Pumpkin Blondies (VIDEO)

Super gooey and chewy pumpkin blondies loaded with warm pumpkin flavor and spices. The perfect sweet snack for Fall or Thanksgiving! I love pumpkin season and these easy pumpkin blondies with chocolate chips are a must-try for any pumpkin lovers out there. With pumpkin pie spice, chocolate chips, and hints of caramel butterscotch undertones, they might just be your favorite easy Thanksgiving snack this season!

Jump to:

• 📖 What's the difference between a brownie and a blondie
• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🥣 Equipment Notes
• 🎓 Expert tips
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🎃 More Pumpkin recipes
• 🍫 More Blondie & Brownie Recipes
• Pumpkin Blondies (VIDEO)

📖 What's the difference between a brownie and a blondie

A brownie is a chocolate-based baked confectionery made with eggs, flour, and fat (typically butter) and has a deliciously dense and chewy texture. Blondies have all the same characteristics including the fudgy center but are made without cocoa powder and melted chocolate, so are blond rather than brunette! The flavor of blondies is more butterscotch in taste due to the mix of white and brown sugars and they have a warm and golden color.

Blondies are sometimes made with chocolate chips or other seasonal flavors added into the mix, like these easy pumpkin blondies. If you haven’t already, check out my Ultimate Brownie Blondies, which are another favorite fall recipe of mine but for pumpkin season I played around with ingredients and other ideas and created this delicious pumpkin blondie recipe.

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. It's easy - This is a really easy recipe for blondies, you don’t need complex ingredients, baking knowledge, or fancy kitchen equipment.
2. It's fast - This is a super quick blondie recipe too - there is no need to rest the dough before baking these blondies and they can be ready and baked in just an hour.
3. It's seasonal - I am all about pumpkin recipes for Fall, and this pumpkin recipe has to be one of my favorites to make when pumpkins are in season.
4. It has the most amazing fudgy and dense texture - Biting into these pumpkin blondies is hitting the blondie texture jackpot. The texture is like pumpkin butter blondies, smooth and perfectly gooey and fudgy.
5. The epic delicious flavor - Baking with pumpkin puree gives a moist sweetness and slightly earthy flavor to recipes, that isn’t overpowering. The pumpkin and hint of pumpkin spice and chocolate in this recipe pair so well, you’ll love it! I love using pumpkin puree in other recipes too like these Pumpkin Banana Muffins and No Bake Pumpkin Pie.
6. It's versatile - You can adjust the levels of pumpkin spice to suit you, add vanilla, swap the milk chocolate chips for white chocolate chips or leave them out altogether. You could instead add butterscotch chips, chopped nuts like pecans, delicious mascarpone frosting, or a maple glaze to create maple pumpkin blondies, it’s up to you.

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Egg: Eggs are an essential part of baking and play so many different roles. They help emulsify the ingredients, thicken the batter, give lightness and lift, and provide moisture and structure so they are an important ingredient. We use whole egg and egg yolk in these pumpkin chocolate chip blondies. Important tip - always use room temperature eggs in baking.
2. Egg yolk: The extra egg yolk provides more fat and emulsifying properties plus a rich flavor to these spiced pumpkin blondies. Wondering what do eggs do in baking? Check out my guide.
3. Granulated sugar: Blondies are a sweet treat so need to have the right balance of sugar. We use a mixture of sugars in this recipe, white granulated sugar, and brown sugar too.
4. Brown sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar in this pumpkin blondies recipe. The use of brown sugar helps produce the right texture and delicious butterscotch flavor.
5. Pumpkin puree: You can use homemade pumpkin puree from scratch or store-bought canned pumpkin puree but make sure it is pure pumpkin puree with no other added ingredients. Do not use pumpkin pie mix as this has added sugar and spices. For the best taste and texture, ensure your pumpkin puree is not too watery as this can vary from brand to brand (and pumpkin to pumpkin!). Strain excess moisture out through cheesecloth to get rid of some of the liquid if necessary, and then weigh it out afterward.
6. Unsalted butter: I always use unsalted butter in my recipes, even if the recipe calls for salt as another ingredient. This means we can control the quality and quantity of the salt in the bake.
7. All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is a very versatile, medium gluten white flour that is perfect for baked goods like blondies, brownies, and certain cakes. Read my Flour 101 Baking Guide here.
8. Pumpkin spice mix: you can make your own pumpkin pie spice mix using cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, or buy it ready-made. The great thing about making your own pumpkin spice mix is that you can adjust the quantities to suit you, and even add other spices if you want to experiment!
9. Salt: Salt is a flavor enhancer and using salt in these pumpkin spice blondies helps bring out the flavors whilst also perfectly balancing the sweetness from the sugar and pumpkin puree.
10. Chocolate chips: I always recommend baking with high-quality chocolate, and use Callebaut or Valrhona chocolate chips in all of my recipes. Avoid using chocolate labeled as ‘baking chocolate’ in stores, low-quality chocolate does not always melt correctly and can even go greasy. I use milk chocolate chips in this blondie recipe, but you could use dark or white according to your chocolate preference!

