These chocolate chip pumpkin bars are the perfect easy dessert for Fall!
Gooey Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
They’re like a cross between chocolate chip cookies and homemade pumpkin pie.
I wasn’t sure if September was too early for pumpkin recipes, but when I asked on Instagram, everyone’s response was a resounding Please start posting pumpkin recipes, like, RIGHT NOW!
I took that as a good sign for getting this recipe up as soon as possible. Apparently the internet really loves pumpkin. Who knew?
(Everyone. Everyone knew.)
Trending Now: Keto Cookies – low carb recipe
Grab your flannel shirts and leggings
Put on your Ugg boots
Make a batch of these gooey chocolate chip pumpkin bars
And surrender yourself to the basicness of Pumpkin Season.
Seeing that Starbucks decided to bring back their infamous Pumpkin Spice Lattes in August, which then caused many other coffee shops and restaurants to follow suit, I guess I’m actually late to pumpkin season this year.
(Seriously, Starbucks? August??)
Figured now that the weather is finally getting cooler, I’d make up for it in true Chocolate-Covered-Katie fashion – with both pumpkin and chocolate.
Also Try These Vegan Brownies
Almond Butter Version: Almond butter has a neutral flavor that works really well here, and it’s my top pick for this recipe.
Using almond butter instead of oil adds fiber, vitamins, healthy fats, and nutrition to the oil-free pumpkin bars.
Peanut Butter Version: If you love both peanut butter and pumpkin, you might want to try the recipe with peanut butter. It definitely will have a peanut butter flavor though, so be sure to keep that in mind.
Sunbutter Version: This is a great option if you need bars that are more allergy-friendly and can be served in a peanut-free environment.
Readers have mentioned in my similar recipe for Ryan Reynolds Blondies that the bars turn kind of a funny color if made with sunflower butter but that they still taste just as delicious.
Other Nut Butters Or Butter Spreads: I haven’t tried the recipe using anything else but I’d imagine any nut butter—such as pecan, walnut, or cashew—would work here.
I’d also think a regular butter spread such as Earth Balance would be fine to sub but haven’t tried it yet. If you do experiment, be sure to report back with results!
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree or sweet potato
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 2 cups almond butter or allergy-friendly sub
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup flour, such as oat, white, spelt, sorghum, or even almond
- 1 cup sugar, unrefined or erythritol if desired
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or additional cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, or more as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment. Stir all ingredients together to form a batter. Add more milk of choice if needed to achieve a cookie-dough-like batter – the amount will depend on the flour and type of nut butter you use. Smooth the batter into the pan. If desired, press more chocolate chips on top. Bake 15-20 minutes on the center rack. They’ll look way underdone – let them cool for at least an hour, during which time they’ll firm up, and they firm up even more overnight if covered loosely on the counter.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes:
Katja says
I would love to try these, but 2 cups of almond butter seems a bit too much? Typo?
Jason Sanford says
It’s correct – the almond butter is replacing both the oil and the bulk of the flour in traditional blondie recipes, and it also makes a large amount (so comes out to less than a tbsp per bar). You can do a half recipe in an 8×8 if you’d prefer and that still works fine!
Jason
Lorien says
So the note that subbing a regular butter spread like Earth Balance would almost definitely not work at the same ratio for this recipe…
Cath says
True! I tried and it was too wet.
Em says
Forgot to add the flour, came out gooey and fudgey!! So good!
Paige Cassandra Flamm says
These bars look amazing! The perfect fall treat!
Paige
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
Love pumpkin flavors and cooking with nut butters; these are PERFECTION! 🙂
Nina says
Just made these. Fantastic. Thanks for a great combination.
Stephanie Stubblefield says
What is a good substitute for almond butter if I don’t have it on hand? Could I use organic peanut butter? Also I am “clean eating” do you think I could replace the sugar with raw honey? It looks like a 1/2 cup should substitute for 1 cup of sugar. Wondering if anyone else made these clean….
Mary says
Honey would make these bars too gooey–I would recommend 3/4 cup either coconut sugar or maple sugar if you have any on hand. If not, use honey (or maple syrup; it’s actually healthier and I would imagine would compliment a pumpkin flavor really well) and you likely won’t need to add the milk.
Did this help, I hope? 🙂
Linda @ the Fitty says
Wow do those chocolate chips really POP out from the bars! ^^
Bianca says
Also looking to replace the sugar with an alternative. Perhaps 1/3 C apple sauce and 1/2 C maple syrup and no milk?
Sherri says
I was also wondering about alternative unrefined sugar?
Jason Sanford says
Sucanat is an unrefined sugar that works really well here. Or coconut sugar.
