Pumpkin Granola Bars

These chewy granola bars are filled with peanut butter, chocolate, and pumpkin--making these the ultimate fall treat for those little (or big) hands. 

If you've been with me for a while you know I love fall. Living in Florida, we are currently still rocking temps in the 90s and humidity may have dropped a percentage this week. Since we don't really have the weather to go with the season; we have to create it ourselves inside our homes. I bought some mums last week and placed them on my front porch, decorated for Halloween on my mantle, and bought some pumpkins that will have to be replaced next week.

In addition to the decorating, I have begun to cook with pumpkin. You can check out some of my previous recipes here and here. I actually made a delicious pull apart bread the other day which you can find here. However, I needed something that was more readily available, and not something that I had to heat up and eat. That's where these chewy granola bars came from. 

I make granola bars quite a bit, and adding pumpkin in was a no brainer. These are perfect to throw in lunches, and they even hold up great in the freezer if you want to make a large batch. I actually used to make these all the time when I was breastfeeding, by adding in 2 tablespoons of Brewer's Yeast. You can't taste the addition, and it is supposed to help with production. 

Pumpkin Granola bars

• 2 Cups Rolled Oats
• 2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp. Pumpkin Spice
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Pureed Pumpkin
• 1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/4 Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
• Halloween Sprinkles

**For breastfeeding friendly add 2 Tbsp. of Brewer's Yeast into the dry ingredients**

1. Preheat Oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Stir all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour the dry into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir until all ingredients are moist. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into prepared pan, and press down with either a spatula or your hand.
6. Cook for 20 minutes, remove and let sit for 45 minutes. Remove bars from pan, cut, and enjoy.

Optional: Melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in 30 minute increments, place melted chocolate in a ziploc bag and clip the end. Drizzle over the top.