soooooooo, when i heard there was going to be a shortage on canned pumpkin this fall, i started buying it whenever i found it.  i managed to accumulate about a dozen cans & now it seems that the steady supply is back.

time to use that pumpkin!

i saw these just a few days ago, on two different blogs that i read & just knew i had to make them.  i suffer from breakfast burnout…eating the same things over & over & over again until they make me gag & the mister “eats” slimfast (i know, right?), so i knew these would be a welcome break for both of us & with all the ingredients were already in the pantry, i doubled the recipe to let my coworkers get in on these too.

they were a hit!  easy, delicious & substantial.  i like that in a breakfast.

makes 10-12 granola bars

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white chocolate, semi sweet, or butterscotch chips

1.  preheat the oven to 350°.  prepare an 8 x8 baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.

2.  in a large bowl, combine oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt.  set aside.

3.  in a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce & vanilla until smooth.  pour over the mixture in the large bowl & stir well, until all the oats are coated & moist.  fold in chips of choice.

4.  firmly & evenly press into the prepared pan.  bake for 30-35 minutes, until noticeably golden brown.  (mine took a solid 35 minutes & i didn’t pull them out until the outside edges bubbled a little bit.)  remove from oven & let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

5.  with a very sharp knife, cut into individual bars, remove from pan & let cool completely.

from two peas and their pod