Wholesome Pumpkin Bars

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These wholesome pumpkin bars are made with complete wheat flour, Greek yogurt, applesauce and studded with chocolate chips. They’ve much less oil than conventional pumpkin bars and may simply be made vegan.

For those who solely make one pumpkin-flavored factor this fall, these wholesome pumpkin bars ought to undoubtedly be it. They’re like my go-to pumpkin bread, however in bar kind. They’ve the right quantity of spice and the darkish chocolate chips add a wealthy sweetness to every chew. Plus, you may by no means go improper with the combo of pumpkin + chocolate, am I proper?!

Significantly, they’re so good! I actually couldn’t hold my arms off them and ate one with each meal once I first examined them, together with breakfast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Pumpkin just isn’t solely excessive in fiber and nutritional vitamins, nevertheless it additionally helps to maintain these bars moist!
The recipe solely requires 1 Tablespoon of oil. The pumpkin, applesauce and yogurt change the remainder of the fats.
Can simply be made gluten-free + vegan!
The combo of pumpkin, fall spices + darkish chocolate = chef’s kiss!

Ingredients measured out to make Healthy Pumpkin Bars: Greek yogurt, vanilla, pumpkin, whole wheat pastry flour, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin pie spice, coconut oil, coconut or brown sugar, eggs or flax eggs, applesauce, baking soda and sea salt.

Elements Wanted

complete wheat pastry flour – a complete grain, nutrient-dense flour that leads to a light-weight and fluffy cake. My go-to model is Bob’s Purple Mill complete wheat pastry flour. Cake flour and all-purpose flour may also work. It’s also possible to do a 1 cup complete wheat and 1 cup all-purpose in the event you’d like! And in the event you want this recipe to be gluten-free, you should use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
pumpkin pie spice – a should for this recipe! Pumpkin pie spice is a mix that normally consists of floor cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and typically allspice. You may make your personal pumpkin pie spice at dwelling or use a store-bought mix.
coconut sugar – I really like utilizing coconut sugar as a result of it’s a pure sugar with a bit extra diet however brown sugar or common white sugar will work as nicely.
pumpkin puree – you should use canned pumpkin puree or do-it-yourself pumpkin puree. If utilizing store-bought, simply ensure that the ingredient listing is barely “pumpkin” – you don’t need to by accident purchase pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugars.
unsweetened applesauce – I like utilizing unsweetened applesauce to maintain baked items moist with out utilizing a ton of oil. You may make your personal applesauce or use store-bought, simply make sure to seize unsweetened to keep away from added sugars!
Greek yogurt – this actually amps up the protein and helps to maintain these bars moist. I like Fage 5% Greek yogurt or Stonyfield complete milk Greek yogurt. For those who want these bars to be dairy-free, use vegan yogurt! My favourite dairy-free choice is the Culina coconut yogurt.
coconut oil – we’re solely utilizing 1 Tablespoon of oil for this complete recipe. This provides wholesome fats and helps bind the bars collectively.
eggs – helps bind the components collectively and offers construction for these bars. For those who want these bars to be vegan you may change the eggs with 2 flax eggs.
vanilla extract – a much-needed taste enhancer.
baking soda – to assist the bars rise.
sea salt – to carry all of the flavors collectively.
darkish chocolate chips – I like utilizing Lily’s chocolate chips as a result of they’re sugar-free and low-calorie, however I additionally like Take pleasure in Life darkish chocolate chips that are allergen-friendly. That stated, be at liberty to make use of your favourite chocolate chip model.

Why Use Entire Wheat Pastry Flour?

Entire wheat pastry flour is floor extra finely than common complete wheat flour so it makes lighter baked items. It is usually full of protein, fiber, nutritional vitamins and minerals and is very easy to bake with. For those who can’t discover complete wheat pastry flour at your native grocery retailer you may merely use all-purpose flour or a mix of 1 cup of complete wheat flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

Collage of 9 photos showing the steps to make Healthy Pumpkin Bars: making the batter, pouring into a pan, topping with chocolate chips and baking.

Learn how to Make Pumpkin Bars

Mix dry components: Begin by mixing your dry components collectively: complete wheat flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.

Whisk moist components: In a separate massive bowl, combine your moist components: applesauce, yogurt, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla and coconut sugar. Then, stir within the pumpkin puree.

Mix dry + moist components: Slowly add the flour combine to the moist components and blend nicely till the whole lot is mixed. Stir within the chocolate chips.

Bake: Pour batter right into a greased baking dish or one which’s lined with parchment paper. Prime with further chocolate chips. Bake for 25-Half-hour at 350ºF or till a toothpick comes out clear.

Serve: Let the bars cool fully at room temperature (persistence is vital!) – then reduce and luxuriate in!

Squares of healthy pumpkin bars, one bar has been turned to it's side.

Learn how to Serve Pumpkin Bars

For those who really feel like getting fancy listed below are some concepts on serve these pumpkin bars:

Coconut whip – a scoop of coconut whip cream could be so scrumptious on high of those pumpkin bars.
Nut butter – a drizzle of your favourite nut butter wouldn’t solely style nice however add some additional protein to those bars. You’ll be able to’t go improper with almond butter, particularly if it’s do-it-yourself. Different nice choices are cashew butter, peanut butter or tahini. This pumpkin almond butter would even be scrumptious!
Pumpkin butter – there’s no such factor as an excessive amount of pumpkin for my part so if you wish to add some additional pumpkin taste to those bars they’d be scrumptious with a drizzle of this pumpkin butter + sprint of pumpkin pie spice.
Ice Cream – you actually can’t go improper with including a scoop of your favourite ice cream on high of your freshly made, heat pumpkin bar. Vanilla could be my first alternative, however for some dairy-free choices this banana ice cream or chocolate banana ice cream could be tasty!
Frosting – skip the chocolate chips on high and as an alternative add a layer of frosting to those bars as soon as they’ve cooled fully. This cream cheese frosting could be scrumptious! Pumpkin + cream cheese = a match made in heaven!

A pumpkin bar with a bite taken out of it.

Learn how to Retailer Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars will keep recent at room temperature for about 2 days or in an hermetic container within the fridge for a couple of week. For longer storage, you may freeze them. Retailer in a freezer-safe, hermetic container within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Whenever you’re able to get pleasure from, allow them to thaw in a single day within the fridge or for about 1 hour at room temperature.

Extra Wholesome Pumpkin Recipes

Make sure to try the entire pumpkin recipes in addition to the complete assortment of dessert recipes on EBF!