Pumpkin Spice Energy Bars
You’d never know these Pumpkin Spice Energy Bars are gluten free and dairy free. They are the perfect pocket snack for a fall hike and are just as great with a steaming mug of English Breakfast tea for an afternoon pick up.
Why is fall so magical? Is it the crisp air and cool mornings? Is it the mums and pumpkins that decorate all the front porches? Is it the mountains that are ablaze with red and yellow? Or is it the farmers market sharing the seasons bounty and filling my kitchen with all it’s goodness? My guess is it’s a combination of all of it. The fall air makes me feel more alive than any other time of year. I’m productive as ever and there isn’t a day that passes that I don’t stop, take a minute and drink in the magnitude of these gorgeous mountains and the town I get to call home.
When the kiddos go to school, I grab my best girl and hit the trails for a little outdoor exercise. Some mornings it’s for a quick 30 minute hike before I head home and get to work and other days I meet my girlfriends and we do something a little longer (my favorite!). Last week we did a nice hour + uphill to the most amazing views of Canyons Resort and Park City. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the yellows on the mountains were going off.
Mornings have been so hectic getting the boys to school that I’ve forgotten to eat breakfast (something that never happens) a few times. I hiked a few weeks ago and realized I hadn’t eaten about 3/4 into my hike. Other than my bottle filled with water, I had nothing. I wasn’t all that psyched. I so wished I’d packed a granola bar or something quick to give me some energy. My stomach rumbled and I spent the whole hike down recipe developing in my head for the awesome energy/granola bars that I was going to create so I wouldn’t be left hungry on the trails.
Enter these Pumpkin Spice Energy Bars. I spied these homemade granola bars on Pinterest and was intrigued that they were made in a bread pan. I tinkered with the recipe a fair amount and two tries later we got a winner. I would most definitely say these were somewhere between a bread and a bar leaning more on the bread side. But with no gluten, no dairy and no added sugar, these are a total winner no matter what you call them. The pumpkin butter is sweet enough so you don’t need to add any additional sweetener. The hemp seeds and pecans add some nice protein and the coconut and chocolate chips make it very much feel like an energy bar.
Last week, my friends and I planned a longer hike and thanks to the aforementioned hectic morning, I didn’t eat breakfast. I grabbed three of these bars on my way out the door and stuffed them into my camel bak along with my water and a long sleeve shirt. These were the perfect bite when we got to the top. We enjoy the views, enjoyed our bars and sat for a good half hour taking it all in. It was just what we needed to fuel or hike down and tackle the day.
Make these bars and hit the trails. Your emotional well being (and stomach) will thank me. Your welcome.
PrintPumpkin Spice Energy Bars
Yield: 12-14 bars 1x
Yield:
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin spice energy bar.
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free oats
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond milk
- 10 oz pumpkin butter
- 2 tablespoons hemp seed
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, almond milk and pumpkin butter; mix thoroughly. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture mix thoroughly.
- Stir in hemp seeds, coconut, pecans and chocolate chips; stir just to combine.
- Press energy bar mixture into a greased 9″ loaf pan. Heat in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the center is set. Remove from oven and let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.
- When fully cool, slice into 12-14 bars. Wrap individually and store in fridge or freezer. This is important to help the bars set.
- Take on a hike and enjoy!
19 Comments
THANK YOU! I’m trying to make hiking part of my routine, I mean, they’re in my backyard afterall. Your punkin’ energy bars look delicious.
Love everything about this. That hike + those mountains + good friends + beautiful energy bars — doesn’t look like life gets much better. I love the place you call home! 🙂
I love your idea of using pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree for some added flavor! Brilliant! My mother lives in Park City and absolutely hates it, because she’s a summer person. The thought of fall depresses her, because she has a hard time with the winters there. And I’m the complete opposite, and would so love to live in Park City. Beautiful views.
Get out! I just made some pumpkin spice granola bars! Love that yours has pumpkin butter…next time I will through these into the mix!
That hike looks amazing, such beautiful scenery 🙂 The bars sound great as well! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m headed to TJ’s tomorrow to pick up some of that pumpkin butter. Love this recipe!
You havent included the almond milk from the ingredient list in the wet ingredients.
Thanks for catching that. I updated the recipe to show adding the almond milk with the wet ingredients.
Could you use pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin butter? Or is there a way to make the pumpkin butter–no TJs here 🙁
You could easily use a different butter- apple, fig, or another brand of pumpkin butter. Otherwise, use canned pumpkin and maybe add a tablespoon or two of honey or maple syrup and extra spices. Good luck!
Could you please share the ingredients in the TJs pumpkin butter? I quit all sweeteners & eat low carb but I’d love to try this recipe. It looks so promising and delicious! Thank you.
The pumpkin butter does have sweetener in it.
Thank you for letting me know!
Hi! I’m having troubles finding pumpkin butter. I’ve found pumpkin SEED butter, is there a difference, what did you use? Thanks!
I used Pumpkin Butter from Trader Joes but I think it’s a seasonal product so you wouldn’t be able to get it until the fall. In the meantime, any kind of fruit butter would work or you could order pumpkin butter online. Hope that helps!
These bars were so easy to put together, they are very dense, next time I make them I’m going to add 1/4 c honey to the mix, just for a little sweetness. They are wonderful and do the trick after a workout, or getting you through to your next meal.
Glad you enjoyed them!
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I’ve made these bars last year and now. They’re delicious! Everyone I share with love them too. I have substituted the hemp seed with raisins. FYI… we found pumpkin butter at Aldis this year. Thank you for this recipe.