Description
These bars are not fancy, elaborate or decadent. They’re a basic, healthy, wholesome snack made with just 4 simple ingredients. For more of a treat, add chocolate chips and walnuts!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) rolled oats
- 1 cup tightly packed (225 g) pitted dates
- 1 cup (250 g) pure pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
Optional Ingredients
- for additional sweetness, add 2 tbsp maple syrup, agave or coconut sugar, or a pinch of stevia or stevia drops to taste (see notes)
- 1/4–1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate
- 1/4–1/2 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces
Instructions
- Place the dates in a bowl, pour hot water over them and let sit for 15 minutes then drain well.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the soaked and drained dates, oats, spice and pumpkin to a food processor and process to combine into a thick, doughy batter. About 20-30 seconds should do the trick.
- If adding additional ingredients like chocolate chips or walnuts, add them now and pulse a few times to distribute throughout the dough.
- Lightly spray a 7-8 inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper then firmly press the dough into the pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes then let then cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Slice into 16 bars and carefully lift out the pan with a knife.
- Let cool completely before storing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice use 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. No worries if you’re missing one, just add a little extra cinnamon.
These bars aren’t super sweet as is but I think they’re sweet enough. It depends how much of a treat you want them to be. Add 2 tbsp maple syrup (or other listed sweetening option) or up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips to make them more of a treat. As an alternative to chocolate chips, add a layer of chocolate on top like these banana baked oatmeal bars.
The texture of these bars is like soft, baked oatmeal. I like adding walnuts for some extra crunch and texture.
Nutrition facts do not include any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 99
- Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.3 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 2.3 g