Always pay special attention to the ingredient quantities in baking recipes, it is a science and everything is balanced in a particular way so reducing the quantity of a certain element of the recipe, for example, the fat will affect the outcome. We do not use baking soda in this blondie recipe - and this allows for a perfect chewy texture! No cakey brownies are found here.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Step-by-step process

1. Preheat your oven to 175 C / 347 F (no fan). I recommend always using an oven thermometer when baking to accurately measure the oven temperature.
2. Weigh out all of your ingredients exactly using a digital scale, baking is a science and we need precision.
3. Prepare a 7-inch/18 cm square brownie pan. Brush the inside of the cake pan with a tiny bit of neutral, unflavoured oil and then line it with parchment paper on both the bottom and sides. Set aside and make your easy pumpkin blondie batter.
4. Melt the unsalted butter in the microwave by placing it in a microwave-safe bowl, covered with a microwave-safe plate. On half power, microwave the butter for 30-60 seconds until melted but allow it to cool slightly before using so it isn't too hot. Alternatively, melt in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with both types of sugar with the help of an electric hand mixer until thoroughly combined, pale, and fluffy. This will usually take about 5-7 minutes.
6. Mix in the canned pumpkin puree, and then slowly add the melted (but not hot) butter into the mixture while the mixer is still running at low speed and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Now add the dry ingredients to your blondie batter. Sift in the flour, spices, and salt, and fold the mixture together using the rubber spatula.
8. Pour the pumpkin blondie batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Optionally, scatter a handful of chocolate chips over the top.

If you decide to add optional chopped pecans, mix them through the wet batter before folding in the dry ingredients to end up with pumpkin blondies with chocolate and pecans.

💡 Top Tip: Preheat the oven slightly higher and then turn it down to 175 C / 347 F once the blondie is inside. This compensates for the drop in temperature when you open the door.

2. How to bake and serve

1. Bake the blondies in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Every oven is different though, so do keep an eye on them. The pumpkin blondies are done baking when the edge looks baked and the middle looks slightly gooey but not raw. This will leave us with a delicious, chewy, and buttery texture.
2. Let the blondies cool completely in the 7-inch/18 cm square brownie pan for a few hours, and only then carefully cut into pieces whatever shape you desire.
3. You can serve them as pumpkin blondie bars in a rectangular cookie bar shape, or a square shape. Or make mini pumpkin blondies by cutting them into bite-size pieces. This option works great for parties and can be served in bowls at a buffet table.
4. Any leftover pumpkin blondies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature, or in the fridge for 3-4 days, or frozen to save for a later date.

You could try making this cream cheese frosting to smooth over the top of the blondies and dust it with cinnamon or cocoa powder to make a deluxe version of this easy recipe!

💡 Top Tip: Do not overbake the blondies! They will further set as they cool down. If anything, it is better to underbake than overbake as overbaking blondies will result in a dry and crumbly texture and not the deliciously dense fudgy, and gooey texture we want.

🥣 Equipment Notes

Oven temperature is critical in baking, and as all ovens vary it is best to measure the temperature using a digital oven thermometer to ensure the figures are correct.

For the precision and accuracy required in baking, I always recommend weighing by the gram and using a digital scale rather than the US cup system which measures by volume.

Spatulas are an essential item in baking, so much so that I named my blog after it! A rubber spatula is so versatile and allows for thorough and flexible mixing without knocking the air out.

An electric hand mixer helps to fully combine the ingredients as well as aerate the mix.

This 7-inch/18 cm square brownie pan allows for the ideal blondie thickness using the quantities in this pumpkin blondie recipe, creating the perfect chewy bite in your pumpkin spice blondies.

An offset spatula will smooth the top of the blondie batter in the brownie pan giving an even surface with no lumps and bumps.

🎓 Expert tips

1. Always make sure you leave enough time to preheat your oven properly and consider using a digital oven thermometer to achieve the best pumpkin blondies possible.
2. To get the best fudge brownies, consider slightly underbaking your blondies for the perfect fudgy brownie texture. If you use a toothpick test, the toothpick should come out still slightly gooey with moist crumbs attached and not clean.
3. Wait until the Pumpkin blondie bar has cooled before cutting it up, as it will set to its proper fudgy solid texture as it cools down. To cool the pumpkin blondies quickly, place the brownie pan on a cold surface or on top of ice cubes in a larger tray.
4. To control the quality and quantity of salt in a recipe, always use unsalted butter.
5. Add the exact amount of salt I have stated in the recipe card to balance the sweetness in this recipe properly.
6. Always use room temperature eggs in baking and not straight out of the fridge to allow them to properly emulsify the other ingredients and do their job in the bake.
7. It's not a mistake - there is no baking soda in this pumpkin chocolate chip blondie recipe intentionally so that ýour blondies turn out deliciously fudgy and gooey!

❓Recipe FAQs

🎃 More Pumpkin recipes

🍫 More Blondie & Brownie Recipes