Oatmeal cookies are wonderful, anything pumpkin is irresistible, and date squares done right are sweet bliss. Put them all together and you get these deliciously chewy pumpkin oat bars. Decadent, thanks to dates, nuts, pumpkin, and autumnal spices, these bars also keep well. If fact, the bars taste better on the second day as the spices infuse each bite with the rich aromas of fall. Made with healthy ingredients like coconut oil and spelt flour, Sally’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies were the inspiration behind these bars.
If you have any pumpkin left over from making these, you could freeze it for round two, or use the pumpkin to create some uber-healthy Pumpkin Coconut Bites. Since they are like a soft cookie, I recommend serving Pumpkin Spiced Oat Bars with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They work well for breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or as a simple dessert. As soon as I restocked my pantry with pumpkin, I baked another batch!
Recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Oat Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk, optional
- 3/4 cup coconut oil, vegan margarine, or butter, melted
- 1/4 cup molasses and/or honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups spelt flour or whole white wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned (large flake) oats
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup chopped pitted dates (or use raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips)
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil or butter and brown sugar. Blend well. Add egg yolk, pumpkin, and vanilla, and blend until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, spices, salt, baking soda, and coconut.
- Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined, but do not over mix. Fold in nuts and chopped dates or other fruit.
- Line a 9 X 13-inch (23 X 32 cm) baking pan or dish with parchment. Grease lightly with oil. Pour in batter and spread until an even layer is formed. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 C) for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are lightly toasted and the center tests done. Be careful not to over bake.
- Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting. Store bars in a covered container for up to a week at room temperature or freeze them to enjoy later.
This recipe is linked to Traditional Tuesdays and Allergy Free Wednesdays.
Swirls and Spice 
These look delicious!!! I think I’m going to have to make at least 3 batches of these! Plus I have a giant can of pumpkin already open 🙂
I am so pleased that you like the recipe–and that you plan to do more than just eat with your eyes! Enjoy!
How well would these travel in a box to Afghanistan? Are they moist like a cake or crunchy like a granola bar?
Also, any thoughts on how to transform this from pumpkin to ginger? My first thought is to substitute a less flavorful squash for the pumpkin (or maybe silken tofu) and golden raisins for the dates, but I’m wondering if you’ve ever made a variation.
They are like a soft-baked oatmeal cookie, and so they are not squishy like a cake nor are they very crunchy. If I were sending them overseas, I’d wrap each bar tightly with plastic wrap and put them inside a sealed container. You could try applesauce, carrot puree, sweet potatoes, or other squash in place of the pumpkin, and maybe then use just 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. I think you could try at least a teaspoon of ground ginger instead of allspice, cloves and nutmeg. I’ve never baked with tofu, but I don’t think that ingredient would travel well. Raisins would be an excellent substitution for dates. I would like to hear how your version turns out. Thanks for commenting!
LOVE your suggestion of applesauce and you are right about the tofu – that was a bad idea.
I’ll circle back after I try these out. I’m going to follow your original recipe first so I can see the effect of the changes.
Thanks for the help 🙂
I made these yesterday and I just enjoyed one with a cup of coffee…so amazingly moist! I used regular whole wheat flour so I added about 1/2 cup applesauce since the dough seemed too sticky without it (or maybe it was because I also added flax, natural wheat bran and natural wheat germ to the recipe). Thank you so much for this healthy recipe!!
I am so happy to hear you made these and enjoyed them!
Your pictures make these Pumpkin spiced bars look for delicious! I love the addition of oatmeal, thanks for sharing.
Those look FABULOUS! Pinning!
Ahhh, you can never have too many pumpkin recipes in your arsenal this time of year, and your bars look and sound delicious! Pinning for sure! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Merry Monday! 🙂
Thanks, Christine. The dates make these bars kind of unique. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Made these today for a Hospice Event tomorrow at our church; didn’t have pumpkin, a crime I know, but I did have some fresh sweet potatoes. Quick boiled, pureed and subbed for the pumpkin and they turned out delicious…so good in fact, I’m holding back a few to treat the co-workers with on Monday. Thank you for the yummy fall deliciousness.
Sounds like a great substitution! I’ll have to try the recipe your way too!