We’re stepping right into pumpkin season and starting off with these amazing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars. Each scrumptious little bite is filled with gooey dark chocolate (that’s low in sugar!) and our favorite fall flavor- pumpkin spice. While you may be here for the flavor of pumpkin, I need to tell you about the health benefits of pumpkin too.
Pumpkin is a nutrient rich food, and it’s fantastic for gut health. It’s packed with fiber and antioxidants. So you can feel good about eating these chocolate chip pumpkin bars for dessert. For under 5 grams of sugar, you can enjoy the sweet autumn flavors of chocolate and pumpkin all in one bar. Let’s get baking!
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
This recipe makes a lot of bars.
One batch will give you 34 chocolate chip pumpkin bars! You can either have one a day for a whole month or serve a large group of kids a healthy, delicious afternoon school snack.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars are low in fat.
Each bar has just 1 gram of fat. These bars are heart-healthy - no saturated fat in sight. The use of applesauce and nonfat Greek yogurt replaces the high-fat oil or butter that is traditionally used. So they are moist but healthy.
Chocolate chips and pumpkin spice cover the fall flavors.
Now, you don’t have to pick between a brownie or a pumpkin spice bar - these bars combine the best of both flavors to result in a fantastic dessert bar.
Ingredients you need to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars:
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ¼ cup plain Nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup Lily's No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Chips
How to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars (step by step):
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a large sheet pan with some nonstick cooking spray. To get 35 bars, I used an 18x13 sheet pan.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and the brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the apple sauce, yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla extract.
- Gently stir in the all purpose flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Once it’s well combined, pour the batter evenly out onto the sheet pan.
- Top the batter with the Lily’s chocolate chips. Sprinkling them on top ensures they spread evenly so all bars will have chips on them.
- Bake the bars in the oven for 30-35min. You can use a toothpick to make sure they are baked through.
- Let the bars cool and then cut into 35 squares. I did 5 across and 7 down.
Makes 35 pumpkin bars. Nutrition info for 1 bar: Calories 58, Fat 1 g, Saturated fat .45 g, Carbs 11 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugars 4 g, Sodium 65 mg, Protein 2 g.
WW Points
- Eggs 0 points
- Light brown sugar 31 points
- Unsweetened apple sauce 0 points
- Nonfat Greek yogurt 0 points
- Canned pumpkin puree 0 points
- Vanilla 0 points
- All purpose flour 26 points
- Cinnamon 0 points
- Pumpkin pie spice 0 points
- Baking powder 0 points
- Baking soda 0 points
- Lily's dark chocolate chips 8 points
2 points per pumpkin bar based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Personal Points- 1-2 depending on your 0PP foods
Smart points- blue & purple- 1 using WW recipe builder
Smart points- green- 2 using WW recipe builder
Points plus- 1 using PP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- Lily’s offers several No Sugar Added baking chip flavors, so you could use any kind that you like. Three delicious ones would be white chocolate, butterscotch, or their pumpkin spice baking chips.
- If you’re not a pumpkin fan, you may not have made it this far, but in case you have, you can swap the pumpkin with mashed banana for a different flavor. Leave out the pumpkin pie spice as well.
- Coconut sugar rather than brown sugar in this gives it an amazing toasty flavor that matches well with Autumn.
- You can use any brand of chocolate chips if that’s what you have. Lily’s is a great brand if you can find them, because they are sweetened with stevia rather than sugar. The dark chocolate baking chips are also dairy-free.
Tips and Tricks for Making Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars:
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars are best stored in the fridge after day one. If you feel that 35 is too big of a batch to be eaten within a week, go ahead and freeze some. As long as you put them (cooled) into a Ziploc freezer bag, they will freeze well.
- Check the bars around 25 minutes in case your oven cooks hotter than mine.
- You could easily use this batter to make mini muffins. Just start checking them around 15 minutes to see if they’re done.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
- These Cinnamon Muffins Are A Perfect Festive Treat
- Simple Pumpkin Muffins For Lazy Bakers
- Kodiak Pumpkin Muffins
Chocolate chip pumpkin bars
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ¼ cup plain 0% greek yogurt
- 2 cups canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup Lily's dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a large sheet pan with some nonstick cooking spray. To get 35 bars, I used an 18x13 sheet pan.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and the brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the apple sauce, yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla extract.
