Milk Chocolate Pumpkin TCHOcolate Chunk Squares

TCHO is one of our favorite companies here on The Chocolate Cult and today we are going to test another recipe using their 39% Milk Chocolate Discs.  This recipe for Pumpkin TCHOcolate Chunk Squares I found on their website but I've switched out the darker discs for the milk chocolate ones since next Saturday we'll go the opposite direction to test a 100% chocolate chip from another company. The only substitutions to the recipe were Splenda, Egg Beaters, whole wheat flour, and 39% milk chocolate discs from TCHO so if you want to check out the recipe please go here.

TCHO Milk Chocolate Discs are simple -- cane sugar, cacao beans, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, non-fat milk powder, soy lecithin, and vanilla beans; several of these are certified fair trade and/or organic as well.  One bag is 8oz of discs.  For the recipe I tried you are suppose to chop up the chocolate but I find that tedious and, if I had kids, a bit dangerous.  I used my kitchen scissors and just cut them in halves and quarters and that seemed to work just fine.

You add in the pieces of chocolate once you have all the other ingredients mixed in and it looks something like this. You can mix by hand but since the batter was already in the mixer why should I get another utensil dirty?  Surely, so many of these recipes ask you to mix this and that in this bowl, then use another bowl for other ingredients... geesh, folks, I have things to do other than dishes!

The batter baked in about 32 minutes.  I let it cool for an hour before cutting it into pieces.  I didn't use foil like the recipe says to do, I just greased and floured my pan because, once more, why waste a product or use another product that will just need to be recycled when I can reduce the number of steps and the costs of making something without sacrificing quality or health?

This is how the bars turned out?  What do you think?  Do they look pumpkiny enough?

The had a light pumpkin scent and a creamy pumpkin pie texture, they were firm enough to be eaten by hand or with a fork. The milk chocolate was strong enough to stand up to the sweetness and the pumpkin.  I shared them with over 20 people and received nothing but compliments so I know that my substitutions worked resulting in bars with 183 calories each if you cut them in 24 pieces. Everyone who tried it told me that they liked them a lot so I'm pleased and might return to this recipe in the future.

The TCHO 39% Milk Chocolate Discs cut up well and worked well in the recipe. Obviously darker discs would be a more intense chocolate flavor but not everyone likes dark chocolate. As to the Halloween nature of this treat.... eh, for an adult or teen party it might be good but in most places not good for trick o'treaters at l plus you have to spend more money and time to make them. Great, Sacrament worthy discs, not so good for Halloween though you could make them for any delicious dessert between now and the end of the year.