Before all the tinsel and pumpkin get packed away, I wanted to squeeze in this delicious treat!
I recently made these as an excuse to 1) eat chocolate, and 2) utilize what remained in an open container of pumpkin hiding in the back of my fridge. I get so happy when I can beat it to its moldy punch!
What developed from my efforts was a recipe I knew I wanted to get on the blog as soon as possible!
Sometimes the best recipes come from fridge scrapings, don't they?
I find myself working better under the pressure of utilizing near-death foods, as it gives my mind more focus and purpose.
Some of the worst culprits for going bad are tomato puree, anything green and leafy, and pumpkin puree, the pumpkin being the most difficult for me to make use of, especially if it's not going into a smoothie.
Pumpkin is cool. I'm not quite the superfan that some are, but I do like its nutritional profile. Low calorie, low-fat, low sugar, high fiber, TONS o' beta carotene for dem eyes...yeah, I have a little (orange) crush, lol.
It's also what makes these bars moist, flavorful, chewy, AND it acts as a binder, eliminating the need for eggs.
Because they have no eggs, and there's no need to fret about salmonella, I like to slightly undercook these, as they retain a chewy, almost fudgy texture that's totally irresistible.
If you have some leftover pumpkin in the back of your fridge, this recipe is a great way to use it up. The amazing texture, along with the pumpkin pie flavors and the added chocolate really take them over the top.
The entire fam over here ate these up and loved them, so I hope you do too if you try them!
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars (Vegan, Low Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c. quick oats
- ¾ c. buckwheat flour ground from raw buckwheat groats (see Notes)
- 1 ½ t. cinnamon
- ½ t. nutmeg
- scant 1/2 t. ginger, dried
- ¼ t. cloves
- ¼ t. sea salt
- ¾ t. baking soda
- ¾ c. pumpkin puree
- 2 T. oil I like to use grapeseed, but coconut or olive will work!
- 2 T. honey or maple syrup
- ½ c. milk I use my homemade coconut milk, link below
- a dash of stevia if desired for extra sweetness
- 1/4-1/3 c. chopped unsweetened or dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix dry ingredients (oats, flour, spices, salt, baking soda) in a small bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients (pumpkin, oil, honey, milk) in a medium bowl.
- Pour dry mix into the wet ingredients, along with about half of the chocolate, and mix until well combined.
- Spread the batter (it will be thick!) into a well-oiled 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate on top.
- Bake 15-20 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
- Cool, cut, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
I've only tried this recipe with ground raw buckwheat groats, and this is the brand I use.
This is the link to my Homemade Coconut Milk, which is by far my favorite dairy-free milk to drink and use in recipes!
For best taste, serve warm.
How do you use up leftover pumpkin puree?
Shared with: Full Plate Thursday
Miz Helen
Great Bars, these look delicious. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Ike
Just finished a batch of these!
I used whole milk and honey where the recipie gave options. I also used Bobs Red Mill buckwheat flour and the texture came out great. Lastly, I included the dash of stevia powder.
These aren't sweet but they are tastey. Im going to include 2 tablespoons of sugar in my next ch to see if that satisfies the sweet tooths in the house.
Lauren
That's great Ike, thanks for your comment!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats
These look delicious! I actually have some buckwheat groats that I need to use. Maybe I need to make one more pumpkin dessert!