Ahhh, fall!!! How I love thee, let me count thy ways….pumpkin donuts, apple fritters, big pots of spicy chili, hot bowls of lentil soup…wait, did I just only mention food? My bad…let’s try this again! Ahhh, fall!!! How I love thee, let me count thy ways…. football, crisp cold air, the crackle of the fireplace, hot chocolate – gha, that’s a food! I can’t help it – there are SO many amazing foods surrounding fall and I’m so excited that we’re just about there!
The other day we had our first taste of fall with a nice cool day, and I thought I would make a little pumpkin after school snack that my kids LOVE! Trust me on this, both you and your kids will inhale this one (you know, if you like pumpkin ;o) If your kids are anything like mine, they are always so hungry when they get home from school, and having these bars ready to go with a glass of milk is a quick and oh-so satisfying snack that will keep their hunger in check until dinner time. Not gonna lie, we’ve also enjoyed these for breakfast too (oh my goodness, are they ever good with a cup of coffee!!!)
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I am NOT a baker! I leave the real baking to the Jen Melkonian’s and Heather Nall’s of the world (both amazing bakers!!). I promise you that this one is easy enough for even us non-bakers, and BONUS, you’re kids will think you’re a rock-star when you have one of these bad boys waiting for them when they get home from school.
So, if you’re a pumpkin fan, and are ready for a little taste of fall, I hope you’ll give this one a try! Enjoy! Xoxo
Let’s get those ingredients ready! I divided this one into dry and wet ingredients:
Grapeseed oil, egg beaters (or fresh eggs), brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla and sugar.
Baking SODA (my kids helped me get the ingredients ready, and I didn’t even realize we grabbed the baking powder until I was ready to bake it…woops!), Cinnamon (again, it wasn’t until after I took the pics and started baking that I realized we had grabbed the cinnamon sugar – gha! You just want plain cinnamon), Pumpkin Pie Spice, All-purpose Flour, and chocolate chips (we like semi-sweet).
Here’s a quick tip for anyone who has gotten frustrated over their brown sugar turning into a brick. Throw in a piece of bread into the canister and (I don’t know the science behind it), but it stays nice and soft!! Works like a charm!
Beat the eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Once it’s mixed well, add the pumpkin and beat until everything is smooth and incorporated.
In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk well, and add the dry mixture to the bowl with the liquid batter slowly so that you don’t wear the flour ;o) Make sure to scrape down the sides as needed. Side note – my brother totally left that glass bowl at my house like 10 years ago, and it’s been my favorite bowl ever since! I wash it daily!!! Sorry Scott, you’re not getting that one back!
Once everything has been mixed, get your helpers to measure out the chocolate chips (it was supposed to be ¾ C, but it ended up being like a full cup ;o) One chip for the measuring cup and one for the baker!
Grease a 9×12 pan – we used butter flavored Pam, and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Smooth out the top and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. I used a convection oven and it took about 26 minutes, and I had rotated the baking dish at about the 15 minute mark for even baking.
Let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then cut into bars. Even at the 20 minute mark, the chocolate chips were still melty and gooey – YUM!
Pumpkin Snack Bars
Recipe inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest.
Wet Ingredients
½ C eggbeaters (or two large eggs)
½ C sugar
½ C brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp vanilla
½ C grapeseed oil (or canola, or your favorite light flavored vegetable oil)
1 C pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
Dry Ingredients
2 C flour (I use all-purpose)
scant ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking SODA (I know I put a picture of baking powder in the pic…my bad)
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (I was pretty heavy handed with it, so it was like a “healthy” ½ tsp)
½ tsp cinnamon powder (again, a very “healthy” ½ tsp)
¾ – 1 C chocolate chips (we like semi-sweet)
