A Pumpkin Walks Into A Molasses Bar
I’ve been eager to use up my imposing stash of organic blackstrap molasses to enjoy its beautiful health benefits, so I figured it was time to work with the Peanut Butter Oat Bars recipe again in order to make some nutritious breakfast items.
Quick note: although the blackstrap molasses flavor isn’t over-pronounced in these, you can sub light molasses or another liquid sweetener in its place. that also means less health goodness, but it’s a free world.
Same thing goes for Sucanat, light brown sugar will do a fabulous job too.
I can see using oat bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, or other flours instead of spelt, too.
Lastly, if cranberries aren’t your thing or if you’d rather see some nuts in there, you can figure out what to do about it.
Pumpkin Molasses Bars
Non-stick cooking spray
1 cup (244 g) pumpkin purée
1/3 cup (117 g) blackstrap or regular molasses
1/4 cup (48 g) Sucanat
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (98 g) quick-cooking oats
1 cup (120 g) light spelt flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup (41 g) dried cranberries or other dried fruit or nut
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lightly coat an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large saucepan, heat pumpkin, molasses, Sucanat, and oil until smooth and combined, for about 2 minutes. Stir in extract.
Fold in oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cranberries.
Press mixture into prepared pan, bake for 25 minutes.
Place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Chill in the fridge while still in pan for an easier time slicing into bars.
Yield: 8 bars
If you want to drizzle the bars with icing:
Sift 1/3 cup (40 g) of powdered sugar in a bowl. Add nondairy milk, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, stirring vigorously to obtain a smooth mixture. It should be thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, but thin enough to spread with ease. Drizzle on top of bars.
Shelby said,
September 9, 2008 at 4:27 am
Oh my gosh!! I just opened a can of pumpkin puree for something else and I have tons left, this recipe will be perfect…and maybe I’ll use your Sweet Potato Muffin recipe with pumpkin too! Yum, your desserts never fail me =)
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vegan addict said,
September 9, 2008 at 4:31 am
Seriously? We both mention molasses and how it’s good for us?! Are you my secret sister or something?! The photo at the top took my breath away… It did. And the title is too clever. I’d go to bars if they served molasses and pumpkins sat next to me and we talked about fall. Yeah.
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Rosa said,
September 9, 2008 at 5:09 am
Beautiful! Those bars looks delicious and super healthy! You can’t ask for more!
Cheers,
Rosa
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melisser said,
September 9, 2008 at 7:54 am
Ooh, these sound SO good!
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VeggieGirl said,
September 9, 2008 at 11:28 am
Those bars!!! Celine, you’re killing me here.
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Jenny said,
September 9, 2008 at 11:32 am
Those bars look amazing. I saw the title of your entry – and reminded me of the joke my nephew made up when he was about 15…Two blondes walked into a bar, you think one of them would have seen it….well we thought it was funny – but it was after a day of drinking on the beach….
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Ricki said,
September 9, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Pumpkin and molassess–so Halloween! They look great. :)
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Katy said,
September 9, 2008 at 12:57 pm
This recipe sounds perfect for Fall! YUM!
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Danielle said,
September 9, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Oh my gosh, to dieeee for! I love everything about them!
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Jennifer said,
September 9, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Those bars are seriously gorgeous. If I made a batch of 8, I would certainly eat every last one of them! Yum!
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Melody S. said,
September 9, 2008 at 4:24 pm
These look great Celine! I’ll never be able to keep up and make all the great recipes you think up! Your a dynamo!
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Lenora said,
September 9, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Oh yeah! I need to use up some of that too! Sounds fantastic…. I hardly bake, but I might give it a go for these :D Thanks!
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Ashley said,
September 9, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Mmmm, fall food. I need to work on my iron levels AND I’m in need of study food, this sure looks like a winner!
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Sal said,
September 9, 2008 at 7:37 pm
those look lovely, I have a massive jar of blackstrap molasses to use up too – thanks for the inspiration!!
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tofufreak said,
September 9, 2008 at 8:02 pm
now i know what to do with that randomly opened bottle of blackstrap molasses!
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Cassie said,
September 9, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Oh yes, I’ll be making these for sure. Beautiful recipe, Celine.
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atxvegn said,
September 10, 2008 at 3:26 am
I can’t remember if I”ve already made the pb oat bars, but if not, I’ll make those and then I’ll make these. You’re just gonna have to slow down because I’m getting way behind on trying out all your recipes!
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Sophie said,
September 10, 2008 at 3:39 am
I’ve never baked with black strap molasses, but now that I know it’s healthy, I’ll definitely give it a whirl. These look perfect for fall. I always love how your recipes are healthy but still sweet! :D
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S. from The Student Stomach said,
September 10, 2008 at 4:25 am
I love this title. It made me laugh out loud. Some good inexpensive humor.
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amber said,
September 10, 2008 at 1:17 pm
oh i am SO making these tonight, especially since i have all the ingredients on hand.
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sheree said,
September 10, 2008 at 1:34 pm
These sound fantastic. Look like a perfect pick me up bar in the afternoon too! I love blackstrap molasses.
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shellyfish said,
September 10, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Could you please send me over a couple for breakfast? Fine, *be* that way, I guess I’ll just have to be happy that you shared the recipe…
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Sina said,
September 10, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Did you read my thoughts? This recipe uses exactly what I wanted to use up in baked goods: Pumpkin puree (I did never bake with it before), dried cranberries and spelt flour.
The photos are gorgeous!
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River said,
September 10, 2008 at 10:42 pm
You take such beautiful pictures of your always delicious-looking food!
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
September 11, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Dude, I’m so putting this on my list of things to make. I love the idea of a healthy, yet-sinfully-yummy breakfast bar. It’s like dessert for breakfast…but not.
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Sarah said,
September 27, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Oh, my favorite things molasses, cranberries and drizzle icing. I’m going to have to make those very soon. I may try to add some chopped cashews to add some protein for the kids. Yum!
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Have your cake « Teresa’s Tips Weblog said,
October 17, 2008 at 8:36 pm
[...] already tried the pumpkin molasses bars, and they were so good. I love that many of her recipes are stuffed with healthy ingredients, so [...]
Oh She Glows » Blog Archive » Pumpkin Ginger Powerbars said,
March 18, 2009 at 11:42 am
[...] I adapted the recipe found here. [...]
Michelle said,
March 18, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I just made these and they are great! Definitely a good alternative to buying snack bars.
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Jessica said,
March 22, 2009 at 6:05 am
I made these yesterday afternoon – so good! I decided to bake them like biscotti for an extra crispy bar. After slicing I popped them back into the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes per side.
http://johnstonesvinblanc.blogspot.com/2009/03/crisp-pumpkin-molasses-granola-bars.html
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Vegetation said,
June 5, 2009 at 12:44 am
Just wanted to let you know I made these for the girls lunchboxes Celine and they certainly didn’t disappoint! I love that I know what’s going into my girls tummies too, unlike crummy store bought museli bars (and I love them too!)
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Celine Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 1:04 am
thank you for telling me, Amy! I must say I have a hard time buying pre-made stuff anymore. it can be a problem sometimes, eh?
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Jasmine S. said,
October 23, 2009 at 6:10 am
Thanks! I made these with butternut squash puree and frozen cranberries and no icing. My husband and I loved them! Great breakfast treat! :)
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