Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are going to become your new favourite fall dessert. They are easy to make, soft and gooey and bursting with chocolate chips. These dessert bars are also gluten free and dairy free (but you would never know it).

Why you will love this recipe:

• The taste! These pumpkin bars are so delicious! Sweet, soft, fudgy, gooey and chocolatey.
• Even though they are made from scratch these cookie bars are quick and easy to make and only require a few minutes of hands on time.
• These dessert bars are the perfect fall dessert.
• These pumpkin cookie bars are gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and paleo.
• They are the perfect treat to serve at Thanksgiving.
• Kids love them!
• These pumpkin bars with chocolate chips freeze really well.
• These homemade cookie bars are made with almond to make them high protein compared to other pumpkin cookie bar recipes.

If you are looking for an even easier pumpkin treat I recommend my no bake edible pumpkin cookie dough.

Taste and texture:

These gluten free pumpkin blondies are soft, gooey, chewy, fudgy, chocolatey, perfectly sweet, and have hints of pumpkin. The pumpkin flavour is not too strong so even if you don't like pumpkin you will still love this dessert.

These bars are not dry or crispy.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

• Pumpkin puree - pumpkin puree is what is used to give this pumpkin dessert its delicious pumpkin flavour and help make these bars soft and gooey. You can either use canned pumpkin puree or make your own. Be sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
• Almond flour - almond flour is one of my favourite gluten free flours to bake with. It is slightly sweet in flavour compared to other flours and is higher in protein and full of healthy fats. Be sure to use finely ground almond flour and not almond meal which is more gritty. Instead of almond flour you could use cashew flour instead.
• Coconut flour - when combined with the almond flour coconut flour helps give these cookie bars the perfect texture. Do not try to substitute this with any other flours.
• Coconut sugar - coconut sugar is my favourite granulated sweetener to help sweeten these bars while keeping them refined sugar free. If you don't have coconut sugar you could use brown sugar instead.
• Coconut oil - coconut oil helps add moisture and give these cookie bars the perfect firm outer texture. I do not recommend swapping coconut oil for any other type of fat or oil.
• Cashew butter - cashew butter helps make these bars even more soft and gooey. If you can't find cashew butter you could use almond butter or peanut butter to give them a different flavour. Just be sure whatever type of nut butter you use is smooth and unsweetened.
• Egg - An egg is used to help bind these bars together and give them a little more moisture. I have not tried making these pumpkin bars egg free or with any egg replacements and am not sure if it would out if you tried.
• Chocolate chips - chocolate chips are what take these cookie bars over the top. I prefer to use dark chocolate chips and ones made with coconut sugar to keep these bars refined sugar free.

How to make:

Step one:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper. 

Step two:

Then add all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to the bowl of your standing mixer. 

Step three:

Now blend the ingredients until you have a smooth dough. 

Step four:

Next stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Step five:

Then transfer the dough to the baking pan and spread it out into an even layer. The dough is sticky so wetting your spoon will help make it easier to spread. Bake the bars for 31-33 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean.

Step six:

Lastly, let the bars cool, then cut them into pieces and enjoy!

Chef's tips:

• The dough is very sticky so I recommend wetting a spoon or knife to help you spread the batter in the pan.
• Be sure to line your baking pan with parchment paper to make these bars easy to remove from the pan. I don't recommend using non-stick baking pans (you can read why in my post on the best non toxic bakeware).
• Let these bars cool completely before cutting them. If you want to cool them faster you can put the pan in the fridge.

Variations and add ins:

• Instead of almond flour you can use cashew flour to make these gluten free chocolate pumpkin bars.
• Instead of cashew butter you can use almond butter or peanut butter.
• If you don't have coconut sugar you can use brown sugar instead.
• If you want a little more texture add some chopped pecans or walnuts to these blondies.

How to serve:

These pumpkin chocolate bars are delicious served warm or cold. I love pairing them with a mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate. To make them even more decadent you could serve then with ice cream, top them with whipped cream or drizzle them with dark chocolate.

How to store:

Store these bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. They also freeze really well. I recommend cutting them into pieces before freezing them in an airtight bag or container.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Gluten free pumpkin muffins
• Pumpkin Rice Krispie treats
• Easy pumpkin mousse
• Gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

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