On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas,Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad , Crispy barbecue Chicken Nugget Salad, Crispy BBQ Chicken Salad , BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad , barbecue chicken salad, healthy crispy barbecue chicken salad, healthier bbq chicken bowl, healthy bbq chicken salad, oven baked crispy bbq chicken nuggets, oven baked chicken nuggets, oven baked crispy bbq chicken, oven baked crispy bbq chicken salad, healthy crispy bbq chicken salad,

Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad

AfterlightImage 157

Lemon Snap Pea and Burrata Pasta

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Cinnamon Peach Cobbler Crisp, Peach Cobbler Crisp, Cinnamon Peach Cobbler, Cinnamon Peach Crisp, peach crisp cobbler hybrid, crisp cobbler hybrid, crisp cobbler, half crisp half cobbler, peach half crisp half cobbler, stovetop peach cobbler, stovetop peach crisp, easy Peach Cobbler Crisp, Cinnamon Peach Oat Cobbler, Cinnamon sugar Peach Cobbler Crisp,

Cinnamon Peach Cobbler Crisp

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Chicken and Veggies Gnocchi, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Chicken, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Chicken and Veggies, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Gnocchi, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Chicken Gnocchi. Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Veggies and Gnocci, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed vegetables and Gnocchi, Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies Gnocchi, Sheet Pan cauliflower Gnocchi, Sheet Pan crispy Gnocchi and vegetables, Sheet Pan Honey Glazed crispy Gnocchi, Honey Glazed Chicken and Veggies Gnocchi, gluten free gnocchi, healthy gnocchi recipes, recipes to use with cauliflower gnocchi,

Sheet Pan Honey Glazed Chicken and Veggies Gnocchi

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Healthier Tofu Tikka Masala, Healthy Tofu Tikka Masala, crumbled Tofu Tikka Masala, Tofu Tikka Masala, lighter Tofu Tikka Masala, Healthier vegetarian butter chicken, vegetarian butter chicken, vegan butter chicken, vegan tikka masala, vegan Indian curry, vegetarian Indian curry, healthy vegetarian Indian curry, healthy vegan Indian curry, tikka masala with roasted mushrooms, healthy tikka masala with roasted mushrooms,

Healthier Tofu Tikka Masala

Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Elote Slaw

Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Elote Slaw

AfterlightImage 110

Golden Crispy Rice Salmon Bake

Avocado Tzatziki Zucchini and Chicken Pitas, Avocado Tzatziki Chicken Pitas, Tzatziki Zucchini and Chicken Pitas, Avocado Zucchini and Chicken Pitas, Zucchini and Chicken Pitas, greek Chicken Pitas, Avocado Greek Chicken Pitas, healthy avocado pita pockets, greek chicken pita pockets, Avocado Tzatziki, Avocado Tzatziki Pita Pockets, Avocado Tzatziki Chicken Salad, Avocado Tzatziki Chicken, Creamy Avocado Chicken Pita Pockets, Avocado Tzatziki Zucchini and Chicken Sandwich, healthy summer sandwich, healthy summer picnic sandwich, easy healthy homemade picnic ideas, onanniesmenu, On Annie’s Menu, On Annies menu,

Avocado Tzatziki Zucchini and Chicken Pitas

Sesame Crusted Fish with Olive Bruschetta, Sesame Crusted Fish, Fish with Olive Bruschetta, bruschetta topped fish, healthy greek fish recipe, olive topped fish, crispy fish with olives, olive fish topping, olive white fish recipe, sesame panko crusted fish, panko crusted white fish, panko crusted greek white fish, healthy fish recipes, healthy greek fish recipes, healthy sesame fish recipes, on annies menu, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu,

Sesame Crusted Fish with Olive Bruschetta

Burst Tomato Chicken Parmesan Melts, Chicken Parmesan Melts, Burst Tomato Chicken Parmesan, chicken parm toast, chicken parm melts, chicken parm sandwich, healthy chicken parm sandwich, healthy chicken parm toast, open faced chicken parmesan sandwich, chicken parm toast, open faced chicken parm sandwich, healthy chicken parm, unique chicken parm, italian fusion recipes, burst tomato toast, burst tomato chicken parm, tomato confit chicken parm, tomato confit chicken parmesan, tomato confit chicken parm toast, tomato confit chicken parm melts, chicken parm melt, chicken parm toastie,

Burst Tomato Chicken Parmesan Melts

Healthier Stroganoff Quesadillas with Yogurt Chive Dip, beef stroganoff quesadillas, healthier beef stroganoff, Healthier beef Stroganoff Quesadillas, Healthier Quesadillas with Yogurt Chive Dip,Healthy mushroom Quesadillas, mushroom quesadillas with yogurt dip, mushroom ground chicken quesadillas, chicken stroganoff, turkey stroganoff, healthier stroganoff, Healthier beef Stroganoff Quesadillas with Yogurt Chive Dip, Healthier chicken Quesadillas with Yogurt Chive Dip, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu, on annies menu,

