy! Beautiful recipe, gorgeous photos!
HOLY SMOKES! That looks unbelievably scrumptious!!! I’m salivating!
These bars looks irresistable! I need them, stat!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This was by far the BEST snack I've made in a long time! I measured just slightly under 3 cups of rolled oats (that's all I had) and when blended in the food processor it measured 2 1/2 cups of flour perfectly! We can't stop eating them in our house 🙂
hoooly cow these look amazing…love the ingredients list! I’m bringing a dessert to a dinner on Friday night and I think this may need to be it!
U can use the oat flour as an add in to smoothies
Can we use the oats whole, as they come or does grinding them up help the bars stick together?
Can we use the oats whole, as they come or does grinding them up help the bars stick together?
I haven’t tried them whole, but I recommend making oat flour as it really has an amazing texture!
Thanks, they are in the oven right now…. next time i will try whole oats and will let you know how they come out… I love chewy textures also!
I need these in my life, like now! They look absolutely delicious.
You would love them!
These are delicious!! The completely satisfied my sweet tooth and were filling enough that I was totally satisfied. My first pumpkin recipe of the season and I’m VERY excited to make more. Love pumpkin and love these. I actually put them in a muffin tin instead and it was fantastic.
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try! I love all things pumpkin. Glad you had a good time in Boston. I grew up there and miss it terribly.
How about just using pumpkin from the garden? (Not sure if there’s ‘extras’ in canned pumpkin!)
Canned pumpkin only contains 100% pumpkin (unless you purchase canned pumpkin PIE filling, but this recipe doesn’t call for that)
Do you think you can sub some of the almond flour for some of the oat? I wonder if it would make the texture more dense, but I love using almond flour and always looking for new ways to incorporate it into recipes.
Thanks!
I actually substituted 1/2 C of oat flour with almond flour, and added an egg so that it’s not too dense. It gave it a slightly more cake-like, less oatmeal-like texture. I liked it a lot, even better than the initial recipe which I used the first time.
These are great! I made them this morning and they have been a huge hit!
DELICIOUS! I just blogged about this recipe over at Lou Lou Ingredients! Love your blog 🙂
These turned out wonderfully! Thank you for the lovely (healthy!) recipe 🙂
Most of the recipes I have say to pack the cup with brown sugar. I hated to “assume” that this was the case. Do I need to pack it or just lightly spoon it into the measuring cup? This recipe looks fabulous and pumpkin is my second favorite flavor after cranberries. 🙂
Your pictures are amazing! I shared on all my sites – told them to come just for the pictures!
Thank you!
Is the applesauce crucial, or can I make it all pumpkin?
I’m also curious about this. Made a special stop at the store for pumpkin just to make these and completely forgot the applesauce. Is it necessary?
Yes, I think so. Although you could probably sub with oil! 🙂
We made a double batch of these tonight and they were awesome! The second batch went to the freezer.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
I guess the answer to my question is no, don’t pack the brown sugar?????
I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to respond to you right away. Yes, pack the brown sugar.
These look heavenly. I just recently made a vegan dessert, first time, because we gave up wheat, sugar and dairy for a bit. It was so good, that I am now on the lookout for other sweets that can be made along those lines. Cannot wait to try these out.
Do you think I could replace the dark brown sugar with date puree as a sweetener?
Can mashed, ripe banana substitute for the applesauce?
I’m not sure; I haven’t tried it. If you do, let me know!
These look so delish!! I am totally passing them on to a friend who has an egg-allergic little boy. I think I will sub coconut oil for the applesauce to make ’em a little richer 😉 Gluten-free recipes are always iffy for me (since I don’t avoid gluten but like the idea of something made with different flours for people I know who are + like, the entire population of our CrossFit gym 🙂 and I can’t wait to try these!!
YUM! I have made THREE batches of these bars ( I have shared some ). They are great. I eat plant strong so left out the oil – and they were still fantastic. MAKE THIS!
Looks yummy!
It will definately make it heavier and much moister…… try stevia…its natural and very sweet!
Jus made these and they are Delicious!!!! Eating them right now still warm! Thnx for this wonderful recipe!!
