Pumpkin Oat Power Bars with Cranberries and White Chocolate

…now and then a giggling trail of mermaids appeared in our wake. We fed them oatmeal. ~Tove Jansson (from Moominpappa’s Memoirs)

These Pumpkin Cranberry White Chocolate Oat Power Bars are a variation of my Apple Oatmeal Power Bars.

They are a nut-free, gluten-free, vegan treat that will be welcome any time you are on snack duty.

Like the apple bars, these pumpkin bars contain red lentils for an extra blast of nutrition, but you’d never know it.

These are super easy to make: just stir everything together and spread into your pan for baking.

Each batch makes 36 bars – enough for some to eat now and some to freeze for later.

I like to keep these in the fridge, but they will keep at room temperature in an airtight container.

They are great to have on hand for hungry mermaids.

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Pumpkin Cranberry White Chocolate Oat Power Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

These vegan power bars pack good nutrition into a small bar and will appeal to children and adults. They freeze well, so are easy to keep on hand for lunches and snacks.

Servings: 36 (1-1/2 x 2") bars

Author: Mary Gillespie

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons / 60 ml ground flax meal
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml water
• 1 cup / 250 ml canned pumpkin puree
• 2-1/2 cups / 625 ml oatmeal
• 1 cup / 250 ml cooked lentils see note
• 2 teaspoons / 30 ml cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon / 1.25 ml cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon / 1.25 ml ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons / 7.5 ml grated orange rind optional
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml molasses
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml brown sugar
• 1 cup / 250 ml dried cranberries
• 1 cup / 250 ml white chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 176 degrees C.
2. Line a 9x13-inch / 23x33-cm baking pan with parchment paper.
3. In small bowl, stir together ground flax and water. Let sit for 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
4. Meanwhile place all other ingredients (pumpkin, oats, lentils, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper, salt, orange rind (if using), vegetable oil, molasses, brown sugar, cranberries and white chocolate chips) in large mixing bowl, and stir until blended.
5. Stir flax into mixture.
6. Spread into parchment-lined pan and bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes in pan.
8. Gently lift bars out of pan with parchment paper, and place on a cooling rack.
9. When cooled completely, cut into bars.

Recipe Notes

To cook lentils:
Combine 1 cup red lentils with 4 cups water and bring to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the lentils from sticking. Remove from heat and cool. Use 1 cup of the cooked lentils in this recipe, and refrigerate the leftovers. You can add it to baked goods and main dishes for extra nutrition. It will not affect the taste.

Some people may find the smell of the lentils unappetizing when they are mixing the bars. Don't worry about this if you notice it. It will not be present in the completed dish!