Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars
Last week I posted my first apple recipe of the year, and tonight I’m back with my first pumpkin recipe: Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars with cinnamon glaze! These Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars are made healthier by using whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt – this dessert contains no butter or oil.
Like many food bloggers and fall food lovers, I am obsessed with pumpkin. I look forward to coming up with new and creative pumpkin ideas every year. This first recipe is a healthier take on dessert, using Greek yogurt instead of butter or oil. Using Greek yogurt resulted in light and airy pumpkin bars that you can enjoy with a little less guilt.
I’m a big fan of substituting yogurt and applesauce for part or all of the butter or oil in a recipe. These Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars are similar to a recipe I posted last summer, for Greek Yogurt Banana Bars. There’s nothing wrong with adding butter to your life {and I do on a regular basis} but sometimes I’m craving something a bit lighter.
For this recipe, I also added whole wheat flour for extra health benefits. Whole wheat flour includes close to four times the fiber of white flour {source}. I came across one tip from the kitchn on baking with whole wheat flour: let your batter rest for at least 10 minutes before baking. This allows it to “hydrate” since whole wheat flour includes wheat that is courser in texture.
I think it worked! These Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars turned out delicious and super light. I also added a simple cinnamon glaze frosting, made with a few splashes of milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
I couldn’t resist topping this dessert with Halloween-themed “spookles” 🙂
Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 can pumpkin puree {15 ounces}
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Mix eggs, sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract.
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In a separate bowl, combine white and whole wheat flours, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Mix well.
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Add batter to a baking pan. I baked in a 3 quart Pyrex dish {13.25 x 9.25}.**
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Bake for 30-35 minutes.
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Let the bars cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting. To make the Cinnamon Glaze, whisk ingredients together. For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar and/or milk until you get the desired texture.
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Store bars in the refrigerator or freeze.
If you want thinner bars, bake your Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Bars in a jelly roll or cookie sheet pan. You may need to reduce the cooking time.
{Adapted from Taste of Home’s recipe for Pumpkin Bars}
I’m Celia. I live in the Chicago area. I'm a mama of two, runner, business owner and former Iowan. My blog includes recipes, fitness and travel posts, and stories about Chicago.
