Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I'm soooo excited to share this recipe with you! It's a total revamp of my favorite cookies. You know how I love to create healthy chocolate chip cookies, right? Well, this time I wanted to make BARS. And, I decided to try swapping in a different fat substitute (I've used yogurt spread in the past). I added pumpkin puree and WOW, these are the coolest bars ever! They're dense and light at the same time. I can't explain it. Not greasy from tons of butter, but buttery enough from the amount I did add. And there are chocolate chips. Lots of chocolate chips. 

You'll see when you bite into these, they taste incredibly decadent. The pumpkin keeps the batter rich, yet it eliminates the need for excess butter or any other fat (most cookie recipes like this call for 2 sticks of butter). Plus, pumpkin is jammed with nutrients, so you're actually ADDING good stuff.

Notice those squares in the front? Those are from the center of the pan - where the chocolate actually melted into the batter a little more. The chips turned into more of a chocolate stream. Those are my favorite squares...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper (the spray will keep the paper from sliding). Spray the paper with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and both sugars. Mix on medium speed until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 20 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack before cutting into 18-24 bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 18-24 bars