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Pumpkin Blondies

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Pumpkin Blondies are the perfect balance of chewy and cakey. Loaded with chocolate chips, these blondie bars are a fun fall treat to make for your family!

Sliced pumpkin blondies with chocolate chips on parchment paper

You guys, things are getting serious over here.

I’m getting pumpkin hate mail.

Yes, you read that correctly. Not like real hate mail (well, I get some of that too,) but emails specifically targeting the “excessive amount of pumpkin recipes” that I’ve posted in the past few weeks.

Sure, I’ve already posted pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip bread and now these pumpkin blondies, but guys, it’s fall and pumpkin is what I do.

And I’m not one bit sorry about it.

However, if you’re a pumpkin hater as well, I’m just here to tell you that I have plenty of non-pumpkin recipes coming your way in the coming months, so hang tight!

Freshly baked and sliced pumpkin blondies overhead view

WHY I LOVE BLONDIE BARS

Have you ever had a blondie bar?

Blondies are exactly what they sound like: the blonde version of a brownie.

Just like brownies, they can range anywhere from cakey to chewy in texture. Many blondie recipes, like my salted caramel chocolate chip blondies or like maple walnut blondies, tend more toward chewy because of the ratio of brown sugar in them.

Pumpkin blondie batter in a glass mixing bowl

But honestly, there are blondie recipes for just about everyone.

Just because the blondie base doesn’t use chocolate doesn’t mean that you can’t include chocolate chips or chunks as mix-ins, though.

In fact, one of the reasons I love blondies is that you can get a bit more creative with mix-ins and flavors than you can with brownies.

Pumpkin blondie batter with chocolate chips in a glass mixing bowl

Like, I’m not real likely to add caramel apple flavor to a chocolate brownie. But in my caramel apple blondies? It’s perfection.

I also find it hard to add pumpkin to rich chocolate desserts. You have to use some special tricks to keep the pumpkin from getting lost in a chocolate brownie.

But the pumpkin easily shines through in these Pumpkin Blondies.

Pumpkin blondie batter in a parchment-lined pan, ready to bake

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN BLONDIES

On the scale from chewy to cakey, Pumpkin Blondies sit squarely in the middle. They’re just enough of each to satisfy both sides of the cakey/chewy debate.

To get started, cream the butter and sugars in a mixer until smooth, then add in the egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree.

sliced warm, gooey pumpkin blondies on a piece of parchment

At this point, you might notice that the mixture looks a little…curdled. Don’t panic! This is normal and it’ll all come together, I promise.

Once you add the dry ingredients, you can fold in your mix-ins. I like to use chocolate chips and pecans, but you could use anything you like!

Side view of a sliced pumpkin blondie with gooey chocolate chips

Butterscotch chips, dried cherries, dried cranberries, cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, walnuts…the options are endless.

After about 40 minutes in the oven, these beauties will be ready to cool, cut and serve.

Overhead close up of a sliced pumpkin blondie on parchment paper

They’ll keep for around 3 days in an airtight container, and I happen to think they’re even better the next day.

You could even wrap the bars in plastic wrap and freeze them in a zip-top bag for enjoying later.

Take some time this weekend to make this recipe with your kids. No matter what mix-ins you choose, I know you’ll love baking them together as much as you love eating them.

Warm, sliced pumpkin blondies with chocolate chips on parchment paper

Freshly baked and sliced pumpkin blondies overhead view

Pumpkin Blondies

Yield: 24 Blondies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Pumpkin Blondies are the perfect balance of chewy and cakey. Loaded with chocolate chips, these blondie bars are a fun fall treat to make for your family!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup pecans; roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Grease with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree. If the mixture looks curdled, do not fret.

4. Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

5. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Notes

Store the pumpkin blondies in a single layer inside an airtight container for up to three days.

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Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1 blondie
Amount Per Serving Calories 202Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 10mgSodium 131mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 2gSugar 19gProtein 3g

Did you make this recipe?

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Christopher

Wednesday 25th of October 2023

Made these last week and they were wonderful. I used white chips and toasted pecans and was very pleased with how they turned out. I really enjoy regular blondies as well as pumpkin spice food/drinks so this was right up my alley.

Jamie

Thursday 2nd of November 2023

I am so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! -Jamie

Angie

Saturday 23rd of September 2023

I accidentally used pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin purée and managed to get good results. I discovered my mistake before I added the sugar. I adjusted the sugar down, used 1/2 cup each of brown and white sugar.

What happened is I had what I thought was a can of pumpkin purée in my pantry for almost a year, but it was really pumpkin pie mix. I had already mixed the dry ingredients when I realized what happened and decided to forge ahead with the recipe.

Jamie

Tuesday 3rd of October 2023

Glad you enjoyed even with the small snafu! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking! Jamie

Sam

Wednesday 26th of October 2022

These are a delicious Fall treat. I browned the butter before mixing with the sugar, hoping the melted butter would yield a denser/more gooey result but they were still more cake than blondie. I think the pumpkin likely yields the cake-like result. That being said, they are still delicious and I will make them again!

Jamie

Friday 28th of October 2022

So glad you enjoyed the blondies, Sam! If you want a more chewy/gooey blondie, check out my brown butter blondies: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/brown-butter-blondies/ Happy baking! Jamie

Dawn

Sunday 13th of December 2020

Oh my! So delicious! Made these as a special treat for my hardworking husband. The combo of spices is spot on. Definitely more cakey than dense - but perfect for my hubs. He loves them! Especially with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top! Thanks for the great recipe!

Jamie

Friday 18th of December 2020

So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Dawn!

Dana

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

Like other reviewers, I agree that this is most definitely more of a cake than blondie. AND, it is moist, delicious, and excellent with ☕️. I'd recommend Ghirardelli mini bittersweet chocolate chips as opposed to larger chips as the bittersweet offsets the sweetness of the cake. I'd still like to find something that has more of a blondie chewy cookie bar texture. That said, a friend of mine tried one and asked if she could buy 1/2 tray from me. : )

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