'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!
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
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.
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!
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!
Then pour over the chilled pumpkin layer.
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.
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!).
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.
3tablespoonsmaple syrup4 tablespoons for a sweeter bar
1 1/2teaspoonpumpkin spice2 teaspoons if you want more pumpkin spice flavor
1 1/3cup+ 1 tablespoon gluten-free oat flourcan make your own by pulsing oats in a food processor
2tablespoonsground flaxseeds
1cupchocolate chipssemi-sweet, dairy-free
1tablespooncoconut 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.
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
