Pumpkin Granola Bars with Pecans & Chocolate

Deliciously soft & chewy, pumpkin granola bars with pecans & chocolate. Vegan, gluten free & perfect for Fall!

And so the pumpkin recipes begin!

I have a few awesome pumpkin themed recipes planned, and this is the first.
In case you haven’t gathered, I am a massive pumpkin fan. There is just something about their cute pudginess that makes me smile.

I love going to the local pumpkin patch to pick my pumpkins. Pumpkins as far as the eye can see in all directions! My son is past wanting to decorate pumpkins for Halloween, and in his words wouldn’t be seen dead at a pumpkin patch so I tend to go alone, or drag my poor husband along for company.

I will never be too old for pumpkins!

Once I have my pumpkin stash, I tend to make my own puree as I need it. I literally just cut my pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and place the two halves face down on a baking sheet covered with either baking parchment or a Silpat. I then roast on 380 until soft. Once the pumpkin has cooled down I scoop out the soft flesh and store it in mason jars in the fridge until it is needed. If you can’t be bothered to do this then canned puree works just as well in this recipe.

These Pumpkin Granola Bars with Pecans & Chocolate are deliciously soft and chewy. The crunchy pecans add great texture and the flavour goes so well with pumpkin. The bars themselves aren’t too sweet so if you decide to make them without the chocolate then you might want to add a little more sugar (1 -2 tablespoons more max). With the added chocolate drizzle the balance of sweetness is perfect.

I would love to hear what you think of these Pumpkin Granola Bars with Pecans & Chocolate so please leave your comments below. If you are on Instagram feel free to share your pictures with me (@avirtualvegan). I love to see your versions of my recipes. Add the hashtag #avirtualvegan so I don’t miss them!

Pumpkin, Pecan & Chocolate Granola Bars

Deliciously soft & chewy, chocolate drizzled pumpkin & pecan granola bars. Vegan, gluten free & perfect for Fall!

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Course: Snacks

Cuisine: gluten-free, oil-free, vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves: 10 bars

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 180g | 2 cups rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds (you could sub these for chia seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (see recipe notes)
• 40g | 1/3 cup pecan nuts , chopped
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (any other granulated sugar will also work)

Wet ingredients

• 4 tablespoons | ¼ cup cashew butter , or almond
• 112g | ½ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 4 tablespoons | ¼ cup brown rice syrup (see recipe notes)
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (if you don't have blackstrap molasses add an extra tablespoon of rice syrup instead)

For the chocolate drizzle

• 90g | ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons non dairy milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line a 8 x 8 pan with baking parchment so it hangs over the sides.
• Add all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the sugar to a large bowl and stir well.
• Add all the wet ingredients and the sugar to a small saucepan.
• Heat over a medium heat, stirring frequently until everything has melted and is well combined (this takes a couple of minutes).
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir really well.
• Pour into your prepared tin and press down evenly all over.
• Add to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove and leave to cool in the tray for 30 minutes.
• Cut into 10 pieces. A pizza cutter works very well for this.
• Add the milk and chocolate chips to a small bowl and melt gently over a pan of simmering water or very carefully in the microwave.
• Drizzle over the top of the bars and refrigerate until set.

Notes

If you want to make the granola bars nut free then omit the pecans and add 1/3 cup of extra oats or some pumpkin seeds to compensate. If you cannot get hold of rice syrup then agave nectar would be a good substitute. Also in the UK Golden Syrup would work. If you use any of these substitutions I would omit the sugar from the recipe as they are all sweeter than rice syrup.

If you cannot get Pumpkin Pie Spice where you are, it is very simple to make yourself and great for adding to all sorts of baked goods like apple pies or cakes. Here is a very simple recipe which uses the same ingredients as my pumpkin pie spice and you probably already have the spices in your store cupboard. These granola bars are best stored in an air tight container in the fridge. They will keep for a couple of weeks that way.

Estimated nutrition per serving:

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10.5g | Sodium: 135mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1000IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan