Pumpkin Energy Bars
05. Oct, 2009 
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“100 calories can power a cyclist for three miles; 100 calories can power a car for 280 feet.”
Pumpkin Energy Bars
Fall has the perfect weather for cycling: temperate weather that is neither too hot, nor too cold. These are the perfect weeks to go out for a long weekend ride on your bicycle. Should you bring along a little food to sustain your energy? A general rule of thumb is that for a ride of at least 2 hours, you’ll need to bring some food: perhaps a banana, PB & J sandwich or an “energy bar” to avoiding “bonking” (i.e. totally running out of energy.) Don’t forget to bring a full water bottle to stay hydrated! Yes, you can make your own energy bars for your next long ride! Here is one made just for a golden autumn afternoon bicycle ride!
Pumpkin Energy Bars
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rolled oats or quick-cooking oatmeal
- ¼ cup ground milled flaxseed**
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla and egg. Gradually add flour, spice, salt, oatmeal, flaxseed, and nuts and stir until well blended. Spoon into an 8 x 8-inch square pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes.Cool completely on wire rack Cut into bars. If you cut them into 9 bars, each bar will be less than 200 calories and have nearly 4 grams of protein. They keep for several days if well wrapped and actually taste better the next day.*A substitute for the pumpkin pie spice: ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ginger.**If you don’t have ground flax seed you can substitute oatmeal. The protein count won’t be as high. Remember, pumpkin adds some great nutriton as well!
For more on ideas for homemade food for long bike rides check out “Real Food for the Long Ride.”
For another great pumpkin recipe for cyclists, see our recipe for a Pumpkin Protein Smoothie!
Homemade Pumpkin Energy Bars
Looks yummy – I will have to give them a try.
These energy bars are great! I have tried these and other home made energy bars on bike rides or on backpacking trips. I have shared them with friends and they like them as much or more than the store bought bars. The other advantage they have is I know what is in them and it is all good stuff.
I’ve tried them and they are delicious!!!
Thanks for the recipe ideas!! Keep them coming.
Glad you like the recipe. The bars are good–and the recipe is a Cycle & Style original!
It looks just like a Martha Stewart magazine article. Great job! I’m definitely going to make them for my son, Ian, the avid cyclist and homemade energy bar lover.
ha ha the recipe looks great, I’m looking forward to trying it – but we have a VERY different definition of the word ‘bonking’ in Australia – but energy bars could still come in handy for it!!
I love alternative ways to have sweet pumpkin. They look tasty and i bet my little guy would love them as a healthy snack or a breakfast on the go when we take dad to work in the morning.
That is funny! You Aussies do have a few different slang terms that I’d forgotten about–sorry about that! It is an endurance sport term here for when “we hit the wall” –having depleted all glycogen stores, i.e. no more calories to burn–and collapse from excessive fatigue.
These look great Aunt Terri! I will have to try these. I rarely like energy bars,but these look like these would taste delicious!
Hey i made these last night using mashed pumpkin because we don’t have it in cans here in OZ. I love them! They’re deliciously moist but the crunch from the nuts gives them an extra kick! Thank you!
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Polprav, yes you may quote from us on your blog–thanks for asking!