These look delish although I’m sure I’m missing the pumpkin factor as image Australian (I’ve never had a pumpkin dessert before!) I disagree with the your promotion of these being healthy though, yes it doesn’t have any butter but it does have sugar from the dark brown sugar and choc chips so I’d probably consider them a healthy-er treat. And the calorie count doesn’t matter either, nutrients over calories any day!
Hi Mariam — I appreciate your comment, but would say that they are still healthier then most desserts as they contain whole grain oats which boost the fiber and protein. The chocolate chips add a tad of sweetness — if you are worried about sugar then you can switch to an all natural sugar or perhaps even cut down but that’s up to you.
Can we substitute brown sugar with coconut sugar?
Yes that will work!
Do you have to blend the oats & can you use quinoa flakes instead of oats?
Only 128 calories per bar?! I am impressed- these look SINFUL and so delicious! Pinning and sharing on my Facebook page tomorrow! 🙂
I made these yesterday with chopped dark chocolate caramel sea salts instead of chocolate chips and they are amazing!! Next time I will use cocoa nibs for a less sweet version. I will be making these again and again – thank you!!
Good Idea , I'm not vegan but my friend is ..
Oh my goodness, these healthy bars look amazing!! I love all pumpkin treats and even more when they’re healthy.
So I’ve tried these twice now and they are delicious!!!! But mine don’t look anything like your pictures. It seems more like bread (like zucchini or banana bread). I just used gluten free oat flour instead of grinding oats…. could that be it? I love them anyway, I’m just curious about why they look so different.
Made these this morning! Came out awesome!
Your posts of your GF goodies always make me so hungry! This one especially, I love pumpkin!
These just came out of the oven and they are delicious! Looks just like your photos – great recipe! I’ve made your banana oatmeal breakfast cookies as well and they are delish – so easy too! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes – I’m a dietitian and personal chef so it’s nice to be able to get such good inspiration for healthy dishes for my family and clients 🙂 Keep up the good work!
~Whitney (www.ditkfood.com)
Delicious!! I made these tonight and plan on making a second batch soon.
I'm wondering how adding some peanut butter would work? A little bit of extra protein and flavour but might be too much?
Your recipe calls for a can of pumpkin, but doesn’t say what size can. I have a 29oz can but that seems like it might be too much pumpkin. Can you please let me know exactly how much pumpkin? Thank you!
The recipe calls for 1 cup of canned pumpkin — so 1 cup of pumpkin.
I have made 4 batches of these, but I have gotten a different result each time, and I have a feeling it has to do with the amount of oat four I put in. Could you please tell me if you just pour the oat flour into the measuring cup, or if you pack it into the measuring cup? It seems to make a difference to the consistency of the bars. I used pre ground gluten free oat flour. By the way, my boyfriend said this is the best tasting dessert he has ever eaten in his entire life, and he’s really picky!
I usually just pour it in or scoop like regular flour. You never ‘pack’ flour.
This is a good breakfast substitute for regular bowl of oatmeal, really filling!
I just made this today and they are A-MA-ZING!!!! My kids LOVED them!!!
Hi Monique!! I think I’m doing something wrong with these bars. I made them the first time and while they looked amazing, they had a really strong after-taste (kind of metallicy/soapy). I studied the recipe and realized I hadn’t used aluminum-free baking powder. So I made them again, this time using the right baking powder. Again they looked amazing but had the SAME aftertaste. I really want to love these….do you have any idea on what I’m doing wrong? I feel like I’m a bit crazy, but I swear I’m following the recipe exactly, except for spraying my pan with coconut oil spray (I’ve thought about that and don’t think this step would yield the result I’m getting).
I’m going to give them one last go…but I thought I’d see if you had any thoughts on what might cause this?? Thanks!
Hi! Are you baking at an high altitude?
We are at about 3200 feet. Just below the ‘high altitude’ designation on most baking instructions.
Hi Monique, I love your recipes by the way & am excited to try this one. Do you think I could sub maple syrup or honey for the brown sugar? and if so how much? ps. I am at a high elevation, do
you have any suggestions ?
Sorry for the late response! I think you could do honey or maple syrup. I would try 1/4 cup of either as they tend to be sweeter than sugar. Hope this helps!
