I love love love to cook; the kitchen is definitely one place in this world where I am in my element.
In honor of fall, my favorite October treat: Pumpkin Bars. I made these a few years ago, and staring at the recipe it became obvious that they were lacking something. The addition of semi-sweet chocolate chips is my doing, and it brings 'yummy' to 'simply amazing'. Don't turn up your nose until you try it!
These are super easy to make, a huge hit at parties, and extremely addictive. Most ingredients are pantry staples, with the exception of the canned pumpkin and chocolate chips.
I recommend using high-quality name brand pumpkin and chocolate for these!
PUMPKIN BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour (I always use unbleached)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 beaten eggs
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin (get a high-quality brand, make sure it's pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie mix! ! ! !)
1 cup cooking oil (you can substitute plain applesauce for a low-fat version)
and the secret ingredient:
1 package of semi-sweet Girhadelli chocolate chips
**Note: you can substitute 2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon and cloves if you wish.
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Preheat oven to 350. If you used applesauce instead of oil, grease your pan. If you used oil, do not grease the pan. I use a 11 x 15 glass pan (large cake/baking pan). You can probably use a slightly smaller one if you don't have a large one.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the beaten eggs, pumpkin, and oil/applesauce until combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips :)
Spread into your baking pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Enjoy!
