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Cozy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars: Easy Fall Dessert

pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars - featured image
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These cozy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars are soft, fudgy, and perfectly spiced, with melted chocolate in every bite. An easy fall dessert that comes together in about 35 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (reserve ¼ cup for topping)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, whisk until combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until uniform.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
  5. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix).
  6. Fold in 1 ¼ cups of chocolate chips. Batter will be thick and slightly sticky.
  7. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved ¼ cup chocolate chips on top.
  8. Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, until edges are golden and center is set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Then lift bars out using parchment handles and cool completely on the rack (about 30 more minutes).
  10. Cut into squares (about 24 bars) with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts.

Notes

Don’t skip the parchment paper for easy removal. Check pumpkin puree moisture—blot with paper towel if watery. Room temperature ingredients matter. Start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let bars cool completely before cutting for clean squares. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For vegan, use vegan butter, flax egg, and dairy-free chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars, easy fall dessert, pumpkin bars, chocolate chip pumpkin bars, fall baking

Find it online: https://bitesienna.com/cozy-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars-easy-fall-dessert/