Pumpkin Blondies are easy to make and loaded with real pumpkin puree, white chocolate chips, and toffee bits. It’s a fabulous combination that will make the season complete! These indulgent bars are sure to be a hit, every time.
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Table of Contents
- An Easy Pumpkin Bar Cookie with White Chocolate and Toffee
- What’s the Difference Between a Brownie and a Blondie?
- The Ingredients
- How to Make Pumpkin Blondies from Scratch
- Are Blondies Meant to Be Gooey in the Middle?
- Recipe Tips and Variations
- Do Blondies Have to Be Refrigerated?
- How to Freeze Pumpkin Blondies
- Get the Recipe
- More Best-Loved Pumpkin Desserts
Brown sugar, white chocolate, and toffee are all perfect fall flavors, don’t you think? Just those flavors alone would make these blondies a dreamy autumn dessert, but I didn’t think it was quite enough. Yep, I’m one of those make-all-the-pumpkin-things people, so I had to add it to these blondies! (And to my Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, and Pumpkin French Toast Casserole…) And friends, I’m here to tell you, it was definitely the right decision.
So make room in your fall baking calendar (what, doesn’t everyone have one of those?) for pumpkin blondies. You’ll be glad you did! Each moist and decadent square is like a little serving of heaven. And if you love the pumpkin-toffee combo as much as I do, definitely try this easy Pumpkin Roll with toffee filling!
What’s the Difference Between a Brownie and a Blondie?
Brownies and blondies are almost identical in a lot of ways: they are easy, beloved, fudgy-textured bar cookies that can be made plain or with all kinds of add-ins. Both are toothsomely sweet, with intense flavor.
The key differences are in the flavors and colors. Brownies are, well, chocolate-brown! They’re made with cocoa or chocolate (or both). The best brownies are often made to have a super-strong chocolate flavor, like your favorite fudge combined with your favorite devil’s food cake. Yum.
Blondies have a different profile, but it’s not just vanilla. While they do contain vanilla, they get a strong caramel-butterscotch flavor from using plenty of butter and a generous helping of brown sugar. This gives them a pretty golden color, as well – very appealing on a plate.
The Ingredients
While pumpkin blondies are definitely a dense, moist, indulgent treat, there’s nothing artificial or weird in the ingredients – talk about a win! You can love the taste, and love the quality too.
- Flour: Unbleached, all-purpose flour is my favorite for this bake.
- Spices: You’ll need some pumpkin pie spice, as well as a bit of extra cinnamon.
- Baking Soda: To keep the texture on point – no soggy, hard blondies here!
- Salt
- Butter: Make sure to take the butter out ahead of time, so it can soften to room temperature before you bake with it.
- Sugar: A mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar adds extra flavor and keeps the pumpkin blondies tender.
- Egg Yolk: No need for the egg white in this recipe, but you can save it for another dish or to add to a breakfast scramble.
- Pumpkin Puree: Canned or homemade is fine, but do not use canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla Extract
- White Chocolate Chips: You could also chop a white chocolate baking bar into small bits.
- Toffee Bits: Usually sold where the chocolate chips and other baking chips are.
How to Make Pumpkin Blondies from Scratch
Like brownies, blondies are usually a pretty simple recipe to whip up, and these pumpkin blondies are no exception. Here’s how you do it:
- Get the Oven, Baking Dish, and Dry Ingredients Ready. To get started, set your oven to preheat to 350°F. Grease a baking pan (9×9) with baking spray, oil, or butter, and set it aside. Then combine the dry ingredients for the blondies (flour, spices, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl. Give them a stir, and set them aside as well.
- Beat the Wet Ingredients Separately from the Dry. Using a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. You’ll need to beat this until the mixture is light and fluffy – don’t skimp on this part or the blondies will be goopy. Once this mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the egg yolk, pumpkin, and vanilla.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients, Wet Ingredients, and Baking Chips. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined – don’t overmix. Sprinkle in the white chocolate chips and toffee bits, and use a spatula to fold them in gently.
- Bake! Pour the blondie batter into the baking dish, scraping it all out with a spatula. Spread it out to the edges of the baking dish, and bake for about 30 minutes. You’ll know they are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few crumbs sticking to it.
Are Blondies Meant to Be Gooey in the Middle?
Dense? Yes. Rich? Definitely. Gooey? Well, not so much. Both blondies and brownies are loved for their soft, cakey-yet-fudgy texture, but when they are underbaked that’s a whole different ball game – and it’s not very good for you, either.
To avoid gooey, underbaked blondies, make sure you beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. It will literally change texture as you do this, and that’s a good thing. If you don’t beat this mixture enough, the blondies will be so dense and moist that they’ll end up soggy, even if you over-bake them.
Recipe Tips and Variations
But wait – there’s more! More tips, that is. I hope you’ll take a minute to check out these helpful recipe tips and variations, to make your pumpkin blondies even more delicious.
- Mix-In Options: White chocolate and toffee are scrumptious with pumpkin, but the possibilities are honestly endless. You could do heath bits, butterscotch bits, chopped pecans, crushed macadamia nuts, or whatever you like.
- About That Pumpkin… You may want to double-check your can of pumpkin before you buy. Canned pumpkin and canned pumpkin pie filling look very similar, but they aren’t the same. Pumpkin pie filling includes sugar, dairy, and other ingredients. For this recipe, there should only be one ingredient on your can of pumpkin: pumpkin!
- Toppings: These can be served with ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or even chopped pralines. (If you’re feeling crazy, try it all. No judgment.)
Do Blondies Have to Be Refrigerated?
No, not necessarily. You can store them at room temperature for 2 – 3 days, or you can put them in the fridge and keep them fresh for 4 – 5 days. Either way, make sure to keep them in an airtight container.
Pro tip: put a piece of bread in the container too, to keep blondies moist. Replace the slice of bread every couple of days as it becomes stale.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Blondies
It’s easy to freeze these blondies for another time! That makes them a great choice for getting a jump on Halloween, Thanksgiving, or just stocking your freezer.
To freeze, just cool the pumpkin blondies to room temperature. Then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped blondies in a freezer bag or container for an extra layer of protection, and store them in your freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
Pumpkin Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk, room temp
- ¾ cups pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup toffee bits
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Instructions
- Preheat over to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9×9 baking pan with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, add butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
- To the butter mixture, add egg yolk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract. Whisk together. Next, add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated, careful not to over-mix. Then, fold in white chocolate chips and toffee bits.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, spread out to the edges, then bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow to completely cool before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of white bread to help keep the blondies soft and moist.
- To freeze, just cool the pumpkin blondies to room temperature. Then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped blondies in a freezer bag or container for an extra layer of protection, and store them in your freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
Nutrition
More Best-Loved Pumpkin Desserts
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Muffins
- The Best Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Pops
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Best Pumpkin Bread
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I made these tonight and they are absolutely delicious! My husband and I have almost ate half the pan already! (We mixed in white chocolate chips but left out the toffee.) I also made a 2nd batch but only had an 8×11” pan & reduced the cooking time to 25 minutes and they came out perfectly too. We will definitely make these many times again!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!