I’ve got these bars in the oven and they smell delicious! I’m a little confused as to the batter consistency though. In the recipe it says to “pour the batter into the pan”. That would suggest a liquid consistency. Mine was more of a cookie dough texture. I ended up just pressing the dough into the pan as is. I checked the recipe multiple times and I had the measurements correct. Is that how the texture is supposed to be?
Just made these and they turned out great! Even my dad who doesn’t like the “healthy weirdo crap” I make liked them! haha Thanks for the recipe!
I made these yesterday and they are amazing!! I was so impressed. And so simple too! My 1 and 2 year old both loved them too! Thanks for a great recipe!
Made these today & they are great! Is there a peanut butter version?
Amazing! I made these and everyone loves them! So easy!!
Hi-I would like to design posts like these. What is your platform that you use to create your posts?
I have made these twice already! Turned out fabulous. Only thing I do differently is increase the nutmeg and cloves to 1/4 tsp of each, and since I use a 9×11 pan, add extra chocolate chips so every slice gets some. These gluten free dairy free egg free babies = fabulous. Even my non-gluten free coworkers were raving about them!
these are really good, thanks!
Hi! I’m gluten free and I love pumpkin. Do I have to blend the oats. I like the chewiness of oatmeal cookies and was thinking of not blending them. Your thougnts?
I’m not sure! I think it would probably work and just end up being like baked pumpkin oatmeal (OMG YUM). I have a recipe coming for that soon and it’s gluten free 🙂
This was my very first gluten-free baking experience and i was impressed! I will increase the spice next time. Thanks for a great, easy recipe!
These are AWESOME. I don’t like things super sweet so used date sugar instead of brown and cut up a 90% dark chocolate bar for the chips. They stayed moist for a long time even in the fridge and were the perfect afternoon work snack. Thank you!!
I just made these and I added 1/2 cup of quinoa flakes because I ran out of oatmeal… totally light and fluffy!! They taste delicious, but next time, I'll make sure I use the 3 cups oatmeal.
I love your blog!!
These are absolutely AMAZING! They were so yummy and easy to make! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Nom Nom!!!
I don't have access to canned pumpkin – would steamed/drained & mashed work?
This sounds delicious! I still have a pumpkin to bake and a jar of apple sauce in the fridge waiting for the perfect occasion. But, tomorrow is gingerbread cookie time. It is ready to be mixed in the morning and owing to the kindness of a good fairy, I have molasses again. 🙂
No one asked my opinion of course… I wanted this type of recipe, but I wanted cookies, and I wanted to use a banana. So I did both! I am NOT an experimenter when it comes to recipes. I had no idea how long to bake of course, so started with 10 min and used my smallest cookie scoop. I get more cookies out of a recipe that way, and it is just a touch of a treat, rather than too much of an indulgence (for me). I try for portion control a lot. Anyway, they turned out good. I cut back a tiny bit on the brown sugar (1/3 cup), and used probably 1/4 cup of choc-chips. We use homemade vanilla which is stronger than store-bought, so I always use half what a recipe calls for. My 4 yr old daughter and I split a cookie after they had cooled 2-3 min, and they were just fine. Most people would probably want to go back up to 1/2 cup of brown sugar, but I'm trying so hard to cut down – I just want a hint, not overwhelming. I'm sure 1/2 cup wouldn't have been overwhelming, but this was just enough, at least for 2 of our family of 5. Remains to be seen how the other 3 will react. I also saw someone else recommended increasing the spices a bit, so I did that as well. Very glad for this recipe, even if I did change it a tiny bit.
Opps. I didn’t read it correctly and accidentally used a whole 16 oz can of pumpkin! Still came out okay!
Heve you ever tried palm sugar (coconut palm sugar) in your recipes in place of regular brown sugar or white sugar in order to reduce the gycemic index? Just thinking about substituting….
maybe if you use ripe banana it would be sweeter or try unsweetened apple sauce instead of the pumpkin
I made these strict to the recipe minus the chocolate and my kitchen smelled like pumpkin pie. I was so excited. But when I tried it, it tasted incredibly bland 🙁 should I add more spices next time or what would you suggest?
were they pretty bland for you as well?
Hi there – I made these last night and they turned out AMAZING. Do you mind if I use your recipe on my blog to talk about them? I would link back to this page, and write a disclaimer that I got my recipe from you. Thanks for the great treats!
