Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

I am still trying to find uses for my roasted pumpkin, so when I ran across this Martha Stewart recipe online, I wanted to try them right away. These bars are so comforting! It's like a giant chocolate chip cookie center, all soft and gooshy and chocolaty with a hint of pumpkin in the background...yum, yum, yum!

On a side note, I changed the layout of the site to make it a little easier to navigate and see what posts are out there. You can still search the site, and you can look for recipes by labels (chicken, beef, dessert, etc.) by letting your mouse hover over the right side of the site. Hope everyone likes the new layout.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars via Martha Stewart
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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.