My mom has always been the baker in the family. She’d occasionally cook dinner growing up, but more often than not, we usually had dessert figured out before dinner was even put into motion! Things are, of course, very different now, but back then, my mom’s baking became even more special in the fall. She was never someone who baked with pumpkin or apples, but her chocolate chip cookie bars and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are famous among family and friends! No one makes those recipes just as delicious as she does! But it’s because of my mom that I’m so picky about my cookie recipes. They have to be just the right cookie, which for me means a doughy center with lots of chocolate chips and crinkles on top. Almost like a brownie, with just set edges that are not dry!
This is how my mom baked her cookies, so I love it! Pumpkin cookies can be tricky, but these are perfect! Using pumpkin butter is undoubtedly the key to a great baked pumpkin recipe. It’s more concentrated than pumpkin puree. It’s cooked down, and the excess moisture is removed. It has the best pumpkin flavor and texture, especially for baking! Most importantly, I find that using pumpkin butter rather than pumpkin puree results in a cookie that isn’t cakey. I don’t love cakey cookies. These took me days to perfect, but I now have the perfect pumpkin cookie bars to share with you all!! These are the yummiest!
Here are the Details to Know
Ingredients
brown sugar salted butter cinnamon pumpkin butter an egg vanilla extract flour baking soda nutmeg salt chocolate chips
Handy Tools
stand mixer or hand mixer mixing bowl medium skillet
Step 1: make the cinnamon swirl This cinnamon swirl is also what makes these pumpkin bars so special. It’s brown sugar mixed with butter and cinnamon—exactly what you’d roll a cinnamon roll up with, which is where I drew my inspiration! I adore cinnamon rolls in the fall and throughout the holidays! Next, crumble the cinnamon mixture into chunks and freeze. It’s not fancy at all, but it adds a unique sweetness to this cookie.
Step 2: make the cookie dough While the cinnamon chunks freeze, make the cookies. Start by browning the butter. This gives the cookie the flavor of browned butter and gives it a great texture too. I know it’s an extra step, but I always say take the time to do it! Browning the butter adds a nuttiness that’s worth the extra step. To the butter add the pumpkin butter, brown sugar, an egg, and vanilla. Mix together, and add the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Step 3: swirl and bake. At this point, the cinnamon chunks should be frozen and ready to use. Mix them into the cookie dough along with the chocolate chips. Spread the dough out into a baking dish. Bake until they’re barely set on the edges and gooey in the center. A little underdone is best! There’s nothing too fancy here, but the result is a perfectly chewy pumpkin cookie bar with rich notes of cinnamon and vanilla. We couldn’t love these pumpkin cookie bars more. The cinnamon swirl really makes them special. We hope you guys love them just as much as we do! These are certainly the cookie bars to make throughout the fall season. They’re perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving! I’m so excited for you to try them!
Looking for other fall cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas: Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies Chewy Brown Butter Pretzel Pecan Cookies Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing Lastly, if you make these Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
