Pumpkin granola bars

please excuse the iPhone photo

In an attempt to make granola bars, I stumbled on a recipe for pumpkin granola bars on Two Peas and their Pod. The recipe was straight forward, didn't contain too much sugar and my oven was already preheated from dinner. So I gave them a try and was pretty pleased with how easy and tasty they were.

Much like the last pumpkin recipe I shared, I don't feel that the actual pumpkin flavor is that strong in these bars, which isn't a bad thing. They are spicy, applesauce-y, and cinnamon-y. 3 cheers for made up adjectives!

Pumpkin Granola Bars (adapted from Two Peas and their Pod)
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don't want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and enjoy!