Halloween recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars
These Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars are the perfect healthy Halloween treat. They are made with wholesome ingredients such as whole-grain oats and all-natural honey, and they require zero baking. (Andrea Mathis / Beautiful Eats & Things)
Halloween is almost here, and I’ve been making fun Halloween treats, such as these Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars.
I was inspired to make these during a trip to Sprouts Farmers Market. They had a massive selection of seasonal pumpkin products. In addition to grabbing almost every one of those products on the shelf, I also grabbed a few cans of pumpkin as well as rolled quick oats, cocoa powder and cream cheese.
Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars. (Andrea Mathis / Beautiful Eats & Things)
These bars were super easy to make, and the best part is that they required zero baking. I’m all about a no-bake recipe because I enjoy letting the kids help cook. The chocolate granola crust is similar to my recipe for energy bites, but I used a few more quick oats to make my mixture thicker and sturdier.
These Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars were a big hit with my boys.
Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars
Creamy Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars. (Andrea Mathis / Beautiful Eats & Things)
Click here for a printable version.
Serves: 9
Ingredients
For chocolate granola crust:
- 2 cups rolled quick oats
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup almond butter
- 6 tablespoons all-natural honey
For filling:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ¼ cup sugar
- Optional: ¼ cup melted chocolate for drizzle
Instructions
- Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add rolled quick oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond butter and honey. Mix until it becomes a large, sticky ball.
- Press granola mixture into pan and place in refrigerator.
- In a medium bowl, add canned pumpkin, cream cheese, pumpkin spice and sugar. Beat with mixer until smooth and spread on top of granola layer.
- Place in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour to set.
- Cut into bars. Bars will be slightly firm but creamy.
- If desired, drizzle melted milk chocolate on top before serving.
- Store in refrigerator.
Andrea Mathis is a registered dietitian and owner of Beautiful Eats & Things. For more great recipes, visit beautifuleatsandthings.com.
