Description
These Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Bars are a cozy, wholesome treat perfect for breakfast or a snack. Packed with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, combined with pumpkin puree and natural sweeteners like dates, molasses, and maple syrup, these bars offer a delightful balance of flavors and a satisfying texture thanks to a blend of ground and whole quick oats. Baked to golden perfection, they’re easy to make and perfect for meal prepping or on-the-go eating.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups dry quick oats
- 2/3 cup dry quick oats (reserved)
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cardamom
Wet Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup oat milk
- 7.5 ounces pumpkin puree (half of a 15-ounce can)
- 4 Medjool dates, soaked 15 minutes in warm water
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Butter or baking spray, for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8 x 8-inch square baking dish with butter or baking spray for thicker bars (recommended) or use a 9 x 13-inch dish for thinner bars.
- Make dry spice oat blend: In a high-powered blender or Vitamix, combine 2 cups dry quick oats, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, black pepper, cloves, allspice, coconut or brown sugar, salt, and cardamom. Blend until finely ground and well combined into a uniform spice-oat mixture.
- Blend wet ingredients: Pour dry mixture into a large mixing bowl. Next, in the blender, combine eggs, oat milk, pumpkin puree, soaked Medjool dates, molasses, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly using a spatula or spoon until the batter is smooth and evenly incorporated.
- Fold in whole oats: Gently fold the reserved 2/3 cup whole quick oats into the batter using a spatula to add texture without overmixing.
- Transfer and spread batter: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly to the edges.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the bars are set in the center and the top has turned golden brown.
- Cool and cut: Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the bars to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan. Then cut into squares for serving.
- Serve: Enjoy these gingerbread baked oatmeal bars warm or at room temperature as a nutritious breakfast or snack.
Notes
- Use quick oats: The slower cooking oats will result in a chewier texture, so quick oats are preferred for the right consistency.
- Adjust sweetness: The recipe includes multiple sweeteners (dates, molasses, maple syrup, sugar) so feel free to adjust quantities to your taste preference for more or less sweetness.
- Soak dates: Soaking the Medjool dates in warm water softens them, making them easier to blend smoothly into the batter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/9 of batch)
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
