Chewy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Bars

I'm kind of a cookie snob. If it's a chocolate chip cookie, it HAS to be chewy. Crispy is fine every once in a while, but cakey is not an option. This time of year, everything has been pumpkin-ified, whether it is by the addition of real pumpkin or just pumpkin pie spices. Unfortunately, pumpkin has a high water content, and when it's added to baked goods, it can seriously affect the texture. In terms of cookies, that means it will make them so cakey that they are basically muffins in the shape of a cookie.

Almost a decade ago (!!!), the creative genius of How Sweet It Is shared a CHEWY pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I even shared it once already on this blog seven years ago! It is perfect every single time I make it. However, sometimes I don't feel like waiting for multiple batches of cookies to bake. And without fail, I always end up with chip-less batter in the end. I decided I wanted to turn her recipe into cookie bars. And you know what? I didn't even need to do anything to it! I compared her recipe to some cookie bar recipes, and the amounts of flour and butter were basically the same, so I threw the whole thing into a 9x13 pan (lined with parchment paper), baked it for 30 minutes, and it turned out perfectly. 

Since then, I have made this recipe as bars countless times. I actually prefer this to the original cookie recipe, since you get thicker and chewier cookies with half the work. I have also made this in two 8x8 pans and that works really well, especially if you want to make one for you and one for a friend :) 

Tips:

• As with the individual cookies, the bars will seem underdone when you take them out, but that really is the trick to a chewy cookie.
• The cookie bars cut very well once they are cool, so please resist the urge to eat them immediately (unless you're okay with a big mess, which is probably worth it for warm cookie bars). 
• Once the bars are all cut, I like storing leftovers (if there are any) in the fridge. For long-term storage, put them in the freezer!
• They store well for a week (I honestly haven't had them last longer than that), and you can definitely make them in advance. I would just recommend letting them warm up to room temperature before serving, because not everybody likes cold cookies. 
• If you're feeling really indulgent, these are incredible when topped with a dark chocolate ganache. 
• I originally always made these cookies with homemade pumpkin butter, but it also works perfectly with pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's - just make sure to stock up when they have it! 
• As I mentioned in my previous post about the cookies, I really like adding some cinnamon chips in with the chocolate chips - also, use dark chocolate chips if you can find them.
• It's a lot cheaper to make your own pumpkin pie spice - here is a good recipe! 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Bars

Yield: 24 medium or 32 small bars
Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (312 grams)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 (heaping) tbsp pumpkin pie spice 
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup packed brown sugar (200 grams)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin butter (144 grams)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup cinnamon chips (can use more chocolate chips if you can't find these)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 9x13 pan (or two 8x8 pans) with parchment paper.

Mix flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Stir in the pumpkin butter until smooth.

Add the flour mixture gradually and mix until a dough forms. It might look crumbly at times, but I promise it will all come together. Resist the urge to over-mix it. When the dough is almost together, fold in the chocolate chips.

Dump the dough into your prepared pan. If you are splitting into two pans, try to split the dough evenly - using a scale helps, but isn't necessary. 

Using an offset spatula (or your hands), press it down evenly and make sure it gets into all of the corners. If desired, top with a few extra chocolate chips and cinnamon chips. 

Bake for 30-35  minutes, or until lightly golden and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. The top will have a crackly crust and the middle will seem underbaked, but it will setup once it cools.

Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then lift the bars out of the pan (using the parchment paper) and cool on the cooling rack until completely cool.

Melted butter mixed with sugars

Egg and vanilla mixed in, with pumpkin butter just added

Dry ingredients were gently folded in

Dark chocolate and cinnamon chips added to dough

Dough split between two 8x8 pans

Dough spread out evenly

Baked perfectly - crackly on top but still gooey in the middle

This was a 9x13 batch

Chewy centers!

They sink a little bit in the center because they are so gooey

Rugelach Cookies

For a long time now, I've been making Rugelach cookies every year for Hanukkah. I started making them with my dad, and they're always a huge hit. One year, I believe in 2008, we made them to bring to a Christmas cookie exchange party in the neighborhood. We actually won! We usually go traditional with them, using a raspberry jam to spread over the circle. I think one year I added some mini chocolate chips in with the brown sugar and pecan mixture, but I usually don't change it up much.

This year, I was going to make some changes. I have a jar of chocolate raspberry jam (it's simply incredible), and I thought that would work perfectly. I also have a bunch of pumpkin butter, and thought that could make a perfect Thanksgiving-Hanukkah hybrid cookie. I made an additional change, but only by accident. When I decided to mix up the dough, I hadn't checked on the levels of flour in the pantry. We always have at least three different kinds of flour on hand (unbleached all purpose, white whole wheat, bread), and with all of the bags, it's hard to tell when we're out of one. Apparently we were almost all out of all purpose flour, something I realized once I measured it out. I supplemented with the white whole wheat flour, and just hoped for the best! It still turned out great - the little cookies were perfectly flaky, and I couldn't detect any whole wheat (ie healthy) flavor at all. I might do this every time I have whole wheat flour on hand, since it makes me feel a bit better about eating lots of the delicious cookies.

Recipe: Hanukkah Rugelach Cookies
Slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Yield: 48 cookies

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (that's 2 4-oz bricks, and I always use the 1/3 less fat neufchatel)
8 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (use all purpose if you don't have whole wheat)
6 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup of jam (raspberry or apricot are the traditional flavors, but use your favorite flavor! pumpkin butter and homemade jams work really well), pureed in a food processor or beaten with a whisk until thinner and spreadable
1 egg
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
Cream the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and creamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flours and mix until just combined. Dough may be crumbly, but it will come together once wrapped up. Dump the dough out onto a well floured board and roll into a ball. Cut the ball into quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Note: you can refrigerate for longer than 1 hour, you might just have to let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes so it is easier to roll. You can also freeze dough portions, just thaw them in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using.)

To make the filling, combine the 6 tbsp sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and pecans.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle (I think it works best to do these one at a time). Spread the dough with 2 tbsp jam, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly onto the dough. Cut the dough into 12 equal wedges, cutting the whole circle into quarters, and then each quarter into thirds. A long sharp knife or pizza cutter would work best for this part. Starting with the wide edge (what was part of the perimeter of the circle), roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other three pieces of dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Beat the egg with 1 tbsp of milk or water. Brush each cookie with egg wash. Combine the 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon, and sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. If using two trays in the oven, switch positions halfway through baking. Let cool on the pan, and then put in an airtight container. Cookies will keep at least a week at room temperature, longer if you refrigerate or freeze them.

I believe some with chocolate raspberry jam are on the left, 

and some with pumpkin butter are on the right