Pumpkin Seed and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Makes 12 to 16 bars

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups oat flour
• 3 to 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 2 to 3 tablespoons nondairy chocolate chips or mini chips
• (can also substitute raisins or dried cranberries)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8–1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain unsweetened nondairy milk
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ × 8″ baking dish with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat flour, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, cinnamon, sea salt, and nutmeg.

In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, stirring until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press it down until evenly distributed. Using a sharp knife, cut to mark out the bars before you bake them to make it easier to fully cut and remove the bars once baked. (I usually mark out 16 bars, but you can make whatever size you like.)

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and let bars cool in pan. Once cool, use a sharp knife to fully cut the bars, then remove with a spatula.

Idea: I first made these bars with just raisins, and they were delicious. Then, I tried a combination of pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips. Something about that duo really hit the mark for me, so I switched up the recipe with these as the default! You can always try other add-ins to replace the pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips, such as sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, unsweetened coconut, and other dried fruit (chopped, if needed).

Visit Dreena Burton at Plant-Powered Kitchen.

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