Gooey Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

You guys! Halloween is TOMORROW! To me, that means The Holidays are officially upon us. We will be flipping the calendars to November, and then in the blink of an eye, it will be Christmas! I know that freaks some people out, but this is seriously my favorite time of the year. I just love the cooler temperatures, the excitement in the air, the family gatherings, and the feeling of “togetherness” that the holidays bestow upon us.

Anyway, now that the weather has finally cooled off (after a week in the 100’s),  all I can think about is baking all the treats and making all the soups/stews.  The forecast shows temps in the 60’s as far as the eye can see and I just love the comfort of baking and slurping soup at the end of a chilly day! We have to bulk up for winter, right?

I tried these Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars from PaleOMG when they were first posted in 2014, and I have honestly thought about them ever since.

When we were growing up, my mom would often declare that we were having brownies for dinner on Friday nights. We used the Giradhelli boxed version from Costco and would ALWAYS purposefully underbake them. The trick was cooking them just enough that we could get them out of the pan in one piece, but still have that gooey texture and taste like batter. That’s the kind of childhood I had! (And also why I ended up with a blog for healthy recipes…#balance.)

These bars are reminiscent of those underbaked brownies, but with a pumpkin spice (and healthier) twist! My dad is going to be in town for Halloween, and I always like to use house guests as an excuse to bake a special treat. My mom and dad both have a gnarly sweet tooth…fortunately it skips a generation…eeehh not!

Halloween + Cooler Temps + Dad in Town = Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Bars!

(Recipe adapted from Paleomg)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter, or coconut oil, melted (I used butter this time, but I have used coconut oil in the past and it is equally delicious!)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (they were plenty sweet…might reduce to 1/2 cup next time) 🙂
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. (Make sure butter/oil is fully melted…mine wasn’t quite there 😉 
3. Pour mixture into an 8×8 baking dish. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. If you don’t want them SUPER gooey, go for 40 minutes.
5. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares and serve! Can also be stored for a couple of days…but I doubt they will last that long! 

These would be a perfect Halloween dessert, but would also be perfect to take to Thanksgiving dinner!

Print

Gooey Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

These Gooey Pumpkin Bars are the perfect Fall sweet treat, and super easy to make! 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Author: Maggie @ Our Fine Day

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. (Make sure butter/oil is fully melted)

3. Pour mixture into an 8x8 baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. If you don't want them SUPER gooey, go for 40 minutes.
5. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares and serve! Can also be stored for a couple of days...but I doubt they will last that long!