Ingredients
Scale
For the crust:
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or butter), melted
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
For the filling:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan.
- For the crust: In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir until fully combined and set aside. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, applesauce, and maple syrup. Mix well before adding to oat mixture and stir until fully combined. The dough will be somewhat dense and crumbly — this is how you want it.
- For the filling: Either by hand or using a blender, combine all the filling ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Divide crust mix in half. Using a spatula or your fingers, firmly press half of the dough into the bottom of your square pan. If there isn’t enough to fully cover the bottom, add some from the mix remaining in the bowl. Pour filling over the bottom crust layer, spreading evenly. Using your fingers, crumble remaining crust mixture on top of filling, pressing down slightly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until pumpkin has set.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Keywords: baking, chocolate, healthy dessert, healthy Thanksgiving, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie bars, recipe, Thanksgiving