These low sugar oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars are made with nutritious ingredients, including oats, wheat germ, and allergy-friendly pumpkin seed butter!
Baking as therapy
Baking is such a solace for me, especially when I’m feeling down. I’m not sure if it’s the act of baking or the act of eating, but the process is very soothing and satisfying, particularly if I create a good recipe.
I’ve needed that comfort lately, as Sam has really been a terror.
He is my first boy, and he’s right between the ages of three and four, so his attitude and overall ‘rude dude’ demeanor is really getting to me.
In addition to telling me ‘no’, throwing fits at every store I frequent, and basically living his life from one tantrum to the next, he will, at times, act like he wants nothing to do with me!
Say what, kid? I feed you, I clothe you, I give you love and laugh at your jokes…what gives??
I think my husband and I are pretty good at the whole discipline thing, but I guess our guy was just born with more testosterone than he knows what to do with. Hmph!
Corner piece!
One thing that really lures him in, though, are these low sugar cookie bars. Ha! I know that sounds funny, given the ‘low sugar’ and fussy tot combination, but really!
He eats these one right after the other, and I feel pretty good letting him, given that the whole batch has under two tablespoons of sweetener.
I also find that oats have a calming effect on him, and anything that helps in that regard, I need!
Why pumpkin seed butter?
Surprisingly, these don’t contain any oil, but rather, pumpkin seed butter!
I find this addition gives them a nice, chewy consistency, and it even adds a little protein. I use pumpkin seed butter because of our allergies, but I assume any nut or seed butter would work.
If you’re interested in making your own pumpkin seed butter, I have a good recipe here, or you can buy your own from Vitacost or Amazon.
I like to add a combination of coconut sugar and molasses to these, as I just love molasses. The dry mix is a combination of oat and spelt flours, oats, and a rather old-fashioned ingredient: toasted wheat germ!
Wheat germ has gone a bit out of style with the gluten-free craze, but if you can have wheat, I encourage you to eat it. It’s packed full of vitamin E, and it’s absolutely delicious!
Low Sugar Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin seed butter (can also use nut or seed butter of choice)
- 2 Tbsp applesauce
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 20 drops liquid stevia
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp spelt flour
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp toasted wheat germ
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 5 Tbsp water
- 1/3 cup chopped dark or unsweetened chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, WHISK together the pumpkin seed butter, applesauce, sugar, molasses, vanilla, and stevia until smooth.
- In a smaller bowl, stir together the flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients, along with the water, to the pumpkin seed butter mixture and STIR until well combined.
- Oil an 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Smooth the batter into the baking dish (it will be a thin layer).
- Top with the chopped chocolate.
- Bake the bars for 10-14 minutes until golden and set.
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
As I said above, if you don’t have/like pumpkin seed butter, you can use your favorite nut or seed butter.
I like to add in 1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon as well!
I like to use chopped unsweetened chocolate atop this, as I like the bitterness, AND it keeps the sugar grams down.
These are some of the items I use in this recipe, including the wheat germ:
Recipe Steps:
If I use store-bought pumpkin seed butter, this is the one I use:
Adding the sugar and wet ingredients to a bowl…
Whisking…
Mixing the flours and dry ingredients (I added cinnamon to this batch, which is what’s on top)…
Mixing all…
Spread into a baking dish…
Pre-bake…
Post-bake…
AZ@...And A Dash of Cinnamon says
I didnt know pumpkin seed butter was a thing! I love making nut butters. Ill have to try to make it.
Kelly says
Yummy! Im salivating for these already!😉