These pumpkin cranberry chocolate chip bars with cream cheese frosting are a festive fall dessert that’s also fairly wholesome.
See that plate? It’s part of my china set — the set that lives in the china cabinet we bought early in our marriage. I realize many people don’t register for china anymore, but I did because it’s beautiful and because I love to cook and feed people. So we have china, silver, a cabinet, and a lovely Ethan Allen dining table (a clearance-center find). And yet this year I’m not hosting any holidays. Want to know why?
Because there’s a couch in my dining room wedged between the table and the window. It was a generous gift from my mother-in-law and fit our old Florida house perfectly, but it does not belong in our current home. We moved it into the formal living room temporarily, but when I converted that space into my office and photo area, the couch had to move again. It landed in the dining room with the promise that Ulysses would take it to his parents’ house soon. Six months later it’s still there. I suspect his cunning plan was to keep it through the holidays so we can’t host and, conveniently, he won’t have to wash the china. Sneaky, but I see right through it.
With one front window blocked by the couch and the other serving as my makeshift photography setup, the mail carrier and delivery drivers must think I live in a hoarder’s den. Add our overly protective dog who turns into a barking tornado when the doorbell rings, and the image is complete.
What does this have to do with pumpkin cranberry bars?
Not a lot, except that I plated them on my china so at least one dish from the set got used this year — a small victory against couch-related holiday sabotage.
Now, about these bars. They manage to be sweet, tart, chocolaty, and warmly spiced all at once. Without the cream cheese frosting they’re lighter — think spice cake served with tea. With the frosting they become a fully indulgent treat.
Either way, they’re delicious.
I did briefly consider withholding them from the couch-retaining spouse, but after five years of learning how things work around here, I know a sweet gesture does more than a shouted demand ever will. Even when you’re tempted to scream, “Get the couch out of the dining room!” a plate of warm bars goes a long way.
Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
For the Bars
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries I used frozen, thawed
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×9-inch (or similar) pan.
- In a medium bowl, melt the butter and beat it with the brown sugar.
- Add applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, egg, and pumpkin; beat until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, and spices.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20–25 minutes, until set.
- While the bars bake, prepare the frosting: combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add confectioners’ sugar to taste — I prefer a slightly tart frosting, so adjust to your preference — and beat until smooth.
- When the bars are done, let them cool in the pan.
- Cut into 9 squares and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- If desired, frost the bars once they are fully cooled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
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