Crunchy, maple-sweetened pumpkin spice granola gets topped with plenty of melted dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, and flaky sea salt for the ultimate fall-inspired chocolate bark. 
By now you probably know I have a serious love for granola; I’m guessing you’ve figured out I have a thing for chocolate, too.
You likely won’t be surprised, then, to find out that I made a small batch of my favorite granola loaded with almonds, pecans, and an entire tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (yes!), then smothered it in melted dark chocolate. 
This granola bark is inspired by one that pops up on the grocery store shelves this time of year. I’ve been seeing it for a few weeks now, and knew I could recreate it myself with higher quality ingredients and for significantly less money.
After a few trials, I think I’ve finally nailed it.
Pantry staples like oats, nuts, olive oil, and maple syrup combine to make the most crispy, perfectly sweet granola for the base of this bark.
I started out using actual pumpkin in this granola, but found it made a soft, chewy granola, and truthfully, didn’t add much in the flavor department. In fact, using pumpkin puree diluted the flavors of the granola and I found I needed more oil and maple syrup to compensate for it. So, instead, I ditched the pumpkin and opted for more and more spices in every batch of granola I tested.
Although the granola itself is boldly spiced, when it mingles with the chocolate, the spices in the granola mellow out a bit and become the perfect underlying flavor in this bark. 
To make this bark look extra puuuurdy (and taste 100% amazing) I added a handful of pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, and plenty of flaky sea salt on top of the melted chocolate. I think the combination of chocolate and salt is absolutely dreamy, particularly as it balances out the sweet granola, but if you’re not a salty-sweet fan, you can totally skip it- your choice.
Although this recipe technically yields a batch of granola- one of my favorite breakfast foods- I like to this of this bark as more of a snack or dessert-like treat. It’s crunchy, sweet, completely enrobed in chocolate, and perfect for anytime a chocolate craving strikes.
My favorite part about this recipe is when the chocolate finally hardens, and you get to break up the bark into chunks. Every piece ends up a different shape and size, making it easy to grab as much or little as you’d like. This bark also looks beautiful when it’s wrapped up, if you were in the market for a homemade treat to gift to your friends.
Whatever you decided to do with this simple pumpkin spice granola bark (give it away, hoard it all for yourself- either way is fine by me), this recipe needs to make it’s way into your kitchen, ASAP.
I think you’re going to be as OBSESSED with this granola bark as I am! It’s:
Super crunchy
Nutty
Chocolate-infused
Perfectly sweet + salty
Easy to make
& Loaded with pumpkin spice.
If you make this easy-peasy Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram!
Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup roughly chopped nuts of choice I used almonds + pecans
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- 2 Tablespoons cacao nibs**
- several pinches of flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- 2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, spices, salt, oil, and maple syrup. Stir well, then dump onto the parchment-lined pan. Spread out the granola into a square or rectangle-essentially into one giant granola bar- in a 1/4-inch thick layer. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden.
- 3. While granola bakes, melt the chocolate. Put the chocolate and coconut oil into a microwave safe dish and microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Mine took a full minute to melt.
- 4. Remove granola from the oven, then drizzle with the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to spread the chocolate over the top of the granola (some will seep down into the granola, that's fine!) and then sprinkle the pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, and salt over the top of the wet chocolate.
- 5. Let the bark cool at room temperature until fully hardened (about an hour), or speed up the process like I did by sticking it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. When chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break the bark up into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (technically this can sit at room temperature, but depending on how warm your house is, the bark might get a bit soft/melty- so I usually just stick it in the fridge).
Notes
**I happened to have cacao nibs in my pantry and love their bitter flavor and crunchy texture- feel free to leave them off or replace them with another chopped nut or seed, if desired.