How to start your day in a healthy, delicious way? Make these easy Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars!

Start Your Day the Maple Way with these moist and delicious Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars – kid approved!

This Maple Oatmeal Pumpkin Bar recipe comes together quick and easy all in one bowl and you can have them done in about an hour. As you’ll see below, you can modify to make these vegan and gluten-free! They are super delicious warm out of the oven but also keep well in the fridge to enjoy all week long.

Pumpkin is a type of winter squash that’s in the same plant family as cucumbers and melons. It’s technically a fruit since it contains seeds but in terms of nutrition, it’s more like a vegetable. Pumpkins are nutrient-dense, meaning they have lots of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories plus fiber and antioxidants! Did you know that Maple Valley maple syrup is a superfood sweetener packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals? Now you do! These Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars are a great, nutrient-rich treat for kids and grown-ups alike!

Ingredients:
1 cup organic milk – any kind (cow, almond, etc.)
½ cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
½ cup Maple Valley maple syrup
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 organic egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1 cup oat flour
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup pecan or cashew halves, roughly chopped (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease/non-stick spray an 8×8 baking pan.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
4. Next stir in the dry ingredients until well combined.
5. Fold in chopped nuts if used
6. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. Check the bars around 25 minutes and if the edges are turning golden brown, cover the pan with aluminum foil so the center bakes through before the edges get too brown.
8. Cool before slicing and serve while warm. Store extras in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week or wrap individual bars and freeze for a later date.

It seems that the autumn season is all about pumpkins and pumpkin spice? And did you know that October 26th is National Pumpkin Day? Well, it is! However, here at Maple Valley we think pumpkin and maple are a great combo any time of year, so don’t let the date on the calendar stop you from enjoying these bars or any of our maple pumpkin recipes – maple pumpkin pie, maple pumpkin protein smoothie, GF Vegan Pumpkin Spice Waffles… Enjoy and let us know if you tried these Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars (or any of our other maple pumpkin recipes!).