Pumpkin Oat Bars

It’s almost Halloween! I can’t believe how quickly 2016 has gone by. Last week, I was in London, Paris, Lucerne, and Barcelona. It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun. Our hotel in London was having a costume party on our last night… it made me miss home! Dressing up on Halloween has always been a favorite activity of mine. My sister and i have dressed up as Star Trek characters, Venus and Serena Williams, and goth biker chics (don’t ask!). Those were fun times! October is all about pumpkin. This is my second pumpkin recipe – I had to give these away to avoid eating them all! They’re moist, chewy, and full of warm pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and wholesome oats. I buy pumpkin spice from the spice aisle of the grocery store. It’s mixed in all the right proportions with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg… the smell is so enticing. These bars make a great breakfast or snack. Let me know how they turn out by tagging @thefriendlyepicurean on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Pumpkin Oat Bars

Servings: 9
Time: 40min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup rolled oats (gluten free if desired)
1.5 cups all purpose flour (gluten free if desired)
2 flax eggs (whisk together 2 tbs flax powder in 6 tbs water and let sit for 10 minutes)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup muscovado or coconut sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 cup chopped pecans plus 9 whole pecans to top

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with olive oil spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, oil, almond milk, sugar, flax eggs, and vanilla extract on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Next, mix in flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice on medium speed for another 1-2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour mixture evenly into baking pan. Bake at 350F for 24-25 minutes (a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean). Let cool for 20 minutes. Cut into 9 squares and top each square with one whole pecan.

Nutrition Information: