Hey, hey friendly faces! Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!! Aaaaand happy Monday to everyone else. Can I interest you in a slice of leftover dessert to ease the pain of having to go back to work/school? 
Even though Thanksgiving doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal up here in Canada as it is in the States, I’m still more than happy to milk it for all it’s worth. Good food, time with the family, an extra day off. What’s not to love?! Okay, so food comas can be a serious threat, and food babies aren’t exactly the most pleasant thing either, but it’s nothing a good pair of stretchy pants can’t fix, am.I.right? 
This year (as is pretty much the case every year), I was put in charge of dessert — a task I happily accepted. I love baking, so any excuse to get my butt in the kitchen is a big win in my books. The only problem was that I had no idea what to make — none. I wanted something that screamed Thanksgiving, but neither I nor my family enjoy pumpkin pie, which is basically the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert. Since I’m pretty sure it’s all about the texture, I decided to put a twist on the traditional pumpkin pie by nixing the pie aspect completely and sandwiching the filling between two chewy oatmeal layers to offset the goopiness instead.
This is what I ended up with…
Pumpkin pie bars, with a chocolatey oatmeal crust and crumble…
Everyone knows that pumpkin and chocolate are a match made in heaven, and these bars are a perfect example of that. The first taste to hit your tongue is the sultry spiciness of the pumpkin filling, quickly followed by the rich earthiness of the cocoa — which, in addition to providing you with that beloved pumpkin-chocolate combo we all love, adds nicely to the complexity and depth of the flavour.
Can you tell that I’ve spent quite a lot of time getting up close and personal with these bars? Because I definitely have…
Thanks to some mandatory post-baking quality control taste testing and the existence of a second stomach that handles dessert, I ate more than enough of these little guys yesterday to be able to offer you a very graphic description, but I’ll do my best to keep it PG-13…
Ooey. Gooey. Spicy. Sweet. Rich. Dense. Satisfying. Intense… All of the above. And while the flavours are amazing, I have to say that my favourite part may very well be the contrasting textures. You’ve got a gooey pumpkin filling on one hand, and two chunky oat layers on the other… so, unlike traditional pumpkin pie, the goop factor is balanced out by a nice chewy crust. Perfection.
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Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 – 16 bars, depending on size 1x
Ingredients
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
If you wanted to keep things a little more traditional, you could make this recipe in a circular pan as opposed to a square one and cut it up into triangles instead. I opted to go the bar route because I have a vendetta against pumpkin pie to maintain Alright, that’s a complete lie. The truth is… I couldn’t find my pie pan (do I even have one?!) and I was due for dinner in a couple of hours, so — bars it was! Thankfully, no one seemed to mind.
I hope you guys are having a great Monday, and whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving or not, take a moment to practice some gratitude and focus on your blessings — you’ll be surprised how big of a difference it can make in your happiness.
These look awesome! I love pumpkin and I love chocolate, so I’m fairly certain I would really enjoy these. Hope you’ve had a good Thanksgiving!
next year, i’m coming to your house for thanksgiving. k? Or we can trade off Canadian then american thanksgiving
Let’s do both. I have a feeling I’ll end up celebrating again in November just so I don’t feel left out
These look great! Although, I’m a huge pumpkin pie lover so I definitely couldn’t swap out the pie for bars… But I’d happily enjoy one for breakfast or as a snack
Well you certainly solved the problem that you have with pumpkin pie! These look chewy and delicious.
My stomach was already growling before this post but now… Gah. Supper is so far away!
Fantastic pictures. The first was my favorite
wow those look mouth watering…I need some healthier recipes for this thanksgiving,. so I will definitely bookmark this one. I love the chocolate crumble topping idea, yum
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so making these. They look amazing!
Great recipe Amanda!:) I am glad you were able to be in charge of dessert so we could get ahold of this yummy recipe!:) These would even be great breakfast bars- dipped in Greek yogurt? Oh yes!:)
I am sure that this comes as no surprise, but I am in love with the sound of these bars!! I am definitely planning on making these either this month or for Thanksgiving here in the States..or for both!
I say go both — I’ll probably end up celebrating American Thanksgiving again myself
I am going to make these! They look perfect for fall. I cannot get enough orange.