Healthier Stroganoff Quesadillas with Yogurt Chive Dip

Smoky Tofu BLT Bowls, Smoky Tofu Bacon, tofu bacon BLT, tofu bacon, oven roasted tofu bacon, tofu “bacon”, healthy tofu bacon, tofu blt, vegetarian blt, blt bowls, healthy blt bowl, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu, on annies menu, healthy blt, blt in a bowl, summer quinoa bowl recipes, blt quinoa bowl, tofu quinoa bowl, tofu avocado quinoa bowl, blt avocado bowls, avocado tofu blt,

Smoky Tofu BLT Bowls

Cacio e Pepe Marinated Artichoke Salad, Cacio e Pepe Artichoke Salad, Marinated Artichoke Salad, Italian Artichoke Salad, Arugula Artichoke Salad, Cacio e Pepe Salad, Italian dinner party menu, italian style dinner party menu, boujee dinner party menu, fancy italian dinner menu, italian summer dinner party menu, cacio e pepe salad, cacio e pepe arugula salad, parmesan arugula artichoke salad, parmesan arugula salad, parmesan romaine salad, parmesan hazelnut salad, parmesan pine nut salad, summer italian salad, italian side salad, avocado parmesan summer salad, healthy summer salad, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu on annies menu,

Cacio e Pepe Marinated Artichoke Salad

Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls, Asian Sesame Salmon Bowls, Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon, Honey Sriracha Salmon, Sriracha Salmon Bowls, avocado cucumber salmon bowls, healthy asian salmon bowls, emily mariko salmon bowls, easy healthy salmon recipes, healthy asian salmon recipes, Honey glazed asian Salmon Bowls, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu, on annies menu, Sriracha Mayo Salmon, asian salmon rice bowl,

Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls

Broccoli Salad Chicken Pitas, Healthy Broccoli Salad Chicken Pitas, Healthy Broccoli Salad with Chicken, chicken broccoli salad, healthy chicken broccoli salad, healthy broccoli salad wrap, broccoli salad wrap, chicken broccoli salad wrap, vegan broccoli salad, healthy easy broccoli salad, summer salad pitas, summer pita ideas, healthy picnic ideas, healthy beach picnic ideas, healthy picnic sandwich ideas, meal prep pita ideas, meal prep chicken ideas, easy healthy picnic ideas, healthy beach picnic wrap, healthy picnic wrap, healthy picnic chicken sandwich, on annies menu, on annie’s menu, onanniesmenu,

Broccoli Salad Chicken Pitas

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Cowboy Caviar Fish Tacos, Cowboy Caviar Fish, Cowboy Caviar Bria, healthy Cowboy Caviar, corn and bean Fish Tacos, taco seasoned Fish Tacos, texas Caviar Fish Tacos, Cowboy Caviar Tacos, Cowboy Caviar spiced Fish, healthy fish tacos, avocado corn and bean fish tacos, fish taco bar, corn salad fish tacos,

Cowboy Caviar Fish Tacos

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Pistachio Mint and Beet Chopped Salad, Pistachio Mint Beet Salad, Mint Beet Salad, Beet Chopped Salad, Jicama Beet Chopped Salad, Jicama chopped salad, Avocado and Beet Chopped Salad, Avocado Jicama and Beet Salad, Cucumber feta Beet Salad, beet feta cucumber jicama mint pistachio chopped salad,

Pistachio, Mint, and Beet Chopped Salad

On Annie’s Menu, onanniesmenu, On Annies Menu, Healthy dinner recipes, healthy snacks, healthy recipes, healthy breakfast, healthy eating, healthy meal prep, meal prep, healthy lunch ideas, healthy meals, realistic healthy recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, easy healthy family recipes, easy food blog, asian healthy family recipes, quick and healthy meals for families, healthy dinner party recipes, dinner party menu ideas, Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs and Potatoes, Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs and Potato wedges, Greek Meatballs and crispy Potatoes, greek meatball plates, greek chicken meatballs, greek chicken meatballs and tzatziki, greek turkey meatballs, Sheet Pan Greek Potatoes, Greek Potatoes wedges, Baked Greek Meatballs and Potatoes, Baked Greek Meatball bowls, greek meatball bowls,

Sheet Pan Greek Meatball and Potatoes

share

Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars

September 25, 2021
by
The ooey, gooey fall blondie brownies that are the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy: these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are truly heaven on earth.
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe

The ooey, gooey fall blondie/brownies that are the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy: these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are truly heaven on earth.

