Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These small batch pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars are thick and chewy, warmly spiced, and packed with melty chocolate chips. Blotting the pumpkin concentrates the flavor and removes excess moisture so the bars stay dense and cookie-like rather than turning cakey. Baked in a 6-inch pan, the recipe makes just enough pumpkin bars for a smaller household.

I love a classic blondie, almost as much as I love chewy chocolate chip cookies. But when the leaves start falling, I go all in on pumpkin, and these cookie bars bring all of those things together with a pumpkin spin

These bars originally came about as a way to use up leftover pumpkin, which seems to be an annual problem once fall baking starts. But getting a pumpkin bar to actually eat like my candy cookie bars, rather than a little square of pumpkin cake, comes down to managing moisture.

Pumpkin brings plenty of moisture to the batter, while melted butter and dark brown sugar add richness and help give the bars their chewy texture. In testing, too much moisture pushed the bars toward cakey instead of giving them the toothsome bite I was after. There’s no need for an egg because the pumpkin helps bind the batter, and blotting it removes just enough excess water to keep the bars thick, dense, and chewy.

And here’s the bonus: because the bars are baked in a small pan, we don’t have to worry about scooping, shaping, or cookie spread.

First, Blot The Pumpkin

Before you make the cookie bars, you’ll need to blot the pumpkin. I use the same technique for my pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies to concentrate the pumpkin and control the amount of liquid going into the dough.

Spread the pumpkin puree over a paper towel, then press another paper towel on top to absorb the liquid. When it’s ready, the pumpkin will look thick and almost clay-like. I typically use about 3 half-sheets of paper towel (you know the kind, the make-a-size paper towels).

How To Make The Pumpkin Cookie Bars

Start with the wet ingredients. Melt the butter directly in the mixing bowl you’ll use for the batter, which saves us one more dish. Whisk the butter with the sugars first to moisten and partially melt the sugars, then stir in the blotted pumpkin and vanilla and mix until the mixture is smooth.

Mix the dry ingredients separately. I know, another bowl. But because this is a thick cookie bar batter, combining the dry ingredients first helps evenly distribute the flour, leavening, salt, and spices before everything comes together.

Bring the dough together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until most of the flour disappears. I like to switch to a spatula here so the dough doesn’t get stuck inside the whisk.

Mix in the chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips with the last few streaks of flour, then stop mixing once everything is combined. Press the dough into the baking pan, making sure it reaches all the way to the corners for evenly sized bars. The dough is thick, so you can use your fingers.

Give the dough a quick chill. Even though we’re baking it in a cake pan, I still like to chill the dough briefly to give the flour time to hydrate. Just pop the whole pan in the fridge while the oven preheats. By the time the oven is ready, the dough will be too.

Bake until the edges are set and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The chocolate chips will be melty, so if you see chocolate on the toothpick, that’s perfectly fine.

The End Result

Once the bars have had time to cool, they’ll slice easily into thick little squares. And unlike my cake-like pumpkin bars, these cookie bars don’t need frosting or decoration. The melty chocolate chips provide plenty of contrast on their own and may have you sneaking a couple of squares at a time.

Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Thick and chewy small batch pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars that are warmly spiced and full of melty chocolate chips. Made with blotted pumpkin, melted butter, and brown sugar for a dense, cookie-like texture and rich pumpkin flavor.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield9 Bars

Prep20 minutes minutes

ChillChill10 minutes minutes

Cook19 minutes minutes

Total Time50 minutes minutes

Equipment

• ▢
  6-Inch Square Cake Pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin (blotted to 3 tablespoons)
• ▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (or organic cane sugar)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

 

• ▢
  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Lightly grease a 6-inch square cake pan and line it completely with parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of the pan.
• ▢
  Blot the pumpkin to remove excess moisture – Fold a half-sheet of paper towel in half and place it on a small plate. Add the pumpkin puree to the paper towel. Take another half-sheet of paper towel, fold in half, and press on top of the pumpkin to remove moisture. Repeat 2 to 3 times with another half-sheet of paper towel, until you have 3 tablespoons of pumpkin. The blotted pumpkin will have a thick, clay-like texture.
  5 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin
  
• ▢
  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢
  In a medium mixing bowl, add the melted butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined, then add the blotted pumpkin and mix until smooth.
  1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• ▢
  This is a thick dough, so switch to a spatula. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and mix until no dry streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them into the batter.
  1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• ▢
  Press the cookie bar dough evenly into the prepared pan with either your fingers or the spatula. Be sure to get it into the corners of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to allow the dough to hydrate and flavors to develop.
  
• ▢
  Bake for 19 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. If the bars bake much longer than that, they will be cakier in the center.
• ▢
  Cool the bars in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then gently lift them out of the pan to cool completely on the rack. The cookie bars can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

• Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled.  Bake in an 8 or 9-inch square cake pan and start checking the bars at 25 minutes.
• Blotted Pumpkin – We need to remove the excess moisture from the pumpkin so the cookies bake chewy. I find 2 to 3 half-sheet paper towels work, but you may need more depending on how much moisture is in your pumpkin puree.
• Make Into Cookies – You can bake the cookie bars into cookies. If so, chill the dough for at least 1 hour so the cookies don’t over-spread. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Freezing – Place the bars in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. 

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1458IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.