Weight Watchers Pumpkin Bars Recipe

Ingredients:
For the pumpkin bars:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 0 WW points (plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling).
• 2 large eggs
• 0 WW points.
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 0 WW points.
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 4 WW points (for maple syrup or honey; you can substitute with a lower-calorie sweetener like stevia to reduce points).
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour if preferred)
• 10 WW points (for whole wheat flour).
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0 WW points.
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 0 WW points.
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 0 WW points.
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 0 WW points.
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 0 WW points.
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 0 WW points.
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk (or almond milk)
• 1 WW point (for regular low-fat milk; 0 WW points for unsweetened almond milk).
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0 WW points.

For the frosting (optional, but recommended!):

• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (plain)
• 0 WW points.
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 WW point.
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 0 WW points.
• Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional, for garnish)
• 0 WW points.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the pumpkin batter:

• In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until combined.
• Add the low-fat milk (or almond milk) and mix until smooth.

1. Bake:

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

1. Make the frosting (optional):

• In a small bowl, whisk together the nonfat Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
• Once the bars are fully cooled, spread the yogurt frosting on top.

1. Serve and enjoy!

WW Points Breakdown:
For the bars:

• Pumpkin puree (15 oz can): 0 WW points.
• Eggs (2 large): 0 WW points.
• Unsweetened applesauce (1/2 cup): 0 WW points.
• Maple syrup (1/4 cup): 4 WW points.
• Whole wheat flour (1 1/2 cups): 10 WW points.
• Baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt: 0 WW points.
• Low-fat milk (1/4 cup): 1 WW point (or 0 WW points for unsweetened almond milk).
• Vanilla extract (1 tsp): 0 WW points.

For the frosting:

• Nonfat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup): 0 WW points.
• Maple syrup (1 tbsp): 1 WW point.
• Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp): 0 WW points.

Total WW Points for the Entire Recipe:

• Bars: 0 (pumpkin puree, applesauce, eggs, spices) + 4 (maple syrup) + 10 (whole wheat flour) + 1 (milk) = 15 WW points for the entire pan of bars.
• Frosting: 1 WW point (for maple syrup).

Total for the entire recipe (bars + frosting): 16 WW points.
Points per Serving:
If you cut the bars into 12 servings:

• 16 WW points ÷ 12 servings = 1.33 WW points per bar (rounds to 1 WW point per serving).

If you cut the bars into 9 servings:

• 16 WW points ÷ 9 servings = 1.78 WW points per bar (rounds to 2 WW points per serving).

Tips to Lower Points:

• Use a sugar substitute: You can use Stevia or Monkfruit instead of maple syrup or honey to lower the points.
• Use almond milk: Swap out low-fat milk for unsweetened almond milk to make the bars 0 WW points (for the entire recipe).
• Skip the frosting: The bars are delicious on their own, so you can skip the frosting if you prefer a simpler, lower-point option.