Cassie Autumn Tran says
I’m such a sucker for anything with pumpkin or with chocolate! This recipe is just too perfect!
Vivian says
I made these today.i used 2/3 cashew butter (tto use up the jar) and 1/3 almond butter. Since we don’t usually buy spice mixes like pumpkin pie spice, I looked it up on the Internet and made it from spices I already had. I also used whole grain spelt flour. Since we have been trying to eat less sweeteners, I cut the sugar in half and used sucanat. They are plenty sweet for us but if you prefer a seeter version, I would suggest trying 3/4 cup of sugar and I think you would be happy. I may try them with maple syrup (and no or much less almond milk) next time. My only error was that when I pressed my timer to turn it on I must have hit it twice very quickly so I actually turned it on and off at the same time. After at least 25 minutes I looked to see how much more time before I could take them out and discovered they were most likely over cooked. After cooling for an hour I cut one. While not terribly gooey they are also not dried out. We voth like them.
Vivian says
I posted a picture but it doesn’t appear to have uploaded. I’ll try again here.
TeenChef says
THESE WERE AWESOME!!!!!!! I halved the recipe so i didn’t have so many bars, and added less sugar and more pumpkin and chocolate, and they turned out so gooey and delish! Thanks KAtie!
Emma says
These are DELICIOUS! I love making things with pumpkin in them, and adding nut butter makes it even better. Yum!
Maribel says
What can I replace the sugar with? I noticed some mentioned removing milk if maple syrup is used, wondering why?
Theose look amazing!!
Brittany says
Can’t wait to try this! I messed up at the store and forgot almond flower… can I use coconut flower? If yes.. same measurement?
Jason Sanford says
Probably not in the same quantity because of coconut flour’s tendency to absorb liquid like a sponge. But maybe if you use much less – be sure to report back if you experiment!
Lisa says
I have a rather stupid question, as I am up to now very unexperienced with anything pumpkin (love the taste, but have never bothered to cook with it myself) —
For the pumpkin puree, do I cook the pumpkin first? Or put it in the oven? Or do I just put it in a blender raw? Help please!
Jason Sanford says
Hi, I’d use canned pumpkin puree. Or if using fresh then yes, definitely roast it first and then puree. You can also do the same thing with sweet potato if it’s easier.
Tracie says
Wow these are amazing! I made them with cashew butter and almond flour. They taste very delicious and they’re super moist. My only complaint is that 2 cups of nutbutter is around $7. It’s a full jar! So this is an expensive recipe but it’s a great way to use up any nutbutter you have laying around.
Briana says
Can I use gluten free flour?
Jason Sanford says
Yup most flours will work, just probably not coconut.
Jason
Amy M says
I made these today (used almond butter and spelt flour). They firmed up well in the parchment paper and sitting for few hours, however when I tried to get them out of the pan they are very sticky and don’t stay in bar form. Did I do something wrong or is this how they are? How did Katie get them in a square as in the picture?
Jason Sanford says
Hmm no they definitely firm up for me! Did you let them sit overnight? They are much firmer the next day 🙂
Jason
Amanda says
Thank you, these are delicious!
I didn’t want to use an entire jar of almond butter, so I used ~ 1 cup. I also substituted coconut flour and coconut sugar.
I do think the coconut flour made the texture a bit more gritty, but tasty nonetheless. These definitely firm up more if left in the fridge for a day or so.
LV says
Super yummy and goey goodness. Indeed, while sunbutter is a tasty option for the nut butter, it appears to provide interesting visual effects, ha! Regardless, the recipe was a hit. Didn’t even use sugar, just erithrytol.
Natalie says
I made these last night and whilst they’re yummy, I used 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup vegan spread and found that they’re much cakier than I think they’re meant to be. They fall apart easily (even after browning in the oven, left to cool and fridged overnight) and are super soft, so I’m looking forward to making them again with the full 2 cups of nut butter! Other than though they are delish ? I also used 1/2 cup caster and 1/4 cup stevia in place of the 1 cup sugar, and the sweetness is spot-on with the choc chips in too!
Karlijne says
Tried it with one cup butter, one cup almond flour and 25’ mins in the oven. Tasted pretty good but the texture was basically too wet going in and came out as cookie dough.
Jason Sanford says
Just let them sit overnight and they’ll firm up nicely!
Jill Claire says
SOOOOOOO…… Somehow I was making this recipe that I had pulled up on my iPad. Then I finished the recipe using my laptop not realizing that I had accidentally used both this and the pumpkin bar recipe simultaneously. I did the first three ingredients of this recipe then switched to the pumpkin bar one, skipped the pumpkin and sugar since I already added it and doubled the recipe. in a 9″ baking dish. Oh. My. Goodness. THE. BEST. OF. BOTH. WORLDS. Now I need to write it down! The texture was thick but smooth and creamy… I’m drooling. Off to make more!
