Perfect as a gluten free breakfast on the go, these pumpkin oat bars are decadent and indulgent and will meet your pumpkin needs!

Yield: A dozen
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Gluten Free Pumpkin Oat Bars

Oat bars are popular anytime of year, but I always find myself craving them when the weather starts to turn chillier. They make a far better accompaniment to hot tea than biscuits or cookies do and as the mercury drops, my consumption of tea increases. From that perspective, there's no shock, then, that I crave oat bars in autumn and winter!

These oat bars, with the soft oat flour base, rich pumpkin puree and flakes of rolled oats across the top, are a perfect pumpkin/oat sandwich. They're gluten free, made from oat flour which makes them surprisingly soft! Easy to whip up, and requiring minimal effort or time, you can make a batch of these as soon as you get up on Saturday morning and nibble them throughout the day. Or, do like I do, and make up a batch for breakfasts for the entire week.

If you wanted, you could easily add a bit of pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) to add a bit of zing to these pumpkin bars or make them without the spice and enjoy the natural pumpkin flavour. Just make sure you use 100% all natural pumpkin puree. The kind that looks like baby food when it comes out of the tin. Not that processed, pumpkin product crap. No beuno.

One more thing, these bars are so versatile! If you don't fancy them for breakfast (they are a bit sweet, by the way) they would make an excellent dessert on the go for your guests on Thanksgiving who've traveled a wee bit to feast with you. Or wrap them up in a pretty box with autumnal tissue paper (orange, gold, rust coloured) and give them as a party favour for the people who come round to yours for Thanksgiving. Or, squirrel 1/3 of the bars away in a secret dessert tin in the kitchen and share the rest with your family. Nibble on your secret stash after all the rest have been devoured.

Ingredients:

For the gluten free pumpkin oat bars
2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract
4 grams baking powder
5 grams xanthan gum
100 grams gluten free rolled oats
100 grams sugar
113 grams unsalted butter, melted
120 grams gluten free oat flour
200 grams all natural pumpkin puree
pinch of sea salt
grated zest of 1 lemon

Pumpkin Oat Bars {Gluten Free}

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 190c/ 350f.
2. Grease a baking pan.
3. Combine the melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Stir in the flour, oats, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.
5. Press 3/4 of the mix into the pan.
6. Spread or pipe over the pumpkin puree.
7. Top with the rest of the oat mix and pat gently until smooth.
8. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned and firmed.