Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bars

I live in a dorm, and sometimes they host events that promise free food! Most of the time, the offerings are quite dismal, but there are a few that totally exceed expectations. The one I went to a couple of days ago was one of the most underwhelming. I was lured by the promise of good coffee and delicious baked goods. What I got was mediocre coffee and a boxful of Entenmann’s Donuts. I guess I shouldn’t complain though, since it was all free. But I was still disappointed. Me and Lilly were craving something sweet and delicious and this did not satisfy us at all. Lesson of the day: don’t have high expectations or you will surely be disappointed!
When we got back to our apartment, we were quite depressed. So, I decided to make these delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bars. And believe me, these were delicious. We ate them so fast that the whole trayful was gone by the next day. There were a total of 36 bars….I only have 3 other roommates!!!
So yea, they really hit the spot. And they made the apartment smell like fall! I got the recipe from Cook Woman Food but adjusted it to what I had. The bars were a bit cakey, which I have no complaints about. But if you want something a bit more chewy, I would either omit or lessen the amount of baking powder and soda in the recipe.
I used chocolate chunks, but you can use chips. The chunks just make it seem more chocolatey. I added vanilla extract because vanilla just belongs in baked goods. I also lessened the amount of sugar from 1.5 cups to 1 cup and added 3 eggs instead of 4 (because I only had 3 eggs in my fridge). In addition, to lighten it up, I substituted ½ a cup of oil with ½ a cup of applesauce (trust me, it works!).

Below is my version of the bars, but if you would like the original visit CookWomanFood.

Gather all your ingredients and preheat that oven to 350*!


Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl


It's like snow!


In a seperate bowl, combine your wet ingredients.


Mix Well!


Add the dry to the wet and stir until just combined


Add in the chocolate!! Yumm, you can be assured that a handful missed the bowl and landed in my mouth. Whoops!


Pour into a greased 10x15 baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350*F


Cut them into bars or whatever shape you like!


And eat them like they're gonna disappear right before you're eyes,because trust me, when people smell them, they will disappear very very quickly!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bars
(makes about 36 bars in a 15x10 pan)

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 16 oz Can of Pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup applesauce
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chunks
1. Combine the 1st 5 ingredients. Set aside.
2. Mix together eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Beat well. Add in the dry ingredients, stir just till combined, but don’t overmix!
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Spread in a greased 15 x 10 pan. Bake in a 350* oven for abbut 35-40 minutes.

These bars are great unadorned. But you know what? I wouldn’t be opposed if you decided to top it with cream cheese frosting. Oh how I love cream cheese frosting!!!! Too bad I didn’t have any on hand=(

This is Lilly.


I think she ate half the tray!


Sneaky girl!