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Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars with Maple Drizzle

Pumpkin oatmeal bars with maple drizzle—soft, chewy squares with cozy cinnamon spice baked until set and golden at the edges. Rolled oats and toasted pecans create a hearty, grab-and-go texture, finished with a thin zigzag maple glaze.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling and setting 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Oatmeal Bars
  • 2.5 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 0.5 cup pure maple syrup
  • 0.333 cup light brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup chopped pecans
Maple Drizzle
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 0.125 tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin oatmeal bars
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides (visual cue: parchment edges hang over two opposite sides).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin purée, pure maple syrup, light brown sugar, melted unsalted butter, large egg, and pure vanilla extract until smooth (visual cue: mixture looks glossy and uniform).
  3. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and fine sea salt over the wet mixture and whisk until fully combined (visual cue: no spice clumps remain).
  4. Stir in old-fashioned rolled oats and all-purpose flour with a spatula until every oat is coated and no dry flour remains (visual cue: batter thickens and looks evenly speckled).
  5. Fold in chopped pecans (visual cue: pecans are distributed throughout the batter).
  6. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and press it down gently with the back of the spatula (visual cue: top is level with firm, compact patches).
  7. Bake for 25–30 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until the edges are golden brown and the center feels set when lightly pressed (visual cue: center no longer jiggles).
Cool and make the maple drizzle
  1. Cool the bars in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes (visual cue: surface firms up and steam subsides).
  2. Lift the bars out using the parchment overhang and let them cool completely (custom_time) (visual cue: bars are cool to the touch and hold their shape).
  3. Whisk powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, milk, and ground cinnamon until smooth and pourable (visual cue: glaze ribbons off the whisk).
  4. Drizzle the maple glaze over the cooled bars in thin zigzag lines and let it set for 10 minutes (visual cue: glaze dulls slightly and stops looking wet).
  5. Slice into 16 bars and serve (visual cue: clean edges with visible oat texture).

Notes

For the cleanest slices, fully cool the bars before glazing and chill 10–15 minutes after the glaze sets if your kitchen is warm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze baked, un-sliced bars for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. To make them dairy-free, swap the milk in the drizzle with any unsweetened plant milk and use a dairy-free butter substitute.