Gooey Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bars

By Melissa Clark

Updated Sept. 18, 2023

Gooey Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bars
Lisa Nicklin for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(531)
Comments
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These soft-centered, marbled bars have all the hallmarks of a winning autumnal treat — spiced pumpkin, rich dark chocolate, toasty pecans and a splash of bourbon. It's worth the extra effort to brown the butter; its warm toffee notes bring out the best of everything.

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Ingredients

Yield:16 bars

    For the Pumpkin Batter

    • 12tablespoons/170 grams (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, more for the pan
    • ½cup/55 grams pecans
    • ½cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
    • 1large egg
    • 2¼cups/454 grams dark brown sugar
    • 1tablespoon bourbon
    • 1teaspoon/5 grams baking powder
    • 1teaspoon/3 grams ground cinnamon
    • 1teaspoon/3 grams ground ginger
    • ½teaspoon/1 gram grated nutmeg
    • ½teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt
    • 2cups/250 grams all-purpose flour

    For the Chocolate Batter

    • 8tablespoons/113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
    • 3ounces/85 grams bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent)
    • ¼cup/30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
    • 2large eggs
    • 1½teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ¼teaspoon/1 gram fine sea salt
    • ¼cup/30 grams all-purpose flour
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

421 calories; 20 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 147 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.

  2. Step 2

    Spread pecans out on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until fragrant and lightly colored, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop.

  3. Step 3

    Make the pumpkin batter: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 12 tablespoons/170 grams butter. Cook until the foam completely subsides and butter turns a deep nut brown, about 5 minutes. Pour browned butter into the bowl of an electric mixer and let cool, about 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Beat the pumpkin purée, egg, brown sugar and bourbon into the cooled browned butter. Scrape down the bowl and beat in baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.

  5. Step 5

    Using a wooden spoon, mix in flour, then toasted pecans. Set aside.

  6. Step 6

    Make the chocolate batter: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt together 8 tablespoons/113 grams butter and the bittersweet chocolate, stirring with a heatproof spatula until smooth. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in vanilla and salt. Using a spatula, fold in flour.

  7. Step 7

    Dollop pumpkin and chocolate batter into the prepared pan, alternating the dollops. Drag the tip of a knife in a zigzag pattern all over the pan to swirl the batters together.

  8. Step 8

    Bake until firm to the touch, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
531 user ratings
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Comments

Cate Doty, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

Please remove the chocolate and butter from the heat before you stir in the other ingredients, or you'll end up with cooked eggs and a mess. Good luck!

Adarsh Khalsa

We don't care for overly sweet desserts but the flavors here sounded good to me. For the pumpkin part I used 2/3 of the butter called for, used only 1/2 cup of brown sugar and added about 3/4-1 cup of pumpkin. For the chocolate part I used a bit less butter and only 1/2 cup of sugar. Used another reader's advice to place pumpkin first then add chocolate and swirl. This came out to our liking!

Amanda

My! These are needlessly decadent. I would have liked the pumpkin swirl to be more pumpkin-y. And while I generally dislike trying to "healthify" unhealthy things, the amount of sugar and butter is unnecessary. I would not make them again without major modifications.

Doris C

Fantastic fall dessert for those who need chocolate and feel like adding a twist. Many steps but worth it in the end. I would not make in a 9x13 but choose a slightly smaller pan to make the height a bit more substantial. Four stars only because it is not the utmost fabulous dessert that you’d make for a special occasion but definitely for snacking or friends.

Bonnie

I don’t know why everyone is dragging on this recipe so bad. The sweetness is perfectly balanced. The pumpkin is present but not sickeningly so, like most pumpkin recipes. When you start adding and deleting butter and sugar, obviously you are going to have an unbalanced recipe. Don’t health-ify stuff if you want it to turn out well. I didn’t have ginger so I used cardamom. Totally fine. Cooked like a brownie, has consistency of a brownie. Delicious, 10/10 would make again.

Wendy

So wonderful! A hit for a thanksgiving dessert. Loved the pumpkin, chocolate pecan combination. I read the notes and followed the advice. More pumpkin, less sugar. Came out perfect. Thank you to all the advice.

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