Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I made a batch of Oaty Cranberry granola bars a few weeks ago. They were quite good, and then...they were gone. So I took to my stack of recipes untried and true, in search of something that just might compare, and I found a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip granola bars. Well, since I'm obsessed with pumpkin, I obviously made them and oh, my. They are good.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup steel cut oats
1-3/4 cup rolled oats
2 tsp ground flax
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 honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, and set aside. Mix oats through salt and set aside, then mix sugar through vanilla in a separate bowl. Combine with oats, stirring until all of the oats are covered. Add the chocolate chips and stir once again. Press the entire mix into the prepared pan and bake it for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for five minutes before cutting the pan into 12 bars.

And really, one bar is easily two servings because they're quite heavy. A nice, thick and oaty heavy, to be specific. Moist (hate that word), too. Probably because of the pumpkin. I keep mine in the 'fridge, which hopefully helps them last a bit longer than usual. Trust me when I say you'll want them to last as long as possible. They're that good. And they're super filling—I pop half a bar before my 6AM Circuit Sculpt class and will occasionally hit the other half before heading back to the gym for a later shift—and both times, I feel fueled for a few hours. Always the sign of a good snack, at least in my opinion.

Question: What do you consider to be the sign of a good snack?

REMINDER! Don't forget to enter my Journey Bars giveaway! You just might win a combo box of 12 delicious and nutritious bars. (Contest ends at midnight EST on Friday, November 19, 2010).

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