Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

After making the pumpkin bread yesterday, I was left with a 1/2 cup of pumpkin. I wasn't sure how I was going to use the 1/2 cup because most recipes want 1 cup. But then I saw this recipe only needed a 1/2 cup and we had just eaten the last of the other granola bars.

These granola bars are sill soft and chewy but seem to hold their shape better than the peanut butter ones, which were crumbly at times.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
                                                                              
Two peas & their pod
 

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice - I used ground cloves and allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar -I used a little less
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don't want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
5. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Wet ingredients

Oats, almonds, and flax

Cut bars when still warm but don't take them out of the pan until cool