Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

It's that time of year again ... it's cold and damp and you really, really want breakfast to be warm.  Chances are, a slightly scratchy throat also demands breakfast be soft and moist.  Yet the impending holidays have us going at top speed ... so what to grab as you rush out the door?  Especially when you're wheat-free?  Apparently someone in the vegan community asked herself the same question.  When I found this recipe, I grew very excited ... though I did make a few adjustments for family preferences. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Blend together until smooth:

    1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!!)
    3/4 cup chopped nuts or seeds -or- 1/4 cup of your favorite nut or seed butter
    1/4 cup apple sauce
    2 tablespoons flax seed meal
    1 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries -or- 1 cup raisins
    1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
    1/2 tsp salt
    2 tsps Pumpkin Pie Spice -or- Apple Pie Spice (see below)

Slowly add, until a sticky dough forms (I used 2 1/2 cups):

    2-3 cups quick oats (gluten free for the very sensitive) 

Place on a prepared cookie sheet in a rectangular shape- this makes for easier cutting/shaping. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting with sharp knife or pizza roller.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend: 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/4 tsp cloves + 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Apple Pie Spice Blend: 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 tsp allspice + 1/4 tsp cardamom

Sorry, no pic's yet!