Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
It’s no secret I love pumpkin recipes of any kind.
But when pumpkin and chocolate get together, watch out. My kryptonite.
If you’re looking for the best ever pumpkin chocolate chip cake, I’ve got you covered, but the bars aren’t cake.
They’re super soft, moist, and full of robust pumpkin flavor. They’re dense like a blondie rather than cakey.
They’re like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge and are the pumpkin equivalent of a personal favorite, Gingerbread Molasses Chocolate Chip Bars.
When I want an easy, fuss-free recipe that I know everyone will love, I call upon my trusty blondie base. With 25 versions and counting, it never lets me down.
It’s an easy no-mixer, one-bowl recipe that takes just minutes to whisk together. Melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, plenty of pumpkin pie spice, and chocolate chips are the key ingredients.
I always make sure to spice pumpkin and sweet potato recipes with a fairly heavy hand so they don’t taste bland. A pumpkin recipe that doesn’t give you a nice pop of prominent pumpkin flavor is such a disappointment, but you have nothing to worry about here.
There’s an abundance of chocolate in every bite and pumpkin and chocolate is such a winning combo.
The recipe only makes an 8-inch pan and if you have pumpkin fiends in your house, the bars will probably be gone in a day.
However, if you can resist, they taste better on the second day after the flavors have married. As a bonus, the bars get softer and moister on the second and third day, but I doubt they’ll last that long.
If you haven’t already pre-ordered it, Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and the official release date is October 6.
There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
The bars are super soft, moist, and full of robust pumpkin flavor. They're dense like a blondie rather than cakey. They're like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge. It’s an easy no-mixer, one-bowl recipe that takes just minutes to whisk together. There's plenty of pumpkin pie spice to give the bars of prominent pop of pumpkin flavor along with chocolate in every bite. If you can resist, the bars taste better on the second day after the flavors have married and they continue to get softer and moister.
Yield: one 8x8 pan, 9 to 12 generous squares
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 32 to 33 minutes
Total Time: about 70 minutes, for cooling
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tablespoons, for sprinkling
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don't overmix.
- Stir in 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, smoothly the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 32 to 33 minutes, or until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. The moisture content in pumpkin varies, as do climates and ovens; bake until yours are done. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. I find the bars taste better on the second and third day after the flavors have married. Bars continue to get softer and moister for about 3 days after baking. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
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