You’re going to have to forgive me.
Last week was the first week in a good long while that I didn’t share a single recipe with you guys. Not one. I spent so much time rambling on about selfies, food combinations, and my winter fitness plans, that I didn’t quite manage to squeeze a recipe in there on top of everything else. I’m sorry 😳 Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? How about if I come bearing bribes gifts?
Gingerbread pumpkin bars. This is the part where I should probably lie and say that I made these solely as way to apologize to you for slacking on the recipe front last week, but the truth of the matter is that I made these solely as a way to satisfy a random craving for pumpkin and gingerbread that hit me yesterday afternoon — and satisfy they did. But let’s not get caught up in the petty details behind my motives, mmkay? Let’s talk about these bars instead…
If they look a little familiar, that’s because I based them off my beloved pumpkin pie chocolate oatmeal bars, tweaking a few ingredients to make them a bit more seasonally appropriate.
See, we’re (or at least I’m) currently in a seasonal limbo — the calendar says fall, but the weather says winter. Compound that with the fact that it’s nearly December (winter) and our American friends have yet to celebrate Thanksgiving (fall), and the lines between what kind of treats are supposed to come out of the oven around this time become a little blurred… which is why you straddle the line and go with the best of both worlds.
Pumpkin and gingerbread — a perfect treat to make the transition from fall to winter. These bars have the same ooey, gooey, spicy, sweet, rich, and intense qualities as their predecessor, but they’ve switched up their spices and swapped out their cocoa powder for molasses — all in the name of gingerbread.
I have to admit that I haven’t always been the biggest fan of gingerbread. Spices near my sweets?!? Not unless it was cinnamon, and even then, only as a subtle hint rather than a dominant flavour. When it came to Christmas cookies, I would always opt for the sugared Christmas trees over gingerbread men, and it wasn’t until I had some of the most amazingly chewy gingerbread cookies last year that I changed my tune… to the point where I actually find myself craving molasses on occasion.
Well, yesterday just so happened to be one of those occasions, which is why these beauties were born.
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
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Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup oat flour (or oats ground in a food processor)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 3 Tbsp. molasses
For the filling:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line an 8×8 baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Set aside.
- Make the crust. In a large mixing bowl, combine oat flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Stir until fully combined. Add in coconut oil, applesauce, and molasses. Mix well and set aside.
- Make the filling. In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, vanilla, and spices. Mix until fully incorporated and set aside.
- Using a spatula or your fingers, firmly press the dough mixture into the bottom of your square pan, making sure it is evenly distributed. Pour the pumpkin filling over the crust, spreading evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until pumpkin has set.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Nice to see you get some bakin’ happening in between the slopes 😉
I used to love gingerbread as a kid…well I liked taking the chocolate buttons off them and throwing the rest away. However, after seeing all you guys post amazing gingerbread style recipes with this magic thing called Molasses- I’ll have to give it another go. Have you had crystallised ginger before? So. Good.
Once again you are being racist asking if its Winter or Fall. Blogger racism 😉
😆 Oh mister, I’m sorry… it’s just hard for me to imagine anything but winter when we’re currently buried in snow. One day I have to make it down there to your neck of the worlds to experience summer in January.
These did look familiar! I kind of like when bloggers expand on one base recipe though. It gives me inspiration to do the same. Also, it shows how good of a recipe the original was 😀
Yes. I love gingerbread. And cinnamon (<<< along with almond extract that is one of my favorite Christmas flavors right there).
Winter. Definitely.
Ah these look insanely good! Didn’t you guys celebrate thanksgiving last month in Canada?
Sure did! But it seems like forever ago.
I was praying that these could be made gluten free. I am one happy lady now!! These may be added to my Thanksgiving planning, if I can wait that long 😉
My oh my these look so perfect! I love desserts in bar form. At the same time though, that can be dangerous because that makes them portable, which means I’ll snag one after another after another… 😉
I haven’t had good gingerbread in a longgg time, and I’ve never made it myself because I never go out and buy molasses. It’s always been one of those things I just don’t think I need…but these might just make me go get some!
You are the baking queen, my friend! Everything you make puts a smile on my face…and makes me drool a bit ;). The pumpkin/gingerbread combo is fantastic!
You certainly have mastered the art of food photography! Teach me your ways. The bars look delicious, and it’s definitely a very timely combination of flavors. I think my favorite winter/Christmas flavor is eggnog, yum!
Food photography is seriously the bane of my existence, especially now that good lighting is so much harder to come by! A lot of it involves taking a whoooooole lot of shots and hoping that some come out, and I’ve just started using a tripod, which has been a learning experience in itself.
I definitely forgive you. Just staring at these babies made my morning oh so much better.
These look amazing… and the photos are awesome! I can’t wait to try making them!
