As busy parents and dietitian moms, we know the snack struggle is real—especially when your goal is to nourish little ones with real food while juggling allergies, picky eating, and packed schedules. Enter these soft-baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars—a school-safe, nutritious, and low-sugar option that checks all the boxes for a snack that you can feel good about and kids will actually eat.
Whether tucked into a lunchbox, served as an after-school bite, or enjoyed alongside a cozy fall breakfast, these bars are a mom-approved way to sneak in fiber, healthy fats, and real food goodness.
Why These Pumpkin Bars Are a Game-Changer 🍂
These aren’t your average snack bars. Here's what makes them different:
✅ School-Safe & Allergen-Aware
Made with sunflower seed butter instead of nuts, they’re safe to pack for school and daycare.
✅ Naturally Sweetened
Sweetened with pure maple syrup and applesauce—no refined sugar bombs here.
✅ Full of Gut-Friendly Fiber
Thanks to oats, oat flour, and Bloom Boost, these bars offer a gentle mix of soluble, insoluble, and mucilaginous fiber—ideal for supporting digestion and helping kids stay regular.
✅ Hidden Nutrition Boost
We snuck in pumpkin (hello, vitamin A and antioxidants) and spices like cinnamon and cloves for flavor without sugar overload.
✅ One-Bowl, No-Fuss Baking
Simple ingredients, minimal cleanup. Bake once, snack all week.
Fiber-Rich Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (School-Safe & Kid-Approved)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sunflower seed butter (can sub with pumpkin seed butter or a nut butter if not needed for school!)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ½ cup Bloom Boost
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp each cloves and nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Optional: Mini or regular chocolate chips (1/3-1/2 cup works, but however much you like!)
🧁 Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8” baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, sunflower seed butter, olive oil, and vanilla.
- In a second bowl, stir together oat flour, Bloom Boost, rolled oats, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips if using.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 22–28 minutes, until just set and edges are lightly golden.
- Cool in the pan completely for clean slicing. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
🌾 Let’s Talk Fiber for Kids
Many parents worry about constipation or irregularity, especially during school year transitions. One simple shift? Boosting fiber variety.
While fruits and veggies help, diverse sources like oats, seeds, and psyllium husk (all found in Bloom Boost) can provide different types of fiber that help "soak, sweep, and soothe" the digestive tract.
These bars sneak in:
- Soluble fiber (from applesauce and pumpkin) for gentle digestion.
- Insoluble fiber (from rolled oats) to help keep things moving.
- Mucilaginous fiber (from Bloom Boost) to coat and calm the gut.
🍽️ Dietitian tip: Pair with a source of protein like Greek yogurt or a boiled egg for a more complete snack.
🧡 Balanced Snacks, Happy Tummies
At Bloom Boost, we believe snacks don’t need to be complicated to be nourishing. These pumpkin bars are an example of our food philosophy: real ingredients, functional nutrition, and kid-friendly flavors that grow with your family.
Whether your child is just starting school or juggling extracurriculars, these bars offer comfort and fuel in every bite.
✨ Save This Recipe & Tag Us!
Try the recipe? We’d love to see! Share your bars on Instagram and tag @bloomboostnutrition so we can cheer you on.
Want more snack ideas and gut-friendly recipes? Download our free Snack Guide →
