Fair Trade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

We wait patiently all year for pumpkin season and then, suddenly, it’s everywhere and in everything. Hopefully you haven’t had your fill yet, because these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares are a must-make! They’re a moist and cakey chocolate chip bar with a fun seasonal pumpkin pie spice twist. Substitute fair trade ingredients for the sugar, vanilla and spices and you’ve got one delicious fair trade fall treat!

Based on a recipe from Martha Stewart. It makes for a more flavorful dessert if you use individual spices instead of pumpkin pie spice. We used the following: Frontier Co-Op Fair Trade Ground Cloves, Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon, and Whole Foods Fair Trade Ground Nutmeg.  We now sell fair trade cinnamon from Sri Lanka!) 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fair trade ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fair trade ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fair trade ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fair trade ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups fair trade sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons fair trade vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 package (12 ounces) fair trade semisweet chocolate chips (we chopped up some chocolate bars)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil (This will make it easy to remove when it’s done). In a medium bowl, stir flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Next, beat in pumpkin puree (it will become a bit curdled; don’t worry, this is supposed to happen). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Batter is pretty sticky so do your best to spread it to the corners. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan.

4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. Either way they’re fantastic!