Spirited Essence Works

I’ve been having such a sweet tooth lately. My normal goto for baking is chocolate chip cookies or berry pies, which taste fantastic but are so full of sugar and fat. My hubby and I have been trying to eat more healthy lately. It’s been difficult for me especially being pregnant because it seems like all this baby craves is sweets. I’ve been curving those cravings by eating more fruit but the thought of something chocolate always sounds better. I had made my boys some pumpkin dog treats and had leftover pumpkin and didn’t want it to go to waste. I did a little researching and found this recipe. And surprisingly, it doesn’t use a ton of sugar and satisfies that sweet tooth craving. It also uses molasses that has not only has a fantastic flavor but great health benefits.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add vanilla, pumpkin, milk, egg, and molasses. Stir together until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into bars.

Yields: 16 bars

Hope you enjoy and happy baking!