Ok…. I’m so totally making these! You are my pumpkin hero.
Three things I’m thankful for? My health to get me through these rainy streaks without getting a cold, my fiance because he is always amazing, and sleep because I’m going to be needing that tonight.
Drooling over these. Yum yum yum. I do love pumpkin pie but I see what you mean about the texture thing.
I definitely have a second stomach; I rarely turn down dessert.
I’m fully convinced that I have three stomachs. One for regular food, one for sushi, and one for dessert. With the dessert stomach, no matter how full I am, I always find a little bit more space for a bite of dessert…or 3 (or 12). The sweet tooth always wins out!
And chocolate + pumpkin is a pretty fabulous combo, but you throw in oats? You genius, you. Happy Thanksgiving love! <3
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
– and I know my parents would not approve of sweet pumpkin anything. Oh well.
“Can you tell that I’ve spent quite a lot of time getting up close and personal with these bars?” -> I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t. It’s totally necessary to quality-test basically the whole batch of a newy invented baked good. And bars are SO much more up my alley than pie. Now if I could find canned pumpkin … [Homemade pumpkin puree didn’t work all that well for me in the past when it came to baking with it.] Oh, and if I had people to share these with because I can’t be trusted a whole pan of them
Three things I’m grateful for [all of the time – never mind that we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving over here]:
– my family <3
. all of my blog friends – I'm a broken record when it comes to this but: amazing!
– my health
Dessert stomaches totally exist and I think it's because you need to satisfy both your savoury [let's pretend that existed] and your sweet tooth on special occasions. So clearly all the Turkey/stuffing/gravy/what have you needs to be followed up with a sweet somethin'-somethin' to properly finish the meal.
Disapprove of sweet pumpkin treats? Say it ain’t so! Pumpkin is so perfect in desserts! I say you whip up a chocolate chip pumpkin bread and try to win your parents over
And I actually think that savoury tooths (teeth?) do exist — I’ve been craving savoury meals a lot more lately, and it’s kind of freaking me out 
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving with your family!!
As I said on your IG, these are legit genius!! They look SO good, and I can sub the egg for a chia egg and BOOM, vegan party in my mouth!!!! I would probably eat this entire tray so I may have to wait until the US Thanksgiving to share with others! HA! Happy Thanksgiving!
After a rock star race? You -totally- deserve a whole tray of these!
These are 100% fantastic Amanda… both beautiful looking and I know they are tasty. You cannot go wrong with ingredients like you have in this recipe! I am going to make these in the near future for the people I work with, and have them help me test it out… this recipe may be a welcome addition at my Thanksgiving table in November!
I hope you are having a lovely weekend celebrating
I saw these on instagram and oh my stars do they look good. I can always eat a good dessert. It exists.
Happy Canadian thanksgiving! If Canadian thanksgivings involve these pumpkin chocolate bars I want to celebrate too! These sound amazing! I hope your enjoying a wonderful day with friends and family!
The second stomach is DEFINITELY a fact. I’ll swear by it. It’s funny how you can be so stuffed at dinner you can barely look at any more food, but as soon as the desserts come out… It’s go time!
Three things I’m thankful for right now: My mom. Elmo. And being able to walk outside in this gorgeous weather even if my knee is all sorts of screwed up. I’m just thankful for being able to enjoy it at least the slightest bit.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, love!
So, as the only one that has any remote baking skills in my family, this is my job every year too. I am definitely saving this recipe, and will give you full credit if this is what I make in a month for American Thanksgiving. That looks incredible – and I’m doubly impressed that you developed the recipe! How do y’all do that?!
I do wish I had the dessert stomach, but I’ve gotten better (or is this actually getting worse?) about saving room for dessert. I will absolutely forgo my veggies for some extra chocolate after dinner. Gotta use that limited real estate wisely.
I hope you enjoyed/are enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday and the time with your family! That’s what I’m always most thankful for – those folks I call family that love me unconditionally despite all I’ve put them through. Pretty amazing what some people will put up with and still love you to pieces in the end.
Family is definitely amazing when it comes to always sticking with ya no matter what. It makes me sad to think I took ’em for granted so much when I was younger — but I love that I’ve gotten so much cloer with them as I’ve gotten older.