- Gently stir in the all purpose flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and baking powder.
- Once it’s well combined, pour the batter evenly out onto the sheet pan.
- Top the batter with the Lily’s chocolate chips. Sprinkling them on top ensures they spread evenly so all bars will have chips on them.
- Bake the bars in the oven for 30-35min. You can use a toothpick to make sure they are baked through.
- Let the bars cool and then cut into 35 squares. I did 5 across and 7 down.
Christine
I love anything pumpkin. If I cut recipe in half, what size pan? 9x9?
Drizzle
yes I think a 9x9 will work ok with half the recipe
Mary Beth
I struggle with what to do with leftover ingredients—in this case, applesauce and brown sugar. Any tips? Can I sub Splenda brown sugar blend? Also, are Lily’s chocolate chips readily available? I’ve never heard of them.
Aubrie
I was wondering the same thing about the brown sugar substitute. I do know that you can get Lily's at Walmart in the baking aisle. I can't remember whether or not Stop and Shop had them too. There are a few different flavors of them. Expensive, but delicious!
Drizzle
Yes you can use sugar substitute, best to build the recipe in the app to get accurate points
Drizzle
Hi Mary Beth, I bake a lot so I always have brown sugar and applesauce etc on hand, applesauce will last a long time in the fridge and you could buy the single portions (each one is equivalent to about 1/3 cup) you could swap out for the splenda if you wish .. Lily's dark chocolate chips can easily be ordered online or maybe bought at whole foods if you have one near you
Kristi torrence
For gluten-free, just substitute 2cups gluten-free flour ? I would use a blended one . ?
Thank you
Drizzle
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Brandi Alcock
Unfortunately these were a complete fail. I used a stone bar pan which does increase the cook time but after 1 hr and 20 minutes they were still gummy on the inside. They ended up in the garbage. Sad because I was so looking forward to these!
Drizzle
Hi Brandi, I am so sorry to hear that, I'm not too sure about the pan you mentioned.. I used a regular cookie sheet pan and they baked no problem at all
Melanie McDonald
Thank you so much! I've been wanting some chocolate chip pumpkin cookies and these bars were perfect!
Drizzle
I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Annie
These are delicious — thanks!
Do you use packed or unpacked brown sugar? I can’t get it to one point each and I’m thinking it has something to do with the brown sugar :)...also, any tips for getting the chocolate chips to stay on top of the bars?
Drizzle
Hi Annie, so glad you enjoyed them< i use unpacked BS.. Hmmm as far as the chips they stayed no problem for me, they melt down, some moved around while I was cutting them but for the most part they stayed put
Sue
Just made & really delicious! Super moist. I used brown sugar substitute & Lily’s chips. I found myself saying I wish I had put a dollop of whipped cream on top! Thanks!
Drizzle
Hi Sue, Yay, glad you enjoyed them, I think the whipped cream would be a great addition 🙂
Carolyn Salyer
I made this tonight - it was a big hit! It will be perfect at Thanksgiving. Thanks Drizzle!
Drizzle
Hi Carolyn, so glad you enjoyed the pumpkin bars 🙂
Kathryn Goldsmith
I've tried this recipe a few times and it doesn't rise properly. It doesn't look like cake but more soggy. Any thoughts on what might be going on?
Drizzle
Hi Kathryn, hmm that is strange, I had no issues with it rising and it was very cake-like texture, did you use the right size sheet?
Liz
Was really excited to make these! They didn’t rise quite as much as it looks like they did in the pictures but they still taste good. They seem a little bit “gummy” in some spots and I would probably push the chocolate chips in next time or put directly in the mix as they were all coming off when I cut them.
Drizzle
Hi Liz, glad you enjoyed them, mine did not have any dense parts, perhaps an oven temp issue?
Peggy
Can I use monk sugar tks
Drizzle
Sure, if that is what you like to use 🙂
Lynn
I just made these and they are delicious. Perfect for any pumpkin lover. It’s important to spread the batter evenly or you will end up with some chewy thin bars.
Drizzle
Thanks for the tip Lynn 🙂 I am so glad you enjoyed them