These easy homemade Chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars are a healthy snack, a grab and go breakfast, or even dessert, just add ice cream!
I love autumn, the colors, the flavors, the weather. (Okay, well, since we live in sunny Southern California we don't get a lot of the weather, but we do get some of it.) With a good imagination it is easy to slip into the feelings of fall while enjoying all things pumpkin.
And you know I love to bake! So, I wanted to bake something pumpkin-y, but not a pie, because, well, I will eat a pumpkin pie in one sitting! It needed to be semi-healthy but also yummy, so I decided to make Pumpkin Granola Bars.
Why should I make Pumpkin Granola Bars?
These bars are Gr8 because they can be a breakfast on the go, a healthy after-school snack, or top them with a scoop of ice cream for dessert! (Then they're not quite as healthy! insert winking emoji here.)
Make a double batch and freeze some for later, or send them to school with your kids, or take them as a hostess gift.
Other Pumpkin Recipes
Do you love all the pumpkin recipes? Here are some of our favorites:
- Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze
- Roasted Pumpkin Olive Oil Quick Bread
- Spicy Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Pie Crunch Dessert
- Perfectly Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats, make sure they are gluten free if you have a sensitivity
- 3 Tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted
- 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin, or fresh pumpkin pulp if you have it!
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional, the chocolate makes the bars a little gooey, yummy, but gooey! If you are dairy free, make sure you have dairy free chocolate chips.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper so the edges overhang the sides. Alternatively, butter the pan.
- Mix together the oats, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl blend the pumpkin, honey, vanilla and egg until completely incorporated.
- Add the oat mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
- If using, add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly combined.
- Press this mixture into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges start to brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
- Grabbing the edges of the parchment, carefully lift and set onto the cooling rack.
- Cool for another 30 minutes and carefully cut into 12 bars.
Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think!