Weeeee great job, Amanda! These look beautiful and delicious! I am a fan of gingerbread and pretty much any baked good paired up with spices. I’m one of those people who tend to like strong and bold flavors in food (usually), and I think it’s my Korean background of food to blame. Have a great day amiga <33
hey, i can eat these! i make my own oat flour and well, you had me at molasses.
😉
glad youre warming up to spices. hehe
I love gingerbread and it’s probably my favorite holiday flavor. It’s definitely winter here, since it was 14* outside when I woke up. 🙁
What kind of camera did you use to take these photos?
A Canon EOS-7D
Those are the prettiest bars ever!! The recipe looks so easy too! I’m kind of over pumpkin already, its sad, but I still need to finish off some thats in the house.
I definitely hear ya on being pretty much done with it — surprisingly my kabocha addiction is still going really strong though 😆
Oh wow these look amazing! I love anything gingerbread flavoured 🙂
YUM! These look amazing. Nothing better than the combo of gingerbread and pumpkin. You’ve really outdone yourself. Gingerbread is definitely my favourite winter flavour. I’ll have to bust out this recipe for Christmas this year.
Oh, lady, these really look like the perfect transitional treat for this two seasons. I got the vibe when I saw them dusted in powdered sugar. Somehow it gave me a feeling of snow and a cup of hot chocolate (with or without the amaretto) and I could totally imagine having a piece of these delicious bars with it. Which reminds me that I hadn’t a pumpkin the last two weeks… waaah, whats happening here? Definitely time to get one.
You are so forgiven, Amanda. I love gingerbread, so am looking forward to these 🙂 Here in Kingston in is COLD but not much snow yet!
I just saw your recipe for avocado hot chocolate, and can’t even tell you how badly I’d love to have a cup of that right now!
So pretty!:) I would say it’s safe to say you made up for no recipe last week with these pretty little gems!
I love baking this time of year. Baked goods just taste better at the holidays:)
I’m not a huge gingerbread fan, but combining it with pumpkin is genius! Sounds like a Thanksgiving Christmas explosion of deliciousness. 🙂
Bah. SO WINTER-Y right now. I feel like I shouldn’t complain to you because you were posting pictures similar to our current weather a week or two ago, but nonetheless…boooo.
And these look really good! Gingerbread is one of those things that I can take or leave, but if you throw pumpkin in there than clearly I’m going to be a fan.
Favourite fall flavours: mint-chocolate is a huge one…but really, I’m just looking forward to an excuse to put red and green sprinkles or mini M&Ms on absolutely everything.
I have to say that mint chocolate is probably one of my favourites too… Or chocolate-orange. Gah! So many delicious options, not enough time.
PS – I’m still laughing over that picture of Atti barreling through the snow 😆
I love gingerbread! I especially like decorating gingerbread cookies and making gingerbread houses…then eating the gingerbread house later while watching something Christmassy! But my favourite Christmas flavour has got to be peppermint! It’s -14 today in Ottawa and we just got our first snowfall yesterday…I had to buy a new shovel and road salt at Rona, so I guess it is safe to say that winter has arrived!
I don’t MIND gingerbread, but it’s certainly not one of my favorite flavors – I prefer cinnamon or pumpkin. I must say, these bars look pretty darn fabulous though!
We were in AZ last week, and came home to UT to WINTER! When we left a week and a half ago, it was warmer and definitely felt more like fall. Crazy how quickly things can change!
I can’t wait for all the chocolate mint recipes that have yet to come! Best time of the year in my opinion 🙂 These look really delicious! I’ve not always been the biggest gingerbread fan but have also been having some cravings for them. Maybe I’ll make these for Thanksgiving 🙂
So funny you ask… just yesterday I told Joe we didn’t get a fall! It was 80 degrees and humid last week and today its 27. Go figure haha! I’ve never tried the pumpkin/gingerbread combination. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda. I nearly keeled over and died. These look incredible!!! Seriously I am so impressed by these and the PICTURES. Holy woah. Texting you now just so you know how much I’m dying over these.
Gingerbread for the win!
Since it is currently n just about 25 degrees at the moment, I will say we are in winter mode. I did run rather cozy though in 4 layers this morning….I always loved the Pepperidge Farm gingerman cookies – do you have those in Canada?
I want to say yes because I’ve heard of the brand, but I’m not sure I’ve ever come across the ginger man cookies — you guys get all the cool stuff!
First of all, these look FANTASTIC, as all of your baked goodies and treats always so. Combining two of my favorite flavors too (pumpkin and ginger)- a very welcome sight to wake up to!
And yes, I am a HUGE fan of gingerbread. Baking some is a top priority for me this season. I dunno if I can pinpoint my favorite holiday flavor- can I just combine the flavors of gingerbread-sugar cookies-peanut brittle? I know, that’s a weird flavor, but I crave all of those things this time of year lol
It feels like winter here in Michigan, but looks like fall…no complaints here though. The snow can wait til Christmas. Then it can go away.