Sure! Go ahead – I just prefer if you left the instructions out or write them in your own words! 🙂 Thanks – so happy you liked them!
These were good. Mine weren’t as ooey gooey as yours [look] but they were very good, just cake like. My husband really liked them.
Have baked these several times. This time I added 2 eggs. Soft and delicious. Also baked as muffins so I added chocolate chips to some and some I just added walnuts. My whole family loves them. I also increased the spices. We like lots of cinnamon.
These look gorgeous! Perfect snack. ♥
Good morning these look amazing. I would like to make them with a bit more protein. Would some protein power be OK to add?
I know this is late, but I did the coconut sugar and they were delicious!
Came out so good!!!
I need to make these bars – I’ve never been much of a “bar” maker but I know my kids would appreciate these!
My bars came out really dry, definitely not as moist as yours look in the picture 🙁 Any suggestions? I only used 2 1/2 cups of the flour too!
Just pulled these out of the oven. They’re decent but mine turned out a bit dry. I kept them in the oven for 15 minutes. I also added an extra tablespoon of chocolate chips sprinkled on top for a little bit more sweetness.
I think I figured it out. I think I used the wrong size pan. I used a 13×9 so thats probably why theyre so dry. Bummer. I was a little confused by your pan options listed.
You can use a 9 inch pan and you should be fine! Sorry for the confusion!
I am always experiementing with different healthy dessert recipes I find through instagram accounts and blogs. I don’t usually leave comments but I had to for these!
These bars are SO good! I am not vegan so I used 2 eggs instead of the applesauce, only because I had no applesauce on hand. I also used closer to 2/3 cup chocolate chips. These are not super sweet, but so moist! I want to share them so I don’t eat them all myself but at the same time don’t want to share at all!! These will be a staple for me when I need a sweet treat.
Does anyone happen to know the nutritional value for the original recipe?
Hi Christina! The nutrition information is at the bottom of the post. 🙂
These bars look absolutely delicious. I’m curious as to whether or not they freeze well (I would like to freeze some so that I don’t end up eating the whole pan in one day!)
Hi Jillian! I think they would freeze very well!
My kids have many food allergies but gluten isn’t one of them. Were just trying to get more oats in our diet. The first time I made it just as recipe stated. Delish. Then the second time around we turned them into cookies. My kids couldnt stop eating them (me neither lol)! We’ve also left out the applesauce if we don’t have it and do more pumpkin or banana I’ve even tried pureed pears solo good. Thanks for a recipe that will be in our family forever!
I made these bars this morning and they are amazing! I used 1 TB of pumpkin pie spice rather than the three listed in the recipe. Will definitely make them again.
How much calories if the pumpkin is not used?
What do you do with the remaining 1 half cup of oat flour
Hi just wondering if anyone has tried using another type of flour like coconut or tapioca?
Try these: http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2015/09/chocolate-chip-coconut-flour-pumpkin-bars/
Can you substitute the dark brown sugar with coconut sugar?
Yes, you definitely can!
Can you make these with either millet or coconut flour? I also have Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour. Thanks
I made them this morning, and they are AWESOME!! For those who were wondering, I was lazy and made them with reg whole rolled oats, and they turned out just fine! Maybe just a bit more chewy. I used the full 3 cups, and it is still moist and thick. 🙂 Love it!
Happy you liked them, Heidi!
I made these 2 nights ago and it is amazing. It came out like bread since the pats were ground to flour but that’s fine. Next time I will use atleast some whole oats. I am not vegan/GF so I beat an egg and mixed in maybe half. I didn’t have applesauce or coconut oil so I didn’t use either. I can’t imagine ever baking with olive oil so that was not an option but these were great. I also got 25 bars out of it so I froze many! I’m thrilled and will make again when I need to replenish the stock. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, for those who are not in the US and don’t find canned pumpkin in their supermarkets, what is it like? Is it cooked? How do I obtain the same result starting from fresh pumpkins? Thank you
How much pumpkin pie spice would use instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove? I have some that I’d like to use up 🙂
I would like to try the recipe using fresh pumpkin. Do i have to mash it to get 1 cup of pumpkin?
