Janine’s Chocolate Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Spelt flour (white whole wheat works as well)
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Spice (If you don’t have use cinnamon instead)
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 oz Butter – soften to room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 Can (15oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 Large egg
1 12oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips (save 1/4 of the chips for topping after it’s baked)
Directions:
1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 baking pan or slightly larger and set aside.
2: In a large bowl whisk together flour, pumpkin spice and baking powder.
3: In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar – electric hand mixer or stand mixer works well.
4: Beat in egg and vanilla.
5: Add pumpkin puree and mix well.
6: Fold in dry ingredients until mixed together well. Fold in chocolate chips – remember to save 1/4 of the package.
7: Spread batter evenly in the greased baking pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides.
8: As soon as the bars are taken out of the oven – sprinkle the remaining 1/4 bag of chocolate chips and spread them out all over the bars while they are still melting.
9: Let it cool for at least an hour, cut into squares then – dig in!
