Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Muffins/Bars

The other day I posted asking for a good substitute for butter in a recipe. I make these treats every fall for our family, its a tradition Anyway! I made them this evening, one batch normally and one batch with the butter substitute (extra pumpkin puree). My husband, a sweets snob couldn't tell a difference FTW! Here it is

2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (be sure to get pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
8 ounces Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350, line 9x13 baking pan or 24 muffin cups with parchment paper or grease well.

* Whisk together the four, pie spice, baking soda and salt
* Beat together 1 cup pumpkin puree and sugar with a mixer, beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in pumpkin puree. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
* Spread batter in pan or divide into muffin tin. Bake rotating halfway through until edges before to pull away from the side of the man and the toothpick reveals a few moist crumbs. For bars it tends to be 35 - 40 minutes, for muffins 15 to 20. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

* Once cooled remove cake from pan, cut into 24 squares. Pumpkin squares can be kept for up to 3 days in an airtight container. These can be frosted with cream cheese frosting if desired.

I made these with whole wheat flour and the recipe calculator I used states they are 157 calories.

If you wish you can make the regular recipe (the first cup of pureed pumpkin is actually supposed to be one cup of unsalted, room temperature butter). That makes them 221 calories each.

Happy Fall everyone!!!