I love that these aren’t too sweet (even though my chocolate-loving husband wants them sweeter!) We just added extra chocolate chips to his half. 🙂 I do recommend blending only half of the oats if you’re like me and you prefer meatier-textured bars. Also, use extra, extra, extra spice! I’ll definitely have to try this with fresh pumpkin, sweet potatoes or some other sweet gourd the next time I have them hanging around. I bet these would be delicious with butternut squash! Great recipe idea!
These are delicious! I just baked these…. i actually made them in a muffin tin because I don’t have an 8 x 11 baking dish — still they turned out amazing! My family loves them. Thank you for the wonderful recipe… I LOVE that they are oil-free!!!
I wanted to love these. I REALLY wanted to love them–after all what is better than pumpkin and chocolate and oats? But they were so dry. Like incredibly dry. I baked them for just 15 minutes. Pulled them out of the oven, tested with a knife and it came out still gooey. So I put them back in for 5 more minutes. Then I just took them out because I could see they looked super dry. They were. Like sawdust. I am SO sad. I followed the recipe to a T so I am not sure whats up. Maybe it needs more liquid or oil?
Is there anyway of knowing a estimate of how much a serving should weigh?
Love, love, LOVE these! I have gallstones and have been forced to covert to all things gluten, dairy, and fat-free. I have been trying to find healthy breakfast/snack alternatives that the whole family could enjoy and stumbled across this on Pinterest. I figured I would give it a whirl since we love all of the ingredients on their own. They were gone the next day. My 8 y/o daughter and 4 y/o son DEVOURED them and have requested that I remake them since then. They are in the oven as we speak and my son is patiently waiting for the timer to go off. Thank you so much for this recipe, now I don’t feel like I am missing out on all of the fabulous desserts of the season and I don’t feel guilty afterwards!
I just made these with (accidentally) the entire can of pumpkin and they came out SOOOOO YUMMMMMMY. It’s more like a very soft cake than a bar, but delicious. I also used 1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend vs. the dark brown sugar. Definitely a keeper!
What can you substitute for the applesauce?
i don’t think you’d want to sub the applesauce… it’s makes it moist. You won’t taste the applesauce… it’s just a non-fat substitute for oil. I’ve made this recipe numerous times.. I always omit the 1Tbsp of added oil and just add a little bit more pumpkin puree. If you’re into the oil-free, low-fat lifestyle… this is a great recipe.
So so so good! I have to restrain myself from eating the whole pan in one sitting ?
Just finished making these. Even though I didn’t use gluten-free ingredients, and forgot the Oil, my husband and son loved them & so did I.
These were delicious!!!!! Very moist.
So glad you enjoyed!!
Hi, I just wanted to clarify if these should be made in an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan, or a larger rectangular one? Thanks so much, I’m looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving and finally having a vegan, GF dessert I can enjoy!
Hi Sara! A 9-inch square baking pan should work great. Enjoy!!
I made these back in 2013 so I’m not sure how that could be!
Aside from freezing them, how long do they stay good and should they be refrigerated?
They should stay good for about 3 days on the counter, or you can refrigerate them for about 1 week!
Any advice on making these with preground oat flour? I tried these with some I purchased and liked the taste but it looked nothing like the picture texturewise (instead of dense and gooey it was more breadlike) and took longer to cook. I’m guessing maybe it’s because the preground flour is much finer exactly like all purpose than when I’ve tried grinding them myself and is possibly a higher quantity than the courser home ground oats? So long story short if using preground oat flour do you think I’d need to add less to get the same results as the picture? Thank you so much I’m looking forward to trying them again with better results! 🙂
I really enjoy these with a cup of milk, and my husband with a cup of coffee, but I think they’d be a bit dry on their own, esp. after the first day. The flavor is great, and I’ll definitely make again! I have made these twice, most recently this month.
I would double check your liquid to dry ratios here! I’ve found that these stay nice and moist.
These turned out great; loved them & will make them again for certain!
So happy to hear that!
I followed the recipe exactly and mine came out really cakey and dry? I was hoping for the gooey texture like the photo. Kinda bummed.
Weird, I’ve never had that issue. Did you perhaps overbake them?
I made these bars for my book club Christmas Cookie Exchange. I will say these bars were awesome👍 I did bake them for the full amount of time an after cooling I placed in the refrigerator, next morning I cut into 20 bars, was perfect, everyone loved them. I would definitely make these again!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
So sorry I didn’t take an pic’s😞
Next time I will👍😉💕
Amazing! So happy to hear that Kathleen.
