Sourdough Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Bars

These sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars are fluffy, soft, and topped with delicious pumpkin spice maple icing.

Made with sourdough discard and pumpkin puree, these easy fall cookie bars are perfect for a crowd!

Looking for more pumpkin sourdough recipes for your fall baking? Try my sourdough pumpkin iced oatmeal cookies — the classic cookie version of this recipe. My sourdough pumpkin coffee cake and sourdough pumpkin muffins are more popular reader favorites.

Sourdough Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Sourdough Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Annabelle

These sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars are fluffy, soft, and topped with pumpkin spice maple icing. Made with sourdough discard and pumpkin puree, these easy fall cookie bars are perfect for a crowd!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookie bars

Ingredients

  

Sourdough Pumpkin Cookie Bars

• ½ cup salted butter melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1 large egg room temperature
• ½ cup sourdough discard
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 & ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups quick oats (rolled oats)

Pumpkin Spice Maple Icing

• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ½-1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

Sourdough Pumpkin Cookie Bars

• Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a 9×13 glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add vanilla extract, molasses, egg, sourdough discard, and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Add flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine. Add the oats and mix well.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly to the edges and corners.
• Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for 22-24 minutes until browned all over and the middle is mostly set when you gently shake the pan. See note about baking time and testing doneness.
Key tip: Don't over bake! The secret to soft, chewy cookie bars is to slightly underbake them.

Pumpkin Spice Maple Icing

• When cookie bars are cool, make the icing by combining the pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and ½ Tablespoon (1 & ½ teaspoons) milk. If you want the icing thinner, add a little bit more milk. If the icing gets too runny, add more powdered sugar to thicken it to your desired consistency.
• Spoon the icing onto cooled cookie bars and spread evenly. Cut the cookie bars before the icing cools and hardens to avoid cracks, see note. After slicing, allow the icing to cool and harden before serving.

Notes

• Pumpkin – Use pumpkin puree from a can for this recipe. 
• Oats – Using quick oats for this recipe makes the bars softer and fluffier. You can use old fashioned oats as well, but pulse them in a blender or food processor first to break them up.
• Molasses – Do not use blackstrap molasses for this recipe or your cookie bars may be bitter. Use light or dark molasses for baking. Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses is a good brand to use.
• Baking – The cookie bars will get very brown all over from the molasses. It’s not burnt, it just needs to be browned and the center not jiggle when you gently shake the pan. 
• To Slice – To cut cookie bars so the icing stays smooth and doesn’t crack, slice them before the icing dries. Spoon on the icing and spread evenly. Use a large sharp knife to slice the cookie bars into squares, running the knife under warm water and drying with a clean dish towel between slices.
• To Make Ahead – If wanting to serve these cookie bars the next day, don’t add the icing right away or it will start to soak into the bars overnight. Make the cookie bars and allow to fully cool and cover the pan with plastic wrap. The next day add the icing and slice the bars, allowing the icing to harden before serving. This makes sure you’re serving fresh, beautiful cookie bars!

Fluffy oats combined with warm spices, pumpkin, and maple syrup. Does it get any more cozy and fall flavored than that? These cookie bars are all the best flavors of autumn combined into a delicious, easy-to-make sourdough treat.

There’s no chilling the batter and no long fermentation time so these sourdough cookie bars can be made in under an hour.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It’s delicious and showcases the best of fall flavors. The combo of pumpkin, oats, and maple just have all the homey, nostalgic flavors of cozy season.
• These sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars are simple to make. They use pantry ingredients you already have on hand in an easy one-bowl recipe.
• They’re quick! Just mix, pour, and bake. There’s no chilling the batter or scooping individual cookies. There’s one bake time and you’re good to go. 
• It’s a large batch recipe. This recipe makes a generous 9×13 pan that can be sliced into 24 cookie bar squares.

Important Ingredients

Sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars use basic pantry staples. Take note for:

• Pumpkin – Use pumpkin puree from a can for this recipe. You can save the rest of the pumpkin puree from the can in the fridge and make another batch of these cookie bars soon.
• Oats – I recommend using quick oats for this recipe. It will create fluffier, chewier cookies. You can use old-fashioned (rolled oats) if that’s what you have on hand. But pulse them in a food processor or blender first to break them up.
• Molasses – Do not use blackstrap molasses for this recipe or your cookies will be bitter. Use light or dark molasses for baking. Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses is a good brand to use.
• Vanilla extract – Maybe I’m biased, but there is nothing like the flavor of homemade vanilla extract. I think it levels up any sweet treat recipe. Any kind of vanilla extract will do, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use homemade. I like this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card above.

How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Bars (Step by Step)

Mix Cookie Bar Batter

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a 9×13 glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add the vanilla extract, molasses, egg, sourdough discard, and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Add the salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine. Add the oats and mix well.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly to the edges and corners.

Step 5: Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for 22-24 minutes until browned all over and the middle is mostly set when you gently shake the pan. The cookie bars will get very brown all over from the molasses. It’s not burnt, it just needs to be browned and the center not jiggle when you gently shake the pan. 

Key tip: Don’t over bake! They secret to soft, chewy cookie bars is to slightly underbake them.

Allow the cookie bars to cool while you making the icing. You want the cookie bars to be completely cool and fully set before you slice them so you cut clean, precise slices.

Pumpkin Spice Maple Icing

Step 1: Once cookie bars are completely cool and throughly set, mix up the icing by combining the pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and ½ Tablespoon (1 & ½ teaspoons) milk. If you want the icing thinner, add a little bit more milk. If the icing gets too runny, add more powdered sugar to thicken it to your desired consistency.

Step 2: Spoon the icing onto cooled cookie bars and spread evenly. To cut the cookie bars so the icing stays smooth and doesn’t crack, slice them before the icing dries.

Slicing the Cookie Bars

Once you’ve spooned on the icing, use a large, sharp knife to slice the cookie bars into squares. Run the knife under warm water and dry it with a clean dish towel between slices. 

Key tip: You want each slice with the knife to be clean and have no excess crumbs or icing that pulls away from the cookie bars.

Gently separate the bars slightly with the knife and allow the icing to dry. Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Ahead

Key tip: These sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars will start to get soft overnight from the icing soaking into them so I recommend adding the icing the day you’ll be serving them.

To make ahead, bake the cookie bars according to the recipe. Allow to fully cool and cover the pan with plastic wrap overnight. The next day, add the icing and slice the bars, allowing the icing to harden before serving.

How to Serve

These sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookie bars are perfect for an after-school snack with a glass of milk. Or serve alongside a cup of coffee or tea for a cozy treat. 

Since it’s a large-batch recipe, these are great for taking to a holiday party, sharing around a campfire with friends, or serving at a potluck.

How to Store

These pumpkin cookie bars will start to get softer once they are topped with the icing, so I recommend adding the icing the day you want to serve them. Then store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap.

Frequently Asked Questions

These sourdough pumpkin iced oatmeal cookie bars are the perfect fall treat for enjoying around a campfire or cozying up on the porch under a blanket sipping your morning coffee. They’re soft, delicious, and easy to make. I hope you enjoy them this cozy season!

Looking for more sourdough oatmeal cookie recipes? Try my sourdough iced oatmeal cookie bars and  sourdough oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars. My sourdough peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars roll 3 of your favorite cookies into 1 thick and chewy cookie bar!