Today I am sharing the first recipe in my 4-post Thanksgiving Recipes series. Normally I share recipes that are entirely my own, but today I am sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Streusel Bars from the blog Pumpkin & Peanut Butter that I have adapted slightly (mainly modified due to the amounts of ingredients I had available to me at the time). Liz has a lot of really great recipes on her blog and I encourage you all to go check it out because I know you will love it as much as I do.
Now, on to the recipe! I am a HUGE fan of pumpkin pie. I’m really a huge fan of MOST pies, but pumpkin pie just completely gets me into the holiday spirit. These bars are a healthy twist on traditional pumpkin pie and flavor is DEFINITELY not sacrificed in any way. The crust is made from oats and pecans, so it’s very nutty and flavorful. The filling has the exact taste and consistency of pumpkin pie, but it’s made with healthier ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
These Pumpkin Oat Bars are perfect for dessert, but I had been enjoying them last week as a mid-morning snack with a cup of coffee or tea and it was something truly looked forward to each day. I’m ready to make another batch this weekend!
This time of year is full of sweat treats. You go in to work to find a big plate of cookies or other baked goods and they can be hard to resist. These Pumpkin Oatmeal Streusel Bars taste indulgent, but are made with healthy, real-food ingredients. They are a wonderful alternative to all of the white flour, butter, and sugar-laden treats of the season. Added bonus: Pumpkin Oatmeal Streusel Bars are both gluten free and vegan, so they can be enjoyed by most people. They can also be made nut-free if you omit the pecans (but don’t omit them if you don’t have to—they are delicious!
I hope you enjoy these bars as much as my does. And again—go check out Pumpkin & Peanut Butter for more amazing recipes!
NOTE: The original recipe calls for 12 servings, but I changed the serving size to 16 because that’s how I cut mine. I felt that smaller bars held together better and were satisfying enough because they are fairly thick.
Active Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 65 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
For the Oatmeal Streusel: 3 cups oats, divided 1 cup chopped pecans, divided 1 tablespoon cinnamon ½ cup coconut sugar ½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
For the Pumpkin filling: 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup full fat coconut milk ¼ cup pure maple syrup 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
For the Oatmeal Streusel: Place 1 cup oats and ½ cup pecans in a high-powered blender or food processor and pulse a few times to create a flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon, coconut sugar, salt, and melted coconut oil and mix until fully combined.
Press 2/3 of the Oatmeal Streusel mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan (reserving 1/3 of the mixture to use as topping) and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pumpkin filling.
For the Pumpkin filling: Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fully combined.
Pour the Pumpkin filling over the baked and cooled streusel crust. Bake for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining ½ cup chopped pecans to the reserved streusel and stir to combine. Sprinkle the rest of the streusel over the top of the bars and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting into 12 bars.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 246 Fat: 17g Carbs: 24g Protein: 3g Sodium: 9mg Sugar: 12g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Source: Slightly adapted from Pumpkin & Peanut Butter
