Easy Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars

Key Tips – Easy Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars

For best results, use baker’s chocolate!

• I swear by baker’s chocolate for recipes like this one, because it melts down so much nicer than most chocolate chips. If needed, chocolate chips should still work fine in this recipe.
• I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao bars for this, it melts so well and stays silky when melted. I stock up whenever my grocery store runs a sale on these!

Make this for a crowd!

• This recipe is very rich, and makes quite a few pieces, so it’s perfect for a fall holiday gathering!

For less sweet bars, don’t use the whole can of sweetened condensed milk.

• Even when using dark chocolate, the fudge will still be a bit sweet due to the sweetened condensed milk. If desired, you can use less condensed milk, which will result in a richer, true semi-sweet fudge. Anywhere between ½ to ¾ of the can should work well for this! 
• You can use semi-sweet chocolate in this recipe rather than dark chocolate if desired, but it will result in a much sweeter fudge.

Check out the progress pictures below!

Dietary Restrictions – Easy Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars

This dish is naturally Vegetarian

Make it Gluten-Free

• I believe this recipe would work well with gluten-free white cake mix, but I haven’t test it myself yet. If you make it this way, please let us know how it went in the comment section!

A Note On Serving Sizes

I’ve listed the serving size as one bar, which is 1/30th of the pan (cutting 5×6). That makes each bar about 185 calories. This is a very rich dessert, so some people may want an even smaller slice than that.

Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars

Rich pumpkin and dark chocolate fudge bars, perfect for fall gatherings! This recipe uses cake mix to keep prep quick and easy, needing only about 15 minutes hands-on!

4.86 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30 bars

Calories 185 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For pumpkin bar batter:

• 1 15.25 oz box white cake mix
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin purée
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• ⅓ cup veggie oil
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp table salt
• 2 tsp vanilla optional

For fudge filling:

• 8 oz dark baker’s chocolate, chopped or dark chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk may not use whole can, see notes
• 1 tsp vanilla optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, veggie oil, and 2 tsp vanilla. Gently mix with a silicon spatula or large spoon until the mixture is fully combined.
• To the bowl, add the white cake mix, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Try to break up any clumps in the cake mix bag before adding it to the mix (or sift it in if desired). Mix until everything is fully incorporated, but don’t over mix. Set aside.
• To make the fudge filling you can either use a double boiler, or the microwave method (easy and what I recommend). In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Gently melt the mixture in the microwave, stopping every ~30 seconds to mix, until the chocolate is fully melted, and the mixture is fully incorporated. [Optional modification – even with dark chocolate, the fudge will still be a bit sweet. If you want a richer, semi-sweet fudge, do not use the full can of sweetened condensed milk. Instead, use ½ to ¾ of the can as desired.]
• Add ½ of the pumpkin batter to the bottom of the greased 9×13 pan in an even layer. Top with the fudge in an even layer, then add the remaining pumpkin batter in non-uniform dollops on top, covering most of the fudge but leaving some peeking through.
  
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top has browned slightly, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes up clean of pumpkin batter.
  
• Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan, then slice into small pieces (this recipe is very rich, so don’t cut them too large, I recommend 5×6, so 30 pieces). Store cut bars in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temp.

Notes

Even when using dark chocolate, the fudge will still be a bit sweet due to the sweetened condensed milk. If desired, you can use less of the condensed milk, which will result in a richer, true semi-sweet fudge. Anywhere between ½ to ¾ of the can should work well for this! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 barCalories: 185kcal

Keyword Fudge, Fudge Filled Pumpkin Bars, pumpkin, Pumpkin Bars

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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