Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

Sheet Pan Pumpkin Bars with mini chocolate chips are a Fall favorite pumpkin recipe at my house! Makes enough for a crowd and you’ll love the smell of the warm pumpkin spices as they bake in the oven. These pumpkin bars use moist ingredients like pure pumpkin, melted butter, whole milk, and an entire bag of mini chocolate chips. 

For a thicker, more cake-like pumpkin bar, that is made in a 9×13 baking dish be sure and try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars. 

Sheet Pan Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Chocolate Chips

These pumpkin bars are made in a sheet pan (aka – cookie sheet) so there is plenty go around or to save for later! Perfectly moist thanks to the melted butter and pure pumpkin, and filled with lots of warm pumpkin spice and cinnamon.

The bars bake up thinner, more like a bar/brownie, and they always disappear fast. As with anything pumpkin the leftovers are even better on day 2 or day 3. 

Ingredients Needed

• Melted Butter – You don’t want the butter to be scalding hot when you add. Here is a trick : Microwave the unwrapped butter for about 35-40 seconds. You will end up with half melted butter + soft chunks of butter. Take it out of the microwave and stir it with a fork until it’s completely melted & smooth. This way the butter is melted but it’s not scalding hot. I use salted butter in this recipe but unsalted butter can be used as well if that’s what you prefer. 
• Granulated Sugar 
• Pure Pumpkin – Use the can that says 100% pure pumpkin on it and not the ‘pumpkin pie filling’. You only need 1 cup of pumpkin so try using the leftovers to make some Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast. 
• Vanilla Extract – For the best taste use pure vanilla extract. It is slightly more expensive but totally worth it if you bake a lot. 
• Large Eggs
• Whole Milk
• All-Purpose Flour – I use unbleached all-purpose flour for all my baking recipes.
• Baking Soda
• Kosher Salt – If using another salt, like sea salt or table salt, start with half the amount (1/2 teaspoon). Kosher salt is a coarse salt which means the salt grains are larger in size, which also means that if you use a finer grain salt then you will need less of it. 
• Ground Cinnamon
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – Add more if you want more pumpkin-y taste. I love it as is and think it’s perfect!
• Mini Chocolate Chips – I do recommend using only mini chocolate chips in this recipe. I have tested the recipe using regular sized chocolate chips and while we loved the milk chocolate chips with the pumpkin, the chips were just too large and the batter was harder to spread into the pan. 

How To Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars in a Sheet Pan

Learn how to make these pumpkin bars in a sheet pan with the easy how-to steps below with pictures. Be sure and scroll to the bottom of the page where there is a printable recipe card, a pin it button so you can save it for later, and a detailed recipe card with all the ingredients and detailed instructions. 

• Prep : Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet/half sheet pan (13″ x 18″) and spray it well with cooking spray, making sure to spray the sides of the pan as well. Set aside for later. 
• Wet Ingredients : Using a hand mixer and mixing bowl, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the melted butter, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract. Add in the eggs and whole milk, and mix just until combined together. 
• Dry Ingredients : In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add it into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined and no flour streaks remain in the batter. 
• Chocolate : Stir in the mini chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula. Reserve some to sprinkle on top of the bars before baking, if wanted. About 1/2 cup.
• Batter : Spread the batter into the prepared cookie sheet using a rubber spatula. The batter will only make a thin layer but as it bakes, it will puff up and thicken. If you reserved some mini chocolate chips, sprinkle those over the top of the batter before baking. 
• Bake : Cook for 14-18 minutes or until the sides have pulled away from the pan, the batter no longer looks wet and shiny in the middle, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
• Cool : Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares. 

Sheet Pan Pumpkin Bars FAQ’s

• How To Store Leftovers

  • Leftovers will keep well at room temperature, in an air tight container or the pan covered, for up to 3-5 days. 
  • The leftovers actually get more moist and they have better flavor on day 2-5 of these bars. If they last 5 days that is 😉. I’ve never had them last that long in my house!
  • If you prefer the bars cold then they can be stored in the fridge as well.
  • I recommend storing them at room temperature because they will get more moist and the pumpkin flavor will depend as they sit out. 

• Can I Freeze Pumpkin Bars with Chocolate Chips?

  • Yes you can! Prepare the bars as directed in the recipe and let them cool completely to room temperature. 
  • You can cut the bars into squares and freeze them individually wrapped in tin foil. Or you can also just double wrap the cookie sheet in tin foil and freeze them that way.
  • The frozen, cooked bars will keep well for up to 2 months. 
  • Let them thaw in the fridge or at room temperature when ready to eat. 

• Substitution & Variation Ideas

  • Pumpkin Pie Spice : Feel free to add more if you really want a stronger pumpkin flavor. I would not add more than an additional 1/2 teaspoon (so 1 teaspoon total).
  • Make Them Gluten-Free : Use a gluten-free flour with a 1:1 ratio in this recipe. Some gluten-free flours can make baked goods turn out gummy so just use one that you know works well. Bob’s Red Mill is always a good brand when it comes to that stuff. 

• Can I Make Them Ahead of Time?

  • Yes, I actually prefer making these chocolate chip pumpkin bars ahead of time. I like to make them the night before and let them cool in the pan. I then wrap the pan in tin foil and let them sit overnight. The next day the bars are so moist and the pumpkin flavors have had time to develop and become stronger. 
  • The leftovers last up to 5 days so you could easily make these a couple days in advance with great results. 

• Do I Have To Use Mini Chocolate Chips?

  • You don’t have to but I do recommend it because they’re smaller in size which makes spreading the batter easier. The batter will be thin once it’s spread into the sheet pan, but as the bars bake they get puffy and thick. 
  • I made this recipe using milk chocolate chips (regular sized) and while we loved the milk chocolate vs. semi-sweet, they chips were just big for the thinner batter in the pan. 
  • I recommend using mini chocolate chips but if wanted the regular chocolate chips will work. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few of my helpful tips for this recipe so that you can have success recreating it in your own kitchen ♥

• Pizza Cutter : When making sheet pan recipes or bars inside a cookie sheet, I love using a pizza cutter to cut into squares. Makes it so easy because you can just roll it along inside the pan. 
• Cookie Sheet : It is technically called a half-sheet pan, or a cookie sheet, rather than a sheet pan. It’s more commonly referred to as a cookie sheet. Make sure that you are using a cookie sheet with sides (I have linked the one I use below in the recipe card) and that it is 13″ x 18″ inches in size. 
• Thicker Bars vs. Thinner Bars : The bars made in a cookie sheet are thinner. If you prefer a thicker bar try cooking it in a 10″ x 15′ pan instead. The cook time will need to be increased by a few minutes if doing it this way. Remember that the batter does puff up while it’s baking, so although it will seem really thin when you’re spreading it, the bars won’t turn out that thin once baked. 

More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes You’ll Love

• Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars
• Pumpkin Pie Poke Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake
• Caramel Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Icebox Cake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake