Description
Deliciously moist and spiced Pumpkin Cookie Bars perfect for fall, combining rich pumpkin puree with warm pumpkin pie spices and sweet chocolate chips for a flavorful treat that’s easy to bake and share.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams, melted, 2 sticks)
- 1¼ cups pumpkin puree (284 grams, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 large egg (50 grams)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (8 grams)
Sweeteners
- 1 cup brown sugar (213 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
Dry Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300 grams)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (9 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (6 grams)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Add-ins
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (170 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan thoroughly and set it aside, ensuring your baking surface is ready for the batter.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the melted unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth and well combined, setting a sweet and buttery base for your bars.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar mixture until fully incorporated, resulting in a smooth, luscious batter.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and kosher salt, ensuring that the spices and leavening agents are evenly distributed.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, beating lightly with a mixer just until combined to avoid overmixing which can toughen the bars.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Gently fold the semisweet chocolate chips into the batter, evenly distributing the chocolate throughout the mixture.
- Transfer Batter to Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13-inch pan, spreading it out evenly to ensure uniform baking.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the bars are properly baked.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pumpkin cookie bars to cool completely before slicing into squares to ensure clean cuts and optimal texture.
Notes
- Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, for the right texture and flavor.
- Ensure butter is melted but not hot to prevent cooking the egg during mixing.
- Do not overmix the batter once the flour is added to keep bars tender.
- Check the bars toward the end of baking time to avoid overbaking and dryness.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
- For extra flavor, sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice or chopped nuts on top before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin cookie bars, pumpkin dessert, pumpkin spice cookies, fall dessert, chocolate chip pumpkin bars
