No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Bars

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin spice! These simple NO BAKE Pumpkin Chocolate bars are a decadent tasting, healthy-ish snack or dessert! Just 8 ingredients, 15 minutes prep time, gluten-free and vegan!

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com
No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Bars

Easy, Indulgent tasting, Satisfying and YUMMY!

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin spice and we’re here for it with these No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Bars!

They are a decadent tasting, secretly nourishing, snack or dessert!

Based on our fan favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Bars, they are gluten-free, vegan, super EASY to make and yummy!

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

So let’s make them!

There’s a cooking video on this page so you can see how easy they are to make. And as with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.

All you need is:

almond butter (substitute any nut or seed butter you love) (we love Barney Butter – Amazon Affiliate link)

pumpkin puree

maple syrup

pumpkin spice

oat flour (we make our own using  GF Harvest Oats– Amazon Affiliate link, see below)

ground flaxseeds

chocolate chips (use a dairy-free version as desired) (we use Enjoy Life Foods mini chips Amazon affiliate link)

coconut oil

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

A note on oats and oat flour.

First oats:

Oats are a naturally gluten-free grain but they are contaminated via cross contact with wheat, barley and rye during the growing and processing process.  So definitely look for gluten free oats, preferably certified gluten free oats.

But there’s more.… back when my son was first diagnosed with celiac disease, gluten-free oats were mostly grown via a process known as purity protocol.  In recent years, gluten-free oats have also been processed through a manufacturing process known as “sorting”.  There is much controversy about sorting versus purity protocol oats.  For more information I’m linking articles by GF Jules and by Gluten-Free Watchdog.

Also, some people with celiac don’t tolerate oats so please do what ‘s best for you and your health.

For those interested, we use gluten-free oats from GF Harvest (amazon affiliate link), grown through purity protocol.

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Oat Flour

For this recipe and others we make our own oat flour by simply pulsing the gluten-free oats in a food processor until they are a fine, flour texture.

This way we know what oats are being used and we don’t have to hunt for another product. We just stock gluten-free oats in our pantry and make oat flour as needed.

Ok, let’s make the bars!

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

First you make the Pumpkin Layer…

It’s 3 basic steps:

1. Heat the pumpkin, almond butter and maple syrup and stir in pumpkin spice until a nice creamy texture.

2. Mix in oat flour and ground flaxseeds.

3. Press into your baking pan.

Super simple and really yummy!

In fact, if you’re not a chocolate fan, the pumpkin layer is a yummy snack itself!

Just a note, since I know lots of you like to play around with the ingredients,  I give two options for the pumpkin layer…

  • an option for a bit more maple syrup if you want it slightly sweeter, and
  • an option for extra pumpkin spice if you want it more pumpkin-y!

I anticipate that many of you will ask if you can substitute almond flour for oat flour... I haven’t tried it yet, but it should work! If you try it, please leave me a comment below!

Pro-Tip: Since the pumpkin makes this bottom layer softer than the peanut butter layer of our Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Bars, I like to place the pumpkin layer in the freezer to cool and set while we prep the chocolate layer.

Let’s make the chocolate layer!

All you do is melt chocolate chips and a touch of coconut oil over low heat until smooth and chocolatey!

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Then pour over the chilled pumpkin layer.

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Gently rock the pan back and forth to spread the chocolate evenly over the pumpkin layer and then place in the refrigerator to  for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

 

Pro tip: Before slicing them let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so.  If you slice into them when they are just out of the refrigerator, the chocolate may crack.

Lift the entire parchment paper out of the pan and place on a cutting board, use a sharp knife, and they slice beautifully!

That’s it!

Super simple and a delicious and nourishing gluten-free Fall snack or treat!

And they store well in the fridge or freezer for weeks (if they last that long!).

Hope you love them as much as we do!

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try our…

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Fudgy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

No Bake Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Cups

For more No Bake Snacks and Treats, click here. 

PIN it!

Pumpkin Chocolate No Bake Bars gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you make them.

Recipe

 
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No Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Bars

These simple NO BAKE Pumpkin Chocolate bars are a decadent tasting, secretly nourishing, snack or dessert! Just 8 ingredients, 15 minutes prep time, gluten-free and vegan.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Pumpkin, No Bake, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free optional
Servings: 16 bars
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond butter or nut or seed butter of choice
  • 1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup 4 tablespoons for a sweeter bar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice 2 teaspoons if you want more pumpkin spice flavor
  • 1 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon gluten-free oat flour can make your own by pulsing oats in a food processor
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
  • 1 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet, dairy-free
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

  • Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a small sauce pan, on low heat, mix almond butter, pumpkin puree and maple syrup and stir to combine. After about 1 minute, as the ingredients start to melt and blend, add pumpkin spice and continue to stir and warm until fully combined and smooth -- approximately 1 more minute.
  • Remove from heat, add oat flour and ground flaxseeds and stir until well combined. The mixture will be thick.
  • Transfer pumpkin mixture to the prepared pan and press into pan to spread evenly. I like to press the mix down with a spatula to make sure it is even. Place in freezer while preparing chocolate layer.
  • Wipe the sauce pan clean, then heat chocolate chips and coconut oil on low heat, stirring frequently until melted and well combined.
  • Remove from heat, then pour chocolate evenly over bar mixture. (rock pan side to side a bit to make sure even)
  • Refrigerate 2-3 hours, or overnight, until chocolate layer is cooled and set.
  • Remove from refrigerator and let bars rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing. If they are cold, the chocolate may crack a bit when cutting.
  • Enjoy!
  • Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

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