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.
Pin This Recipe
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.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
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!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake — This soft and moist pumpkin cake is loaded with chocolate in every bite!! An EASY one-bowl fall dessert that’s perfect for impromptu entertaining or anytime a pumpkin craving strikes!!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese-Filled Brownies — The brownies are fudgy, not at all cakey, ridiculously rich, boldly chocolaty, and it’s a win to get a layer of pumpkin cheesecake inside your brownies.
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is truly the best homemade pumpkin bread you’ll ever make. It’s moist, packed with chocolate chips, and tastes like fall!
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Soft Pumpkin Praline Bars — SUPER soft pumpkin bars studded with chocolate chips, candied pecans, and plenty of pumpkin pie spice!! A FAST and EASY dessert that feeds a crowd for your fall and winter celebrations!!
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!!
These look amazing. Pumpkin and chocolate together is just a must.
It’s impossible to buy pumpkin puree or even pumpkin pie filling here in Australia, so every time I want to create a delicious pumpkin recipe I have to make puree from scratch. I definitely will be giving this recipe a go though, it looks incredibly delicious and full of yummy sweet flavours.
Hi Averie,
It has been so hellishly hot here in SoCal here. I know San Diego is a teeny bit cooler than the Inland Empire these days. Hope you had a nice weekend.
So I’m actually munching on one of these while I’m writing this. Yup, when you posted this recipe I knew I had to make it. They are very moist. I am partial to milk chocolate so I used those instead.
One last thing I wanted to mention. In the past 7 days I’ve made your: french almond cookie (cake), the Greek-yogurt soaked banana cake, the fudge oatmeal bars (from last week), the browned-butter chocolate chip cookie cups, and of course today these! :)
Do I love ya or what??!! ;) thanks so much. So excited for all your fall recipes. Take care
Omg it has been UNBEARABLY hot here. Yes. So, so hot. I don’t have a/c in my condo and baking in this heat, well, it’s been brutal!
Sounds like that didn’t deter you from baking all those things! All those things you made are awesome. And 5 of my recipes in 7 days! Wow, that is pretty amazing and thank you for trying so many things! I’m glad you’re happy and keep trying new things!
These look amazing!! They look so soft and with that chocolate…too good! Can’t get enough of pumpkin right now! Pinned :)
These look divine!!
Autumn baking :)
Oh… the hubby will LIKE these. On the tobake list they go.
And they came out so pretty! I used mini chips on top. :-)
Mini chips can do no wrong! I have a mini chip and pumpkin muffin recipe linked in the related recipes in case you need to use up more chips or more pumpkin!
Wow, I wish I could have one right now with a cup of tea!
This is one of those can’t-stop-eating recipes. The texture looks beyond. It’s like a pumpkin blondie! Love all the brown sugar.
And I almost called them pumpkin blondies :)
These look wonderful Averie – I’m so excited for Pumpkin Season! Pinned on my Pumpkin Board!
Thanks!
I love pumpkin and these are great ideas! I am def gonna try some of it :)
Much much love from
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How do you make such perfect cuts? I’m sorry if you already answered this.
Do you use a ruler or a special contraption?
I have answered it many times but not on this post :) I line all my pans with foil, remove using the foil overhang, place the slab on a cutting board, and use a very sharp 9-inch chef’s knife to slice them. That’s it!
Oh! So by removing it and then using the long knife, that ensures the lines are perfectly straight and even. Makes perfect sense, thank you!
Too much yum! I totally agree on the wait-a-day rule… I just made pumpkin bread and it was so much richer the second day :)
Gingerbread, molasses, and pumpkin stuff always tastes better the second day!
I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to go bake pumpkin bars! But I dont’ have chocolate chips and these without chocolate chips would not be the same. Not even close.
You don’t have chocolate chips? Ummm I am not kidding when I say I have at least 40 bags of baking chips AT ALL TIMES. Butterscotch, white, PB, milk, dark, semi sweet, mini, mini milk, mini dark… I mean there are nights I go through 4 bags of choc chips baking stuff. Wish you lived closer, I’d be happy to donate :)
I know it’s only the middle of September and we still have time to go pumpkin crazy but I could not hide my joy when driving past a farm today I saw numerous orange balls stuck up neatly in the corner! Yay! Great ideas to use all those pumpkins!
http://www.allnnothing.com
Pumpkin, my arch enemy! I can’t say no to anything pumpkin. This time of year is killer, with a pumpkin goody popping up on every corner. These look and sound like the perfect match…chocolate and pumpkin?! Yay! I’m gonna make these soon replacing the egg with a flax egg so that my daughter who is allergic to eggs can enjoy them as well. Thank you for sharing!
http://everydaymadefresh.com
Keep me posted how it goes with a flax egg. I have a feeling just fine actually based on many, many of my pumpkin recipes being vegan already (not these) but just based on experience, I think you will be fine. Pumpkin and banana stuff is the easiest to veganize!
It’s so exciting to see pumpkin featured in recipes lately – fall is here!!