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Fudgy and moist pumpkin bars loaded with semisweet and dark chocolate chips, made with melted butter and warm toasted pumpkin pie spice for a quick and flavorful fall treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 (8-oz) cup pumpkin, canned (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch pan or line it with parchment paper.
  2. Melt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  3. When the butter is hot and bubbly (not browned), stir in 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice and toast for a few seconds, then remove the pan from the heat.
  4. Stir in 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup packed brown sugar until smooth.
  5. Add 1 cup canned pumpkin puree and stir to combine.
  6. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
  7. Crack in 1 large egg and stir quickly to combine; if the butter mixture is very hot, let it cool 1–2 minutes before adding the egg to avoid scrambling.
  8. Whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a separate bowl.
  9. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until mostly smooth and lumps are mostly gone; do not add chocolate chips yet.
  10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the edges.
  11. Sprinkle 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 cup dark chocolate chips evenly over the top, then gently fold them into the batter in the pan to avoid melting.
  12. Bake at 350°F for about 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
  13. Cool the bars completely in the pan, lift them out using the parchment overhang, and slice.

Notes

To brown the butter for a nutty flavor, add about 1 tablespoon of water to the batter to maintain moisture., Toast the pumpkin pie spice in the hot butter for a brighter spice flavor., Avoid scrambling the egg by allowing the butter mixture to cool slightly if very hot before adding the egg., Do not over-mix the batter after adding flour to keep bars tender and fudgy., Add the chocolate chips on top of spread batter and fold gently to prevent melting them too much., Use a toothpick to check doneness; melted chocolate is fine but no wet batter should remain., Allow bars to cool completely before slicing for perfect texture., Line pan with parchment paper for easy removal and cleaner slicing., Variations include different chocolate chip types, nuts, cream cheese swirl, streusel topping, baking in muffins, changing pan size for thickness, adding cocoa powder, gluten-free substitution using 1:1 flour blend, and vegan swaps with flax egg and vegan butter., Store bars at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or refrigerate and warm before serving., Freeze cooled bars in airtight bags or containers for up to 3 months and thaw before eating.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/pumpkin-bars-with-chocolate-chips/