Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
Thick and cake-like, these moist pumpkin chocolate chip bars are a great recipe for fall, especially for people that like pumpkin but not pumpkin pie. These bars are kid friendly and simple to bake, so you can have a pumpkin treat whenever you crave one.
Fall is easily my favorite time of year, and that’s due in large part to the abundance of pumpkin and pumpkin recipes. I don’t recall how I discovered my love for all things pumpkin, but I can tell you that it grows more every year. Perhaps it’s because of the seasonal availability of pumpkin, or maybe it’s just because pumpkin tastes insanely delicious in both sweet and savory applications. Either way, I fully intend on enjoying my share of pumpkin goodies until Thanksgiving is over.
I made these pumpkin chocolate chip bars last week on a whim, and I am so happy I did. Eric and I split the batch and each took some to work. I realize it seems odd for someone who works at a cupcake shop to take a dessert to work, but my coworkers and I enjoy non-cupcake desserts too. These bars are moist, thick and cake-like. I used a mixture of semisweet and dark chocolate, which made them incredibly rich. These were just what I needed to curb my pumpkin craving, at least for a couple days.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? I’ve got you covered!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Pumpkin Doughnuts
Kale and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
- COOK TIME:
- YIELD: 24 bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
12 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1
Heat oven to 350º. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well combined. Beat in pumpkin purée, then reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients until just blended. Using a rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips.
- 3
Evenly spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan. Use the foil/parchment overhang to remove the dessert from the pan, then cut into 24 squares and serve.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Fall is my fav season, too! These look wonderful- just the right amount of pumpkin and chocolate! 😉
Wow! These look awesome. I cannot wait to try them. I love everything pumpkin.
these look like the perfect texture! it’s so hard to make pumpkin baked goods without it changing the texture you want, but these look awesome.
These look fantastic! I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate. I’ve been looking for some pumpkin treats I can mail to my younger brother (he’s a college student at a busy part of the semester) and I bet he’d love these!
These look great. One never gets tired of pumpkin this time of year.
Hey! I work at a cupcake shop too!
But anyway, these look great- I love the pumpkin+chocolate chip combo. Mmmm!
I love pumpkin and chocolate so I’d adore these!
My oldest son decided to taste pumpkin for the first time a few weeks ago and liked it! This would be another great recipe to make with him.
Sound absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Not only did these sound delicious, they WERE delicious!!! My daughter made them the day after you posted them and my 16 year old son wouldn’t leave them alone, even after I tried hiding them 🙂
These look really yummy! Fall flavors are simply the best 🙂 Thanks for posting!