The Recipe Girl: Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars

I'm a big fan of everything chocolate. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Chocolate and orange. Chocolate and chili pepper. But I hadn't seen any chocolate with pumpkin, at least not until recently. Then a delicious pumpkin cake with mini chocolate chips caught my eye. I knew in that moment that I just had to have it. And none of this whole wheat flour silliness. I wanted the full naughty experience, fluffy white all-purpose flour and all. Absolutely delicious. The rest is going to work with me tomorrow, as there is no way I could finish an entire cake. Although I might be inclined to try...

Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars

From The Recipe Girl blog

Cake:
1¾ cups pumpkin puree
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, measured then sifted
½ cup mini chocolate chips (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10x15-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugars until combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Toss in mini chocolate chips and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until moistened.  Pour batter into prepared pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Frost bars and sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips.