Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Protein Bars: Really a Brownie!

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I blogged “healthier” alternatives to pumpkin desserts recently and these pumpkin protein bars were at the top of my list! They’re low in sugar and have no oil or butter, but after baking these bad boys they’re still a brownie.

 
 

These pumpkin protein bars are super simple to make! All you do is mix your wet ingredients in a bowl, then mix in your dry ingredients. That’s it! Spread the mixture onto a 9×11 baking sheet, top with your chocolate chips, and bake. You’re done!

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I love baking recipes that are easy to follow and even easier to execute. It makes it extremely fun to enjoy your dessert. To the kitchen!

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Protein Bars

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 4 ounces vanilla plant-based protein powder (I used Chocolate Garden of Raw)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray your 9×11 baking pan.
• In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer to combine pumpkin puree, almond butter, protein powder, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat in the eggs.
• Stir in the flour, baking soda and spices until a smooth batter forms. Stir in the rolled oats.
• Spread batter evenly onto prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. My oven is not that strong, so I actually baked these bad boys for 20 minutes.

 

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These protein bars are only 144 calories per bar. You’ll get 14 or 15 of them and each one has around 6 grams of sugar. That’s great! I absolutely love that. Note, most desserts have way more sugar than that!

Once I baked these bars and let them cool, I was dying to try them. At first glance they were much less bar-like and more like cake or a brownie. That was fine, because they are delicious. I was expecting more of a protein bar, especially with the almond butter in there, but they did not disappoint! They taste like cake and are so worth it!

I really don’t indulge too much in desserts, but this time of year I want at least a little something sweet and these pumpkin protein bars are truly worth it! The flavors meld extremely well together. The almond butter is very subtle and the pumpkin and spices mix great. The oats just give these bars a light texture and really bring it all together.

These pumpkin bars are definitely in my arsenal of fall treats to make. I’m still on the hunt for a delicious and not too sweet homemade protein bar to make for my travels. These are not it, but in making them I found a wonderful and surprising treat! These bars rose a lot more than I thought they would, so I put some in the fridge to keep them fresh and froze the rest to be eaten throughout this wonderful season. They will definitely be great heated up and topped with ice cream!

Definitely have some self-control when it comes to these bars. While one is a nice little snack, I found myself wanting multiple, but stopped myself. I’ll thank myself later for being able to pull one of these bad boys out when I’m wanting a delicious sweet snack!

 

 

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp. She’s an actress, writer, and producer. Get lost in her youtube comedy channel PillowTalk TV. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram

 

 

Photo Credits to Yours Truly