Healthy Pumpkin Fudge Bars

I’ve tried several pumpkin brownie recipes in the past. Some of them are so chocolatey that the pumpkin gets lost. And some of them are so heavy on pumpkin pie spice that the chocolate flavor is missed. I think this particular recipe has the perfect balance of both.

There is a small amount of cocoa powder in the batter, but the pumpkin flavors are prominent. I then added a thin chocolate layer to the top.

When you take a bite, you taste the chocolate first, but then the pumpkin really comes through. I really like how you taste them separately, but then together.

My kids can gobble down a whole batch of these delicious healthy pumpkin fudge bars and I think you’ll love them, too!

Chickpeas ~ After the roaring success of my Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies, I went back to this magical bean to create these healthy pumpkin fudge bars.

You can use black beans, like in my Black Bean Mocha Brownies, but I think the chickpeas hold up just a tad better here.

Make sure when you drain your chickpeas, that you save the liquid from the can! You can use the chickpea brine (a.k.a. aquafaba) to make donuts, quick bread, marshmallow fluff, and cupcakes!

Flour ~ While the chickpeas replace most of the flour found in traditional brownies, a little bit of oat flour helps to firm them up.

All-purpose flour, white whole wheat, spelt, or an all-purpose gluten free flour blend can all be used instead, if you prefer.

Cocoa powder ~ Use unsweetened cocoa powder.

Pumpkin ~ Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.

Sweet potato purée would also work.

Sweetener ~ Pure maple syrup makes these healthy pumpkin bars refined sugar free.

Chocolate chips ~ Choose dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips.

The batter for these dessert bars is easily made in a food processor.

Place all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade (1). Purée to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary (2) until completely smooth (3).

Spread the batter evenly into a parchment lined 8×8 baking dish (5).

Once cooked through, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and put back into the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes until the chips are melty (6).

Using an offset spatula (7) spread the chocolate chips out into one thin even layer over the brownies (8).

Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool completely before removing them. Once cool, cut into squares.

Store leftovers of these vegan pumpkin fudge bars in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

You can also freeze them! Place cut bars on a large plate or baking sheet in one even layer and lay them flat in the freezer. Once frozen, you can wrap them individually in parchment and place in a freezer safe plastic bag. They should keep well for up to 3 months.

~ Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas, then dry them as much as possible.

~ Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.

~ All-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour may be used in place of the oat flour, if you prefer. The bars would not be gluten free if you make this swap. You could also use an all-purpose gluten free flour blend.

~ Use a food processor to ensure the chickpeas are blended until smooth. Mashing them with a fork or potato masher will not be enough.

~ Line the baking pan with parchment paper and let the ends of the parchment hang over the edges of the pan (see photos above in the How To Make The Recipe section) to make removing the bars from the pan easy.

~ Spread the melted chocolate chips evenly over the top of the bars while they are still hot.

~ Let the bars cool!! I can not stress this enough. These pumpkin fudge bars need time to set up before removing them from the pan and cutting. Transfer the pan of bars to a cooling rack and let them cool for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Do not be tempted to rush this!

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