Pumpkin Granola Bars

I’m down to my last can of pumpkin!  GASP!  Now the big question….do I buy more or do I call it quits?!?  Last year I bought more with the intentions of making more pumpkin treats but the holidays came and went, then I was on the post-holiday clean eating kick, and then spring was here.  If buying another can means I make these granola bars again, you better believe I will be snagging some up.

I first made homemade granola bars back in August and fell in love!  I knew this time I, of course, wanted to incorporate pumpkin and all the flavors of fall and had no doubts where to start the search, over at Two Peas and Their Pod.  I’ve used Maria’s recipes numerous times and they always turn out great.  I was pumped when I saw her recipe because it didn’t call for an egg or any oil!!  Woohoo!  A healthy breakfast or snack packed full of flavor, nutrients, and a touch of chocolate.  Winner, Winner!  Oh, the other totally awesome thing about this recipe, the prep works takes like 10 minutes.  Happy, happy, joy, joy!

(Printable Recipe)

Pumpkin Granola Bars

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup agave or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, combine oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey and vanilla extract until well combined.  Pour liquid mixture over oats and stir together until all oats are moist and ingredients are combined.  Next, add chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and cranberries.

4.  Place oat mixture in prepared pan and press down evenly.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.  After 5 minutes, cut bars into desired size.  Allow bars to cool completely.

Notes:

The pumpkin keeps these bars very soft and chewy, so be careful not to under bake the mixture.

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Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Chocolate Lovers beware!!  These cookies are dangerously chocolaty, dangerously chewy, and dangerously delicious!!!  I have been searching for a new chocolate cookie recipe for a while.  I had another failed attempt over the weekend but I was hopeful that I would find one soon.  Chocolate was the theme this week for My Baking Addiction and Good Life Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange and for some reason I was set on cookies.  I headed over to one of my new favorite blogs, Bakers Royale, to search through her masterpieces.  Everything she makes always looks wonderful and usually they are bite size which I LOVE!!  She raved about how good these were so I gave them a shot and I am soo glad I did!!

These cookies have a slight outside crisp (but not crunchy) and chewy center!  They are basically a brownie in cookie form – kind of the best of both worlds, don’t ya think??!?  I gave Brent a few options for add-ins and he went with chocolate and peanut butter chips, but you could add about anything you wanted and they would be divine!  If you have some chocolate lovers coming over, whip up these cookies.  They will adore you for it!!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

(Printable Recipe)

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 8 tbsp butter (1 stick), cut into cubes
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) chocolate and peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

3.  Melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate over low heat or in a double broiler.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla.

4.  In a separate bowl, on medium speed beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and beat in chocolate mixture until well combined.  Add the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined.  Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

5.  Place 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on pan before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

**My cookies baked for about 10 minutes and cooled on pan for about 2-4 (depending on how long I forgot about them).  Cookies will be very soft when you transfer them.  They will set up as they cool.

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