Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

I seem to have gone a little pumpkin crazy lately ... Pumpkin Muffins ... Turkey Pumpkin Chili ... Baked Pumpkin Spice "Donut Holes" ... but it's all so good! I can't seem to help myself. I hope you all don't mind me posting another one.

This bar recipe has just enough sweetness to satisfy your sugar cravings but it won't send you into a sugar coma either. It would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving dessert spread!


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. pumpkin-pie spice (See note.)
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup butter-flavored shortening (See tip.)
1¼ cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1-2 cups MSPI-friendly chocolate chips (I used 1 cup of Enjoy Life mini chips.)

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 shortening 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.

Note: If you don't have pumpkin-pie spice, substitute 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice and ¼ teaspoon cloves.

Tip: If you are avoiding soy oil, instead of using regular shortening, try Spectrum Palm Shortening, coconut oil or even canola oil. I can't guarantee the results, because I haven't tried this recipe with those products, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry I think I left my thank you comment under my husband's google account just a couple minutes ago. It's meant to be from me! He's not living soy and dairy free...although he has been cooking a fair share of your recipes for me. I'm lucky, I know. Thanks again!

Can you delete these comments if they come up under his name and I will send the comment again under my own account?

Andrea said...

It's gone! ;)

Larissa said...

Thank you so much for this recipe (and this blog in general)! I tried it with coconut oil to avoid the soy oil and it was amazing! It was supposed to be my special dessert for Thanksgiving but many of my family members ate it too and didn't even realize it was dairy and soy free! Of course, they were able to put tons of whipped cream on top too...

I'm so happy I've been able to continue breastfeeding after changing my diet - and I never thought I would last this long without dairy or soy. I am in love with cheese so this has been tough to say the least. Your blog has been helping me through it! Thanks again for making me feel somewhat normal during this holiday season.

Shauna said...

THANK YOU! I had been so sad to miss out on all the seasonal pumpkin goodies at local cafes and bakeries, but this has totally helped me get my pumpkin fix! Delicious, and pretty easy to make. Now the only problem is trying not to eat the entire batch in one day...