If using purchased oatflour how much should be used (as it is much finer than homemade)?
I would suggest 2 1/2 cups oat flour.
making your own oat flour is amazing!
Monique, what ingredients did you use for the picture of your recipe? The applesauce, melted butter or coconut oil? I would like the result to be more like a brownie. I noticed some comments said the texture is more cake like. I don’t really care for cake and prefer to have a more dense texture.
Hi! I used applesauce when I tested these. Let me know how you like them!
Looks like this recipe calls for 3 c oats but I only see 2.5 c used? Where does the extra 1/2 cup oats go?
The 3 cups of oats are used to make oat flour, and then with the way they’re reduced after processing you’ll just need 2 1/2 cups of the oat flour.
Mine looks nothing like the photo but what a yummy, healthy treat! Will definitely be making these again. Thank you!!
I followed the recipe exactly and they were great! It is a cross between a brownie and granola bar. So gooey yummy.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
My 4th recipe so far for pumpkin week… made exactly as is except 2 1/2 cups store-bought oat flour instead of grinding my own, and added a whole apple to mix in. So good!! Thank you, I am excited to try more this week…
I have loved all of your recipes, but not sure about this one. I made exactly as above, but they came out sponge-like. Your picture looks amazing, but mine were pretty dense. I baked for only 15 minutes. Suggestions?
this is definitely an older recipe that is likely going to need some retesting! so sorry you didn’t like the result, I’ll be sure to retest in the near future and update 🙂
These turned out so well – delicious & hearty, but still definitely sweet enough for a treat. I subbed in 1/2 a cup of whole wheat flour for the oat flour because I didn’t blend enough oat flour, and it worked perfectly. I did 1/4c brown sugar and 1/4c coconut sugar, and added some of a chopped up super dark chocolate bar along with the chips, which I would recommend. I used 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices and it was the right amount for a nicely spiced bar. I topped with flaky sea salt – also highly recommended. Baked in an 8X8 lined with parchment for 25 min & they came out soft and chewy, but completely baked – sort of the texture of a brownie on the cakier side. Really good. I will definitely be making again.
I’m glad that worked out well! Perfect treat 🙂
Looking forward to making this recipe as a back-to-school treat (I’m a teacher and we need BTS treats too! Lol). The recipe says to use 3 cups of oats to make the oat flour, but only measure out 2.5 cups of oat flour. What do you do with the rest of the oat flour? Did I miss something?
Sorry! My iPad showed 0 comments earlier, but as soon as I posted my question they all appeared and I see my question was already answered. Thanks!
No worries, glad you found the answer! 🙂
I didn’t see any comments either! Until, after I posted a comment. It would’ve been helpful because a lot of times I look at the comments first to see what people who have made the recipe say. Wonder if this is just a glitch
still making these every fall since I found this recipe 7 years ago!
😍 LOVE THAT!! I need to make these again soon!
Bummed I didn’t read the reviews first. Chewy and flat, pretty flavorless and I doubled the spices. Won’t repeat
Really sorry to hear you didn’t love these! You might like these pumpkin oatmeal cups more–they’re a newer recipe!
These were OK. I followed the recipe with the exception of using olive oil and I added some dried cranberries. They need something. The flavor is kind of bland. They do seem healthy though.
It’s okay. Mine was moist and cake like but on the bland side. I would suggest using more spice, also I used dark chocolate but I think semi sweet or milk chocolate would have been better.
Sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out as you had expected. There are lots of different spices in this recipe so I am not sure what could’ve gone wrong.
I’ve made these on repeat every fall for the last several years. My toddler is absolutely obsessed with them (as am I)! Two very important notes: 1) Bake in an 8×8, not 9×9. They’re better when thicker. 2) UNDERBAKE THEM. Trust me. Over baking is what makes them dry and tasteless, I learned the hard way. There’s no egg or flour in them so you’re not looking at salmonella risk for underbaking. Just do it. 15 minutes, 16 max. I promise.
While I tried to increase the flavour with additional spices this bar turned out relatively tasteless with a gluey texture. I like the recipes on this site but this one was a disappointment.
I love the delicate crumb and pumpkin flavor of these bars!