PS – Also used PB2 because less calories and no taste compromise! Yay!
BB says
I used almond flour and Trader Joe’s raw almond butter for this recipe. Used 3/4c Swerve instead of sugar and used Lily’s chocolate chips. Took it out after 20 minutes. It was so wet. Left it on the counter all night per the instructions, cut into it in the morning, still not solid. Tastes delicious and I will eat but the consistency was not right. The same thing happened to me with almond brownies. I’m guessing the almond butter is just too oily and I need to increase the almond flour, I wanted to share in case anyone else wants to use the same ingredients.
Darby says
I just made these and had the exact same problem and I used gluten free flour!! Delicious, but total mush. I’m wondering if oat flour or maybe even coconut flour would be better?
Jason Sanford says
Hi Darby, did you let them sit overnight? They firm up that way!
Jason
Darby says
Hi! No I did not sadly! I brought them to my friends. Everyone loved them regardless and no one knew they were actually sugar free!
Jason Sanford says
Oh haha well at least they were a hit! Personally I’d take super gooey over dry and cakey any day! ?
Chara says
Can I use sesame butter? Tahini?
Jason Sanford says
It sounds like a fun experiment. Please be sure to report back for the rest of us as to the flavor if you try!
Tony Stark Policci says
I just made these and the tops look GREAT. But then I cut into them. They look like raw dough. I baked them for 20 minutes. Quite a bummer actually. Not even sure what the hell to do with them? Ice cream topping? Face mask?
Jason Sanford says
Ok face mask sounds amazing lol. BUT just refrigerate overnight and they will firm up a ton.
Cassandra says
I accidentally bought pumpkin pie filling and not pumpkin puree. Can I use this instead and out less sugar?
Doni says
Can the nutbutter be subbed with a healthier option like banana?
Kristen says
Wow! They are AMAZING!! Gooey and oh so yummy! I made a batch yesterday and they are almost gone so we are making another one today! I made the mistake of putting your recipe in an 8×8 so it took awhile longer to cook but they still taste amazing!
Raquel B says
I love Katie’s healthy/lighter desserts and look forward to trying this. However, I think the nutrition information provided may be off. With 2 cups of almond butter, and 30 servings, each bar would have over 1 TBS of almond butter, or about 98 cal from the almond butter only. Add in the other ingredients, and my calculations are closer to 175 cal per bar than 90, unless I am misreading something?
Christa says
I have made around ten of your recipes and these bars are by far my favorite! I made my own peanut butter in my food processor with no salt or sugar added and put a touch less than 2 cups in the recipe. There’s no overwhelming peanut butter taste and they came out delicious! They definitely need to firm up overnight, but I couldn’t resist having some after an hour and a half of cooling on the counter.
Roselyn says
I used oatmilk and peanut butter instead of almond. I winged it an used 1 cup of peanut butter instead of 2 and it did not disappoint. These are delicious!!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it! 🙂
Kristen K says
We just love these. I use Justin’s Vanilla Almond butter in mine. Last weekend I tried Justin’s Maple almond butter and they were amazing as well. I do find I need to bake them a few minutes longer than your suggested time but these are a 5 star winner in my house! I also use GF cup 4 cup flour in case anyone was wondering if it will work yes, oh yes yes it does!
Michelle Arden says
Hi! I absolutely love these! If I would like them to be a little less gooey what would you recommend? I’ve made them several times and each time they are so gooey I can’t even get them out of the pan
I follow the recipe but use ALMOND everything:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk of ALMOND milk
2 cups ALMOND butter
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup ALMOND flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chocolate chips, or more as desired
Bake as suggested, let sit overnight, even tried refrigerating to see if that would help😊 I want make them again but them to firm up a tad. Thank you!
CCK Media Team says
Hi! You might live in a more humid climate or have other factors that could be making yours more gooey than when we make them. Just baking longer should fix that! Let us know if that works 🙂
Michelle Arden says
Thank you! I will bake them longer, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area so no humidity here😊
Mary says
If I use coconut flour, could I maybe use maple syrup instead of the sugar? Maybe that will still help it retain moisture enough to be similar to this recipe?
Jaclyn k says
These are amazing! I used half almond flour and half buckwheat. Stirred in regular semi chocolate chips and sprinkled minis on top. Even my 8y/o loves them! And she’s a picky eater!
Sophie says
I used coconut sugar, and almond flour and they turned out perfectly!