Homemade Pumpkin Granola Bars
These homemade pumpkin granola bars are made from real food ingredients like oats, dates, maple syrup and real pumpkin. They have a delicious maple cream cheese icing on top that adds a touch of sweetness without overloading on sugar.
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
- Unbleached parchment paper
- 1 Cookie sheet or baking sheet
- 1 Silicone spatula
- 1 Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife
Ingredients
For The Bars
- 2 cups organic oats
- 1/2 cup pitted medjool dates about 5 large dates
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 1/3 cup filtered water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For The Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 tsp real maple syrup
- 1-2 tbsp milk as needed for consistency
- 1 tsp coconut oil helps with stickiness once the bars cool
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350.
- Combine 1 cup of the oats, and the remaining bar ingredients in your food processor or blender. Blend everything until smooth.
- Add the remaining cup of oats to the bar mixture, and blend until smooth.
- Spread the pumpkin granola bar dough onto your prepared pan and parchment paper. You can use a silicone spatula to spread it out – wet the spatula often to prevent sticking. Make a large rectangle that is about 1/3″ thick.
- Bake the pumpkin bars for 20 minutes.
- Allow the bars to cool for 10 minutes or so, while you prepare the maple cream cheese icing.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream cheese, maple syrup, coconut oil, and 1 Tb of milk. Stir continually and add more milk if the mixture is too thick.
- Cut the bars into 12 equal pieces, and drizzle the icing over them with a spoon.
- Once completely cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, or freeze for 3 months.