These pumpkin chocolate chip bars just taste like fall. Make some pumpkin chocolate chip bars for your next Halloween party or bake sale. Or just make them to eat. Like our Pumpkin Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies, they're just that good!
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Of course, October means pumpkins, right? I know everyone is flaunting their favorite pumpkin recipes right now, but I don't mind. I love my pumpkin treats - there's something so delicious about the combination of pumpkin and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. This easy recipe is fantastic for any get together, and super easy to whip up the night before.
Thank goodness, too, because the night before the Harvest Festival at my kids' daycare, I decided to make these for the first time... this always seems to happen, am I right? It's inevitable that some of my last minute new recipes just don't come out, but that happened last year before this event, so I figured I must have better luck this time!
These yummy bars are perfect for the Fall season. They're a little on the cakey side so they're soft and tender with lots of semisweet chocolate chips,.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this yummy pumpkin recipe.
Honestly, what kind of chocolate is your favorite? Any kind of chocolate works great in them. However, with pumpkin, a darker chocolate will bring out a richer flavor. White chocolate makes the bars taste super sweet. Another option is caramel chips. Then you'll have an amazing bar perfect for fall parties!
I use regular and mini chocolate chips because that happened to be what I have on hand usually. I like using a variety in my bars and cookie recipes because I feel like the combination gives it more chocolatey flavor. You can use any kind of chocolate chips you like.
I chose not to use any glaze or frosting on the bars because I felt like they tasted sweet enough with the chocolate chips. But if you want to, you can add a whipped cream frosting or a cream cheese frosting.
Yes, you can definitely freeze my pumpkin bars. If you want to freeze them, it is easier to cut them into bars first and freeze them individually. Then, just let them thaw at room temperature when you want to eat them. They will last about 2 months in the freezer.
Yes! Fresh pumpkin puree is awesome in this recipe, but canned works well.
No, pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients in it, and this recipe calls for pure pumpkin puree.
🧂 Ingredients
Ready to make some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip squares? Make sure you have all the ingredients. Here's what you'll need.
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Baking Soda
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Pure Pumpkin Puree
- Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
- Milk Chocolate Chips
This is meant to be a brief overview of our pumpkin chocolate chip bars recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.
🔪Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350-degrees.
- Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan with foil so that it overhangs on all sides of the pan. This will allow you to pop it right out of the pan and you don't even need to grease it.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, then add in the pumpkin. At this point, the mixture does not look appetizing - in fact, it looks like you did something wrong - but don't worry, it will come together and be ok.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until the mixture is creamy but thick.
- Fold in the chocolate chips - I like using the milk and semisweet, but dark and white chocolate chips together would be tasty, too.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the sides.
- Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate overnight – still in the pan.
The spices I used in the pumpkin chocolate chip bars are my all-time favorite fall spices. I use them in so many other things. In fact, I put all the spices into a small jar and made my own pumpkin spice blend. I use this blend on top of my coffee, and even on pancakes or waffles. It's like fall in a jar!
Equipment
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- Stand Mixer
- Cooling Rack
- Parchment Paper
- Serving Tray
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Spoons
- Dry Measuring Cups
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⭐ Tips
Take care not to under bake these bars as they will not continue to cook once removed from the oven. Look for a golden brown top that is slightly puffed up. To make sure the bars are cooked through, stick a toothpick in the middle. It should come out dry or with moist crumbs on it.
How to cut the bars easily
To make them easier to cut, I bake the bars in a pan lined with tin-foil. Then, I chill the bars in the pan. After they are sufficiently chilled, I lift the bars out of the pan by the tinfoil. The bars are much easier to cut when they are cooled off completely.
⏲️ Storage
To Store: Pumpkin chocolate chip bars can be stores at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. (These are my favorite containers.)
To Freeze: I love that this wonderful recipe is so easy to freeze! To keep the bars freshest, I recommend not cutting them if you plan to freeze them.
Wrap the whole slap in plastic wrap. Then put that into a labeled freezer bag. The bars will keep for about 3 months in the freezer.
To Thaw: The best thing to do is to let the bars thaw in the fridge overnight.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
I'm sure you won't have any idea dreaming up for whom you'll make these bars. But if you are zapped of creativity, I'm here to help. Here are just a few reasons you'll want to make a huge batch of bars.
- School lunch - they make a fantastic little treat for your kids
- Bake sales - cut them up individually and they will be a delicious addition to the sales table
- Gift - give them as a teacher's gift, or a gift for anyone you are thinking about that day
- Brunch - they are packed with nutrients and taste perfect with a latte
📖 Variations
We recommend that you try our pumpkin bar recipe for the first time just as it is written for the best results, because that is how the recipe has been tested.
However, the next time you make it, you might consider one of these different ways of making this great recipe.
- Instead of individual spices, use 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Use dark chocolate or white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate bits.
😋 Similar Recipes
If you liked my pumpkin chocolate chip bars, you will love these other pumpkin desserts:
- Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls
- Creamy Pumpkin Hot Cocoa
- Mini Pumpkin Trifle Dessert
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
- DownEast Maine Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cookies
Next time, try one of these:
More Dessert Bar Recipes
📋 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
Not ready to make these yummy pumpkin spice bars yet? Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
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Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Serving Tray
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted softened butter
- 1-¼ cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350-degrees.
- Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan with foil so that it overhangs on all sides of the pan. This will allow you to pop it right out of the pan and you don't even need to grease it.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, then add in the pumpkin. At this point, the mixture does not look appetizing - in fact, it looks like you did something wrong - but don't worry, it will come together and be ok.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until the mixture is creamy but thick.
- Fold in the chocolate chips - I like using the milk and semisweet, but dark and white chocolate chips together would be tasty, too.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the sides.
- Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate overnight – still in the pan.
Notes
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