As for developing recipes, I guess it’s a mixture of getting inspired by others, looking at what ingredients you have or you crave, and then throwing them together and hoping for the best. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes you end up with flops… but those usually stay hush-hush
Wowee girl – I’m impressed! These look incredible! Happy Thanksgiving!
Ok, wow. Those look incredible!
Oh yum! I love the different flavors in these babies – chocolate, pumpkin, oats, spices… These might need to make an appearance at my thanksgiving in a month
As for dessert stomach, heck yes. I always have room for a little dessert, even after a ridiculously huge meal!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you!
Confession: I’ve never had the pumpkin+chocolate combination. Cue sad music here. Maybe I’ll make this or a similar dessert for our (American) Thanksgiving this year!
Never?!
I don’t want to sound all melodramatic, but… you’ve never LIVED! Chocolate chip pumpkin bread may just be one of the best fall desserts ever.
Oh YUM! These look amazing & such a great combo of Fall flavors! Happy belated Thanksgiving!
The dessert stomach is totally a fact. It can be like being 6 months pregnant….
Sounds like it was delicious! Very creative idea you came up with. And I’m sure there’s leftovers for a couple of days!
These look so good! I’m on such a pumpkin kick right now and I’ll have to give them a shot!
I am totally with your fam about the whole pumpkin pie texture thing. It’s just so… blech. I am all about fun textures, so these bars are screaming out to me, even thoughts it’s not even 6am over here. But these have oatmeal, right? Which means they’re acceptable for breakfast? Sweeeeet!
Oatmeal AND veggies — double win
Looks good
I just made your pumpkin spice muffins with chocolate filling (veganized with Earth Balance and coconut oil as well as a flax egg, and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar)…they turned out heavenly and I’m eating them for breakfast. Loving your recipes!
3 things!
My family and closest friends. My health. Our little home. =)
I am definitely going to make these at some point this fall – don’t know what our plans are for Thanksgiving yet, so these might be made for Christmas (which I think is totally acceptable!) Happy to hear you had a fantastic weekend with your family.
Awwr! I love your last thing to be thankful for
My home is definitely something that I’m always thankful to come back to.
Oh my! These bars look delicious! I think I know what I’ll be making next weekend when Vishnu’s away at a conference. And I have a second stomach for desserts too. It’s the best thing ever
These look to die for! I definitely think I have an extra stomach for dessert! It doesn’t matter how much I eat I always have room to satisfy my sweet tooth. I am so thankful for the fall weather, my sweet baby and recipes like these! Have a great day!
Happy Thanksgiving! Those bars look amazing and I definitely intend to make them – perhaps for our Thanksgiving….dessert belly never happens to me – it is the veggie belly we discussed last week that I have had enough of…my stomach is so much happier if I limit vegetables to one meal rather than twice in a day…
Amanda – LOURRVE these PG-13 reviewed, pumpkin chocolate bars – yes – pumpkin and chocolate sure are magical together! I made some very similar ones too, but I had them for breakfast
Clearly I need to take lessons from you and not have dessert for breakfast! 
Have you read “One thousand gifts” ? amazing book inspiring all levels of thankfullness – and with that – HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
Confession: I maaaaaaay have had one for breakfast this morning
And I haven’t read that book, but I’ll definitely be checking it out. Thanks Shashi!
I am convinced that you now won the award for the best pumpkin-fall-recipe. At least in my books. Oats? Chocolate? Pumpkin? You have me over girl, these are my essentials for paradise!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Amanda! You are a pumpkin baking genius!! I’m pinning these and will be making them for my Thanksgiving with my in-laws. I always make my favorite pumpkin pie dessert squares for the Thanksgiving with my parents, but I have to try your bars.
Yum! No wonder they put you in charge of dessert… happy Thanksgiving lovely xoxo
You too, Amy! Hope you’re having an awesome one and coming up with good ways to reuse turkey
these look delish! I’m not going to lie… when I read thanksgiving and then looked at the picture for some reason I thought it was a savory casserole. I’ve been up since 3:30 am though so that’s my excuse. but once I kept reading I realized I’m crazy and those look like delicious chocolate.
Drooools. Seriously, that looks like the perfect recipe! Love it. Nothing like chocolate and pumpkin fused together into one recipe.