<3
😆 That’s pretty much how I feel about the snow as well — it’s too bad it never listens to me, though 😕 Hopefully you have better luck!
Oh yes, I can totally dig these! While gingerbread cookies aren’t necessarily my favorite (not a fan of a hard, crunchy cookie) I do LOVE the spices and flavors. Jumping on these babies STAT!
Best. Bribe. Ever. You’re definitely forgiven.
I have been horrible about posting blog recipes lately. The lack of daylight makes it so hard to photograph, but I’m hoping to get some recipe posts done over Thanksgiving break if I have time.
Those look delicious! How do you create recipes? I can be creative when it comes to cooking but I am not a baker. Baked products seem less forgiving so I tend to shy away from even attempting food requiring use of the oven.
I have not had gingerbread for years but I did like it when I was a kid although I always thought gingerbread men (or women, for the politically correct) looked better than they tasted.
My favorite Christmas flavor (flavour)? I’m not even sure what qualifies. I adore cinnamon but that seems like a year-round flavor. My parents (Santa) always put a satsuma in the toe of our stockings and the smell still makes me think of Christmas morning.
A couple of weeks ago it was definitely summer-like weather with near 90 degree (F) temperatures but now that there has been a 30+ degree drop it is settling into fall. This will be my first “winter” in Southern California. I believe winter has a different definition here.
See, I’m the complete opposite — I’m much more creative with baking than I am with cooking. As for coming up with recipes, I find that as soon as you learn the basic formula for what works, all you have to do is manipulate flavours and try different mix-ins. That being said, I’ve definitely had my fair share of kitchen flops — they just don’t make it onto the blog 😆
These bars are definitely drool inducing! Pumpkin and gingerbread – BRILLIANT combo! I think I could be a fan of gingerbread if pumpkin was thrown into the mix
I haven’t used molasses before, but I take it, its the molasses that makes the base so rich and brown?
My fav Christmas flavor is peppermint – I don’t feel the need to have cookies or bars with it any other time of the year – but December strikes and I crave that stuff!
It is soo cold here in Georgia with highs in the 40’s today (not cold by your Canadian standards, but FREEZIN by my Sri Lankan ones)!
So…I was thinking…anytime you wanna feel the “heat” of a Georgia winter you are welcome – so long as your luggage includes these bars 😉
Hope your week is lovely, sweet lady!
Yup! The molasses is what’s behind the richness of the crust. It’s definitely a powerful flavour, that’s sweet in a completely different way from honey or maple syrup, but the intensity and depth it adds to dishes just can’t be beat. Also tastes great with almond butter, but then again… what doesn’t 😀
Yum! These look like a really good treat for this time of the year like you said. Best of both holidays (Thanksgiving + Christmas) at least for the US! I know you guys already had your Thanksgiving. These would be sure to get you through the season limbo. I was totally feeling that this weekend. It snowed here!
Drooooolz. Love gingerbread, and I’m sure it’s great with the pumpkin!
Those look so good! I was going to make 2-ingredient pumpkin cookies yesterday, but I got lazy and did nothing instead. It’s still more fall-ish here in VA and I’ll hang on as long as I can! I love Starbucks peppermint mochas this time of year so maybe that’s my winter flavor.
You know, I can’t honestly say I’ve ever had peppermint mocha… Mint-chocolate, yes, but never with coffee added. Need.to.try!
Oh I am going to have to make these! They sound delicious!
omg between you and Becky, I’m going to be doing a lot of baking this week 😛 I love gingerbread cookies and pumpkin, so I think I’ll be giving these a test run later. I’m going home tomorrow for a few hours, and my dad loves gingerbread, too, so these would be the perfect treat to bring to share 🙂
Amazing recipe as always and yes I LOVE gingerbread! I have to thank you because the main thing I love about your recipes (aside from the taste) is that you don’t use weird ingredients and I typically always have them at home. That makes a huge difference for me because I hate when a recipe call for something weird that I have to search in the store for. Already pinned and on my list to try! 🙂
I have a feeling our pantries look pretty similar! I went through a phase where I bought a tonne of weird flours, powders, and ingredients, but more often than not I’d use them once or twice and they’d just sit around wasting space. I like things simple.
Oh these sound wonderful! I love gingerbread cookies, bread, oatmeal! These would be a great addition to thanksgiving dinner. It’s so cold here now it sure feels like winter. I need to make these before pumpkin is no longer seasonally acceptable.
YUM. I have been craving some gingerbread treats, and after that disappointing bar of chocolate I had last week, these will be the redeeming dessert. I want to call in sick to work today so I can stay home and make these. 😀
These are so pretty, especially with the dusting of powdered sugar <3 It definitely feels like winter here but is just ugly and brown without the snow… And I say pumpkin can go into winter, but that's just my opinion 😉
Confession: I have a feeling that I’m going to be eating pumpkin/kabocha all year round… And would you like some of our snow? 😉