So, I’m doing a little something different today, I’m posting this recipe from the road. I don’t mean just that I’m on the road away from home, but I am actually in the road, in the car. We are driving to Chicago and we are somewhere in Ohio right now, about 6 hours from our final destination. I made these granola bars for this trip and I had every intention of photographing them and writing up the recipe to share before we left. Of course I ran out of time and didn’t get time to set up a quick photo shoot with my nice camera, as usual. As I was packing these up for the drive, I thought rather than not sharing the recipe at all, I would just snap a few quick photos with my iPhone and make it work.

They may not be the best photos, but you get the idea. These granola bars are full of goodies and lots of flavor. They aren’t the super crispy crunchy kind, but more soft and chewy, which I prefer. I added in mini chocolate chips, dried currants, sliced almonds and shredded coconut. Feel free to add in your favorite extras and make these your own. If you are using fresh pumpkin purée , which is what I did, make sure  you squeeze or drain any excess water from it, so you don’t end up with soggy bars.

if you are in Chicago this weekend, come see us at the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market on Saturday or Sunday!

 [print_this] Chewy Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars – Gluten-free + Vegan
Makes 8 bars (you can also cut them into smaller squares to 16 or more)

• 2 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup certified gluten-free oat flour
• 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (canned will also work)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (honey or coconut nectar would also work)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (or flax seeds)
• 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips (certified gluten-free and vegan)
• 1/4 cup dried currants, cranberries or raisins
• 1/4 cup sliced almond, plus a tad but extra for the top
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, plus a tad but extra for the top

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease an 8″ x 8″ glass baking pan very well (with coconut oil, butter, oil, etc), or line it with foil, leaving some overhang on two of the sides so you can easily pull it out of the pan to make cutting even easier (this is what I did).

In a large mixing bowl, add all of your ingredients. Mix and mash up very well until it is all well combined. Get your hands in there if you really want to.

Press the mixture firmly and evenly into your pan. Sprinkle a bit more coconut, chopped nuts and some cinnamon on top. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Don’t worry if the bars seem a bit soft, they will firm up as they cool. After it has completely cooled, either lift the entire thing out of the pan and cut into bars or squares, or cut while it is in the pan.

These can be stored individually in the fridge or freezer. Since I made these two days ago, I stored them in the fridge and then wrapped each one individually in a little piece of parchment paper and a sandwich bag for easy eating in the car. [/print_this]