Gluten-free pumpkin cookie bars made with coconut sugar are a delightful melt-in-your-mouth treat. Enjoy them with friends and family during the fall and winter months!
Planning on attending any fall or holiday-inspired potlucks or cookie exchanges?
Do you make holiday treats as gifts for friends? Or are you simply always game for a delicious pumpkin spice cookie treat?
These pumpkin cookie bars are great for sharing with loved ones regardless of the time of year (in my humble opinion), but are particularly great during the chilly fall and winter months when we all seem to crave a warmly-spiced pumpkin treat!
Made with coconut sugar and gluten-free all-purpose flour, these pumpkin cookie bars are perfect for sharing with those who may or may not have dietary restrictions.
You’d never know they are gluten-free and contain no processed sugar.
Let’s bake a batch!
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookie Bars:
Cream together the ghee (or butter), coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer). Beat until ingredients are well-combined. Add the egg and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (GF all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, pumpkin spice seasoning, and chocolate chips).
Pour the flour mixture into the mixer with the wet mixture and beat until a thick, sticky dough forms.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.Spread the pumpkin cookie dough into an even layer in the parchment-lined pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges begin turning golden-brown.
Remove cookie bars from the oven and sprinkle with coarse sea salt (if desired).
Allow cookie bars to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
What do These Bars Taste Like?
Other than buttery, gooey bliss? These cookie bars have an amazing warm pumpkin spice essence to them…kind of like pumpkin pie meets chocolate chip cookie, but with a more cookie-cake-like texture. They have that lovely salty-sweet-creamy balance that is oh so addicting and satisfying!
How to Store Pumpkin Cookie Bars:
I simply put plastic wrap over the cake pan and stick them in the refrigerator (because they don’t last long in my house). If you have them for more than 3 days, store them in an airtight tupperware container in the refrigerator, or place them in a zip lock bag and freeze them.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use butter instead of ghee
- Omit the chocolate chips or use a chopped dark chocolate bar.
- Looking for a grain-free version? Follow my Grain-Free Almond Butter Pumpkin Bars recipe
- If you use cane sugar in your baking, you can replace the coconut sugar and pure maple syrup with ¾ cup brown sugar (packed).
More Healthy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes:
- Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Vegan Pumpkin Snack Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Edible Cookie Dough
- Paleo Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Popsicles
Pumpkin spice bliss bars, here we come!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ghee or butter, softened
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling
- 1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the ghee (or butter), coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla extract to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer). Beat until ingredients are well-combined. Add the egg and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (GF all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, pumpkin spice seasoning, and chocolate chips).
- Pour the flour mixture into the mixer with the wet mixture and beat until a thick, sticky dough forms.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes (up to 2 days).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
- Spread the pumpkin cookie dough into an even layer in the parchment-lined pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges begin turning golden-brown.
- Remove cookie bars from the oven and sprinkle with coarse sea salt (if desired).
- Allow cookie bars to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
I made the gf pumpkin chocolate chip bars on Sunday. I used brown sugar as a sub for coconut sugar and maple syrup
(As given) and my family loved them! I am the only gf person in my home- my husband and adult son are not. They raves about them and there is very little left in the pan. Will make these again.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Karen! I appreciate you sharing your changes, as it it super helpful to others who want to try the same substitution. Thrilled your husband and son enjoyed the bars too in spite of not being gluten-free! xo
These were a hit at the office Halloween potluck! Thank you!