Jump to Recipe

What?? I guess I have a baking section now! I’ve always loved to bake, but have rarely branched out into making my own recipes. More often than not, there’s a recipe already out there for just about any baked good I can think of — a recipe that has been extensively tested through trial and error with many failed attempts. Personally, I’m not a fan of throwing away a bunch of failed baking recipes, so that’s another reason I rarely bake. That being said, I whipped up Dops’ Favorite Banana Bread after struggling to find a banana bread that met my standards, and that’s exactly what I did here, too! You see, I’ve been looking for a good pumpkin blondie/bar recipe for years now, and have never come upon one that gives me what I’m looking for: a gooey and brownie-ike consistency that’s also got a good bit of cakey fluff. Thus, these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars were born — and they’re perfect!!

the breakdown…

I like to say these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are 75% blondie, 10% cake, and 15% brownie… but that’s getting technical. Really, they’re 100% good, so let’s get to the method. Starting off with more of the blondie-method, you’ve got to beat two sugars and the butter together.  Whether you do this with a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, make sure you’ve really got it all whipped up. You want it to be light and fluffy — so think 2-3 minutes.

Next up, beat in the rest of your wet ingredients. Vanilla is one of those things that’s absolutely essential to any good baked good; that’s a fact. I always recommend splurging for a high quality variety to really get that good flavor to shine through. Stay away from anything that says “vanilla essence” or “vanilla flavoring” … you want the real deal!

Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars

the wet ingredients…

With that vanilla, mix in your egg, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and mashed banana. Maple syrup truly makes this dish shine. Subtle yet nutty, it brings in a good warming flavor that every fall baked good desperately needs. Don’t skip it, and don’t use the fake stuff! Plus, with the addition of some more sweetness from an overripe banana, and then some balance from the neutral pumpkin puree, you’ve got yourself the perfect balanced palette of flavors.

Once all of your wet ingredients are all mixed up, it’s’ time to fold in those dry ingredients. All purpose flour and baking soda are pretty typical… oh, and of course salt for balance. But, this Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars recipe also calls for a ton of pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon. I usually buy pumpkin pie spice this time of year, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can definitely make your own. This recipe is very good. On top of that, I go in with just ¼ cup of cocoa powder. The cocoa definitely brings in a bit of a good brownie-like flavor to the mix, but really isn’t enough to constitute these as brownies. It’s the best of both worlds, if you ask me!

The ooey, gooey fall blondie brownies that are the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy: these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are truly heaven on earth.

all about that chocolate!

Lastly, fold in chocolate of your choice and get to baking. I always use a rubber spatula to do this, as you want to make sure you don’t over-do it on the mixing or your bars will not get as fluffy. With that rubber spatula, I like to mix in a mixture of Lily’s Pumpkin Spice chips and a chopped up dark chocolate bar. This is just my personal preference, but any combo of chocolate would work! Milk chocolate, regular chocolate chips, white chocolate, your favorite flavored chocolate bar… they will all work wonderfully here. You could even mix in some chopped pecans, if you would like. Go with what you love!

To finish everything off, evenly spread your batter out in a 9×13 baking dish and send it to the oven. This recipe could probably be halved and thrown into an 8×8 baking dish, but I have not tried it. Either way, you want to make sure you get some cooking time with and without tin foil, as the top of these bars will burn if you leave the foil off for the whole time. Once they’re in the oven, they’ll truly make your house smell amazing. Top them off with some flaky sea salt and serve warm… there’s nothing better!!

how to serve them up!

These Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are seriously the best fall treat. Whether you leave them on your counter to snack on, heat them up with some ice cream after dinner, or serve them to your friends and family, these seriously will blow your mind. They’d even be wonderful for a fall dinner party, and definitely for a Halloween or Thanksgiving celebration, too! You have to try these… you just have to!!

I hope you love these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:)

Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars
Print

Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: DessertCuisine: FallDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16

bars
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

The ooey, gooey fall blondie brownies that are the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy: these Pumpkin Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bars are truly heaven on earth.

Ingredients

  • Ingredients:

  • 2 ⅓ cup all purpose flour

  • ¼ cup cocoa powder

  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • ¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

  • 1 egg

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree

  • 1 overripe banana, mashed

  • 2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips*

  • Flakey sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand or electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and granulated sugar with the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, making sure to periodically scrape the bottom of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla, maple syrup, egg, pumpkin puree, and mashed banana. (do not worry if it looks clumpy — this is normal!)
  • Reduce the speed to low and gradually pour in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, then mix in the dark chocolate. Evenly spread the batter out into the prepared baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Then, cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt, as desired. Allow the bars to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Notes

  • In addition to dark chocolate chips, I love to incorporate some of Lily’s Pumpkin Spice chips when I can find them in the store!
  • I usually buy pumpkin pie spice this time of year, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can definitely make your own. This recipe is very good. 
share
Tags:
On Annie's Menu
Close Cookmode