Go Back

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Pumpkin chocolate chip bars with a tender crumb and pockets of melty dark chips, baked until the tops are lightly set. Flavored with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, then cooled completely for clean, sliceable bars.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.75 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate
  • 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and heat the oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan with a light coating of oil or baking spray, so the bars release cleanly after cooling.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until the spices are evenly distributed in the flour.
Mix the wet ingredients
  1. Whisk pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy, with no streaks of egg visible.
Combine and fold in chocolate
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains to keep the bars tender.
  2. Fold in 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips so they’re dotted throughout the batter.
Bake
  1. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, then scatter the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top for visible chip pockets.
  2. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool completely before cutting into bars so the crumb sets and slices stay neat, tender, and intact.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the pan fully at room temperature before slicing; warm bars crumble more easily. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freezing is yes—wrap individual bars and freeze up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter swap, replace half the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce and expect a slightly softer crumb.