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You guys, I am sorry.
Sorry for posting a pumpkin recipe on September 10th.
I truly had every intention of waiting. To wait until at least the first day of fall, September 22. I wanted to live out every last bit of summer and flood your brains with apple recipes.
But then I opened a can of pumpkin. Which I have been stockpiling all year. I have a total of eighteen cans of pumpkin delivered to me from Amazon. It’s kind of an awesome thing.
It was all down hill from there. Pumpkin is one of my favorites and once the can was opened (so to speak) it is almost impossible for me to resist!
I haven’t gotten to the point where pumpkin has taken over my kitchen, but believe me it will be coming.
Besides, there is no room in the kitchen for pumpkin right now because lately I have been going apple crazy. It’s insane…..
And also very delicious.
But back to these cookies.
They just happened. If there is one dessert I am asked to make over and over and over again it’s chocolate chip cookies. I know, I mean I have made so many desserts and yet everyone still favors chocolate chip cookies?!? It’s crazy, but they do. So finally over the weekend I just gave in. Except just as I was grabbing the flour for the cookies, those orange cans of pumpkin caught the corner of my eye.
Oh yeah, I did not even need to think another millisecond about it.
It. Was. Happening.
I was going to trick them all.
And I did…
Until little Asher decided to blurt out that we added pumpkin and the boys basically spit out their cookies right then and there. Cookies that not two minutes earlier they had said were awesome. I mean seriously? Such losers.
The rest of us agree, the cookies are incredible and so doughy. Almost cookie dough, but not, it’s awesome. My goal was to not have a cakey cookie. I hate cakey cookies, which is why I went for a cookie bar. They are much easier to keep doughy and not cakey. . The key to these is to not over bake, if they get even the slightest bit over baked you’ll get some cakeiness.
The best part about these is that they are truly a trickster cookie. You will fool everyone that tucked into these tasty little tidbits are a totally healthy fruit (yes pumpkins are a fruit). That is as long as you guys don’t have a little blabber-mouth on your hands!
Plus, not only do they taste awesome (just like you favorite cookies), but by adding the pumpkin you can cut down on the sugar. Couple that with the whole wheat pastry flour and you get a much healthier version of the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Which is always a win for everyone!
Unless of course, you are teenage boys who could care less about whether food is healthy or not – sneak it in!
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups + 1/8 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 2 sticks
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, increase to 1/2 cup for a sweeter cookie bar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, increase to 1 cup for a sweeter cookie bar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, less or more depending on your taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- Combine the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy, about 3 to five minutes. Add in the pumpkin, beat well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Gradually beat in the flour mixture and the 2 teaspoons of water. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips and then ad more to your liking.
- Spread the dough out into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, just until set in the center. Don't over-bake because bars will firm up as they cool, if anything undercook. If the cookies get too cooked they will become cakey. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Let the fall baking begin!
Oh and if you’re looking to find out a little more about me head on over to Rachel Cooks and check out my Day in the Life Interview!
These look great and I am making them tonight! Two questions for you – have you tried subbing anything more low-cal for the butter? And, I already have some regular WW flour, that should be fine in place of the pastry flour right?
Thanks! Excited to see how they turn out 🙂
Hi Kristen, I actually already reduced the butter by half (that is were the pumpkin came in). The only thing I would possible try doing is going down to 1 stick of butter and upping the pumpkin to 3/4 cup. But I honestly have no idea how they would turn out. If you only have WW flour I would use half WW and half all-purpose. If you use all WW the bars will probably come out very dense.
Good luck and I hope you LOVE these!
Makes sense! Thanks for the quick response!
Girl, the last thing you need to do is apologize for these bars… they look amaaaaazing. Never too early for pumpkin. Especially in the form of cookie bars! 🙂
Thanks Erin!!
The fudgy centers of these *swoon* I MUST have them!
Thanks Dorothy!
Chocolate chip cookies are always the biggest hit and the pumpkin is such a great addition!
Thanks Gaby! Cookie are truly always a winner with everyone!
Well these bars look so fabulous no matter what the date is!!
Thanks Julie!!
Lol too funny, I forgive you for posting pumpkin on the 10th because these bars look fab!
Thanks Laura!
I was waiiiiiting for you to bust out the pumpkin recipes. Woo hoo!!
Haha! HAppy you are into the pumpkin! Thanks Todd!
I need to try making a vegan version of these. I am obsessed with ALL things pumpkin right now…or really anytime ;).
Thanks Hannah! Let me know how the vegan version turns out!
Gorgeous! As always I’m in love with your pictures! These bars look so chewy and soft and I’d love to sink my teeth in them right now. I feel the same way about cooking with pumpkin…not…ready..yet. 😉
Thanks Tina!
Don’t ever be sorry for pumpkin. These cookie bars make me very happy. 🙂
Yeah! So happy to make you happy! Pumpkin rules!
Absolutely gorgeous and perfect star studded cookies 🙂
Pumpkin idea is a fabulous one.
Can’t wait to try them tonight 🙂
Thank you! Hope you LOVE them! Let me know!
I am glad you didn’t wait any longer to post this recipe! These pumpkin cookie bars look so fudgy and plain perfect.
Thanks Nicole!
Yes please! Sign me up for one pan of these shipped to Chicago : )
Hah! Will do!
These look gooooooooood! I would substitute butter for avocado and coconut oil and see how they turn out. Just can’t help it to run away from a lot of butter.:)
Oh let me know how that works!
They look so fudgy and good..yum! Pinning and saving.
Thanks Laura!