Holy Pumpkin, Batman!

I saw this recipe on a blog I read and couldn't resist. And since it's a timely recipe, I thought I'd better share this sooner rather than later. Two Peas and Their Pod is a totally cute blog that often has food that appeals to me. The two peas just had their first baby a couple of days ago! (It used to be Two Peas in a Pod.) They got it from Martha Stewart, so it has to be good, right? I've modified it a little, as not everyone has pumpkin pie spice in their cupboard, and since I'm more likely to use cinnamon that pumpkin pie spice, it's always fresher.

Although this is the recipe that almost wasn't. Last year the grocery stores had a run on pumpkin and ran out! So, smart ol' me thought to buy some extra (when they finally got it in) and store it until this fall. Well, not so fast. I started making my batter and I got all the way to the pumpkin part, when I looked in my cupboard. Ug! I thought to stock up on candied yams (part of my pumpkin pie recipe), but I must have forgotten to get the pumpkin! I tried all the little stores nearby, but no one had it. I texted my dog walking buddies. No one had it. So I sent an email to my neighborhood google group (LOVE it) and the first response was that Kroger and Publix were all OUT recently and I may not find it anywhere. But my trusty ol' neighbor, Cathy, had some that she graciously let me borrow. (Guess who's getting some pumpkin bars tonight?)

They're a bit more cake-y or muffin-y. I was expecting something more like a cookie bar. But everyone has LOVED them.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (from Martha to Two Peas to me!)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger (scant)
2 sticks unsalted butter softened (I accidentally bought salted, so we'll see how that goes.)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
12 ounces chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. (I like to butter it, then put in foil, then butter again, so you can lift the bars out of the pan for cutting.)

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. (Electric mixer, standing mixer, or wooden spoon) Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Add the pumpkin. It will look a little bit curdled at this point. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. (The low on my mixer is SO fast. It pretty much starts on 4, so I had to do this with a spatula.) Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread in the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. (I took mine out after 32 minutes and testing with a tooth pick.)