These pumpkin oatmeal bars with dark chocolate chips are the perfect fall season dessert. They have perfectly spiced pumpkin, chewy oatmeal, dark chocolate chips, and pecans. These make a perfect addition to your holiday dessert table!
These pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars are studded with dark chocolate chips which add just the right level of sweetness and flavor. In addition to the chocolate chip add-ins, these bars are also filled with pecans. Spiced pumpkin, dark chocolate and pecans are the best combination for this sweet fall treat.
Since these bars aren't too sweet, they also make a prefect breakfast. They go great with a cup of coffee and are easy to grab on busy mornings as you run out the door!
For more fall dessert recipes, try my: Caramel Pecan Apple Spice Upside Down Cake, Pumpkin Banana Bread with a Brown Butter Glaze or Sour Cream Apple Squares.
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Why You Will Love These
- The texture. The chewy oatmeal with the crunchy pecans and dark chocolate chips really provide a very satisfying texture to bite into. These bars stay nice and moist from the pumpkin, which is the best part about them!
- They are easy. This is an easy recipe that can easily be made by someone who doesn't have any fancy equipment or special skills. It's a great recipe to make with kids!
- The flavors. The pumpkin combined with cinnamon and ground allspice is such a perfect fall flavor combination. They taste like fall, smell like fall while baking and really are the perfect pumpkin season dessert!
Ingredients Needed
Here are notes about some of the ingredients needed to make these delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bars. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin: You will use canned pumpkin puree and will remove as much moisture as you can before adding it to your mixing bowl. Pumpkin pie filling is not the same as pureed pumpkin!
- Butter: You will need unsalted melted and cooled butter.
- Sugar: Both brown sugar and white granulated sugar are used in this.
- Egg: You will need one egg.
- Vanilla: I prefer to use vanilla bean paste for convenience and flavor, but vanilla extract will work too.
- Oatmeal: You will want to use old fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. If you use instant or quick oats, you won't get quite the same chewy texture.
- Flour: You will use all-purpose flour.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon gives these bars their flavor.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Allspice: Ground allspice is used in combination with the cinnamon for flavor.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans are used in the bars and can also be sprinkled on top.
- Chocolate chips: I prefer dark chocolate chips for these bars, but semisweet chocolate chips work if you don't like dark chocolate. The chocolate chips are in the bar and also sprinkled on top, if desired.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are instructions for how to make these delicious fall dessert bars.
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
STEP 2: On a flat surface, place several layers of paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the center. Using several more layers of paper towels, blot the moisture from the pumpkin, pressing firmly. You will need to replace the paper towels you are using to blot the moisture when they are fully saturated. Continue to do this until the paper towels are no longer getting saturated. Set the dried pumpkin aside.
STEP 3: In the bowl of your mixer, combine the melted butter and both the brown sugar and the granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
STEP 4: Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla to the bowl and beat just until you no longer see the egg.
STEP 5: Add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and allspice. Mix just until combined.
STEP 6: Add the pecans and chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
STEP 7: Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake pan. Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture to an even layer.
STEP 8: Top the bars with addtiional pecans and chocolate chips, if desired.
STEP 8: Bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 45-47 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
STEP 9: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing, about 1-2 hours.
Expert Tips
- To line the cake pan with parchment paper, I like to make two narrow strips of parchment paper that are long enough to line the bottom, go up the sides and hang over the edge a bit. This makes it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they are cool.
- Top the bars with additional pecans and extra chocolate chips for extra crunch. It also makes them look extra delicious too!
- Let the bars cool completely before trying to cut them. If you don't, they will be too crumbly and fall apart.
- Replace the cinnamon and ground allspice with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Top the bars with a sprinkle of flake salt to really take them to the next flavor level!
FAQ
Old fashioned rolled oats are going to be the best in this recipe and provide great texture. Instant or quick cooking would work, but the texture is definitely going to be altered.
If you skip this step, the bars will be too wet and may seem like they are not cooked through. Drying the pumpkin gives you just the right amount of pumpkin flavor and moisture.
Yes. Walnuts or almonds would both be a great option. You can make an even swap for either of them. You could also skip nuts altogether, if you prefer.
Storing and Freezing
To refrigerate, let the bars cool completely. Store in an airtight zip top bag or container for up to 5 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.
To freeze, place in an airtight container or zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow bars to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Other Recipes to Try
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Recipe
Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars with Dark Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the pumpkin puree on top of several layers of paper towels. Using several paper towels in your hand, blot the moisture from the pumpkin, using new paper towels as needed for the blotting. Continue to blot the moisture out of the pumpkin unitl you are no longer are soling the paper towels. Set the dried pumpkin aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar and sugar. Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
- Add the dried pumpkin, egg and vanilla to the bowl and beat just until combined.
- Add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and allspice. Mix just until combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and pecans and mix just until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, spread in an even layer, making sure to get it to the corners and edges. Top with additional pecans and chocolate chips, if desried.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-47 mintues or until it is beginning to brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in pan before slicing into squares.
Nutrition Information
Please note that these nutrition facts are approximations and may not be entirely precise.
Maret says
The taste of these bars reminded me of Cowboy Cookies with an added mild pumpkin flavor. Yummy! I've never patted the liquid out of pumpkin puree before but it does work well, and the resulting pumpkin does peel easily off the paper towels and into the mixing bowl.
My bars were a tad on the dry side and crumbled easily. I suspect I overbaked them a little. I used a ceramic 9-inch pan instead of metal and used the common adjustment of lowering the baking temperature by 25 degrees (used a convection bake) plus allowing a few more minutes of baking time. In hindsight, watch them and remove as the recipe states when they are just starting to brown.