Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars — These easy pumpkin bars are super soft and are like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge! Loaded with chocolate and crazy good!!
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 these 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. 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.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
Trust me when I say these pumpkin chocolate bars are going to be the BEST dessert you make this fall. In addition to being easy to prepare, the ingredients list is short.
To make these chocolate chip pumpkin bars, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Pumpkin puree
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
These are such easy pumpkin bars to make! Full instructions are given in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here’s an overview of how to make the pumpkin chocolate chip bars recipe:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients, then stir in the dry.
- Fold the chocolate chips in last. Be careful not to overmix!
- Turn the batter into a greased and foil-lined 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Most likely, yes! I added 1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips to the batter. Feel free to mix and match up to 1 1/4 cups mix-ins total.
I think a blend of baking chips, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and /or dried fruit would all work nicely.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, you can double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch baking dish. The bake time should be roughly the same.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Absolutely! In fact, they taste better on the second day after the flavors have married. As a bonus, the bars get softer and moister.
How to Store Leftovers
Chocolate chip pumpkin spice bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Chocolate Bars
Note that this recipe calls for plain pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling! Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and would make these bars far too sweet.
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. Feel free to double the recipe if needed.
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Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon1
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips + 2 tablespoons, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Pumpkin Chocolate Desserts:
Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe!
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Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Bars — Incredibly gooey, soft, and chewy bars bursting with PUMPKIN and CHOCOLATE in every bite!! The vanilla spiced glaze complements these EASY bars just perfectly!!
Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies — Rich, fudgy brownies made with pumpkin and chocolate chips!! An EASY, no mixer pumpkin brownie recipe that’s FASTER than using a boxed mix! Bring on pumpkin spice season!!
Made these on Sunday and OH MY! They are amazing! I doubled the recipe and it worked perfectly. The bake time was exactly 30 minutes. Thank you so much for my new favorite fall treat! :)
Glad that a double batch came out great and they were amazing!
Made these on Sunday and OH MY! They are amazing! I doubled the recipe and it worked perfectly. The bake time was exactly 30 minutes. Thank you so much for my new favorite fall treat! :)
I first made this recipe, I think, the fall of 2015 while i was still living in a college dorm. Now every year since, I crave these when it starts getting cold out they are So Good, by far my favorite version of a pumpkin bar. I always make it as a double batch so I don’t run out right away and I’m about to start my yearly round of them again right now
Thanks for the five star review and glad these are a fall favorite for you for many years running, including when you were still living in a dorm!
I first made this recipe, I think, the fall of 2015 while i was still living in a college dorm. Now every year since, I crave these when it starts getting cold out they are So Good, by far my favorite version of a pumpkin bar. I always make it as a double batch so I don’t run out right away and I’m about to start my yearly round of them again right now
Hi Averie,
I have a question, and I wondered what your thoughts were. Do you think, or would you consider adding cocoa powder to these? Perhaps, decreasing the flour, and replacing 1/4 c with cocoa powder? I thought it’d be a neat idea, at least, but I thought I’d see what your thoughts were, given you’re a baking expert!
Thanks,
Lauren
P.S. I’ve made this recipe a number of times–as written, and with adjustments such as omitting the egg, or decreasing the amount of butter and adding extra pumpkin. All have been well received!
If you are looking for a chocolaty type of pumpkin bar recipe, I would make these https://www.averiecooks.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-brownies/
In this recipe, you could probably incorporate cocoa and reduce some of the flour, but since I haven’t tested, I cannot give you ratios.
Glad to hear the bars have been a big success for you, even with various adjustments!
If you’re thinking about making this recipe, don’t hesitate one bit! After scouring the internet for multiple recipes that make cookies, which include both pumpkin and chocolate chips, I finally settled on this one and I’m so glad I did! These are absolutely delicious…I’ve been wanting to make either brownies or bars that have that fudgy-gooey texture that I love and these are it!!
I made these in an 8×8 aluminum pan and sure enough, they came out perfect. I pulled them out around the 30 minute mark and they were cooked just enough where they were done, but also soft in the middle. I will definitely be keeping this recipe around and can’t wait to make them again!
So glad you loved the recipe and will make them again!
If you’re thinking about making this recipe, don’t hesitate one bit! After scouring the internet for multiple recipes that make cookies, which include both pumpkin and chocolate chips, I finally settled on this one and I’m so glad I did! These are absolutely delicious…I’ve been wanting to make either brownies or bars that have that fudgy-gooey texture that I love and these are it!!
I made these in an 8×8 aluminum pan and sure enough, they came out perfect. I pulled them out around the 30 minute mark and they were cooked just enough where they were done, but also soft in the middle. I will definitely be keeping this recipe around and can’t wait to make them again!
These are DELICIOUS!! I cut them into bite sized pieces to allow for many people to get a sample at a wine and cheese event. The batch disappeared in ten minutes or less.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad they disappeared almost immediately at your event!
These are DELICIOUS!! I cut them into bite sized pieces to allow for many people to get a sample at a wine and cheese event. The batch disappeared in ten minutes or less.
I ended up buying the pumpkin puree that has the spices in it already. Think they will turn out okay? I dont plan to add any extra spices- other than cinnamon since that’s not included. Thoughts?
I guess it depends on how much spices are included and how powerful they are. It’s hard to say if you need to add more or not.
if I double the recipe and bake in a 9 X 13 pan, how long do you suggest baking them?
Thanks, eager to try this for Thanksgiving!
Probably about the same amount of time. Keep an eye on it, and I’m not sure exactly since I’ve never done it exactly like this, but my guess is that approximately the same amount of time will work.
These are my fav and always a hit! Ty for this awesomeness!!
Thanks for the five star review and glad these are your fave!
These are my fav and always a hit! Ty for this awesomeness!!
I have made these a couple times and I really like them! Also super easy to make.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these have been a hit and easy to make!
I have made these a couple times and I really like them! Also super easy to make.
Is there any healthier substitute for the brown sugar?
I haven’t tried anything other than brown sugar and recommend using it.