marthastewart.com
With Halloween fast approaching, I’m digging through my files and checking out my foodie magazines for recipes for our little party. This recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip squares is one of my favorites. Lately, instead of making cookies I’ve spread the batter into a baking pan, mostly out of laziness but partly because it keeps the dessert much more moist and chewy. (Sorry I know many people don’t like the “m” word but it’s appropriate here!) The pumpkin pie filling used here makes it even more moi… anyway, you get it.
Even if you use a non-stick pan, be sure to line it with metal foil. The foil will help you to lift it out of the pan. Trust me, I forgot this step once before and it wasn’t pretty.
At this time of year you should not have a problem finding pumpkin pie spice, but on the off chance that you can’t track it down, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves (all ground).
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
- Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.
This recipe is from the November 2004 issue of “Everyday Food” magazine and can be found online here.
When midterms and chaos is over in school, I’m definitely trying these. Sounds delicious!
Two of my favorites combined into one. After my first child was born and I was trying to lose the baby weight, pumpkin pie was my only cheat for months. I wish I still had the will power I had then.
I used to be very “anti-squash” (including pumpkin); wouldn’t touch a dish if it had so much as a drop in it. Lately though, I’ve found myself enjoying all manner of pumpkin and butternut squash dishes — perhaps my taste buds are changing? In any case, I’ll try just about anything with chocolate in it and these look like they’d be just the thing to “officially” get me over my anti-squash mentality!
Pumpkin AND chocolate chips- yum!
Mmmmmm. I’m thinking Thanksgiving dessert!