It has been almost 3 months since our wedding. Crazy how fast time flies but it’s all good because I am really enjoying married life. It is fun to come to my husband every day! We have gotten into a nice routine of relaxing and catching up with friends. However, all this fun and socializing usually comes with wine and food. As most brides do, leading up to the wedding I was conscious of my diet and worked out consistently with a good blend of cardio and toning. I would say I did a pretty good job of getting into the shape I wanted, but I wasn’t 100% happy. Even so, my dress fit, I was happy and I had an incredible time.
Since the wedding, I have fallen out of the routine a bit. Which is totally ok, however and I am ready to get back into it. I am feeling very lethargic and unmotivated and I hate that. And to top it off, my stomach has been bothering me which is a problem that comes and goes. It often flairs up when I start eating more sugar, carbs and processed/fried foods and less veggies and protein. I get really bloated and have frequent pain and pressure. I really need to figure out my digestive issues in a more permanent way, but for now I have learned if I eat really clean it will ease up a bit. These Pumpkin Bars I have been snacking on haven’t been helping my stomach problems or my sugar intack!
In order to get back on track I need to stop making on my favorite yummy treats which will be hard because this is the best time of year to bake. But before I do, I want to share with you this awesome Pumpkin Pie Bar. I was at the Fruit Center Marketplace (which is amazing – it’s like a local Whole Foods) and they were giving out samples of this delicious Pumpkin Treat. It was great so I immediately went home, pulled out the ingredients and decided to recreate it.
These bars are super good. I shared them with my family and friends and every time they asked me for the recipe. I had a lot of the oatmeal crumble left over so I actually ended up buying more of all the pumpkin filling ingredients and making another batch. I highly recommend these for all your pre-Thanksgiving gatherings. Treats for all… Now if only I could resist my sweet tooth!
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Pumpkin Pie Bar
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serving Size: 9
Ingredients
- Oatmeal Crust/Crumble:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups quick oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 granulated sugar (or cane sugar)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (about 1.5 sticks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pumpkin Filling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 teaspoon ginger
- 1 pinch cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 canned pumpkin
- 1/3 evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking pan.
- First make the Oatmeal Crumble: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix until no clumps. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract, and stir with a fork mixed. Press half of the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Next prepare the Pumpkin Filling: In another bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt, whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth. Then, whisk in the pumpkin and evaporated milk until well blended and combined.
- Once the crust is finished baking, pour the pumpkin filling over the bottom crust and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture over the pumpkin filling (I had oatmeal mixture left over). Put the pan back in the oven and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes or until golden on top and the center only jiggles slightly.
- It is good served fresh out of the oven, warm.
- It is also incredibly good if you allow it to cool for 3 hours and it becomes more like pumpkin pie!
