Pumpkin Spice Blondies are a Fun Halloween Dessert
Calling all pumpkin lovers! These Pumpkin Spice Blondies are the perfect treat for your spooky celebrations.
I have just recently ventured into blondie baking. The first recipe I’ve made so far is banana peanut butter blondies. They were oh so delicious. They have the perfect combination of peanut butter, banana, and cream cheese peanut butter frosting. Carrot cake blondies were my second recipe. They were packed with carrot cake flavor and the sweet tart cream cheese frosting really brought home the carrot cake experience. I’m looking to try a cinnamon apple blondies recipe. I’m also eying these pecan pie cheesecake bars, because they’re sort of like a blondie but in pie version.
What are blondies?
Blondies are the predecessor to brownies, from what I remember. They’re made with almost the same ingredients as a brownie, but with more brown sugar and no cocoa powder or chocolate. They get their flavor from vanilla extract and browned butter. They usually have chips or nuts incorporated in them for added flavor and texture.
Blondies are, obviously, lighter in color than brownies because there is no brown chocolate in them. There might be some white chocolate chips but nothing that will make the blondies look like brownies. This lighter color lends itself to flavors like butterscotch, caramel, or in this case pumpkin.
Blondies are similar in texture to brownies, but I find them to be a little chewier than brownies I typically make at home. This is predominantly from the brown sugar base of the blondie. Brownies have granulated sugar or a combination of the two. The granulated sugar makes for a crunchy top on the brownies if I remember correctly. Since blondies usually have frosting, there’s no need for a crunchy textured top.
What is pumpkin spice?
If you live under a rock and don’t know what pumpkin spice is it’s a popular blend of warm and cozy spices that evoke the feeling of fall. Pumpkin spice is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice. This flavorful combination adds a touch of sweetness and aromatic warmth to baked goods, beverages, and desserts.
Ever since that coffee company made their PSL, pumpkin spice has become synonymous with the autumn season. This has turned the humble baking blend into a staple in holiday treats and festive recipes. It’s in everything from latte to donuts to cereal. I have seen some very bizarre pumpkin spice items like cat litter and salmon. Yes, salmon. Hopefully this craze will calm down and we won’t see pumpkin spice EVERYTHING in future years.
Pumpkin spice vs apple pie spice vs gingerbread spice
If you’re like me, you’re wondering what the difference is between all the spice blends. Pumpkin spice, apple pie spice, and gingerbread spice are all warm and aromatic blends of spices that are warming and perfect for cooler weather. But what is the difference between all three?
Pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice both have cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and sometimes cardamom. The main difference between the two comes down to nutmeg versus cloves. While some recipes contain both spices, pumpkin pie spice has more cloves in there than apple pie spice. Apple pie spice has more nutmeg in there than pumpkin pie spice. To me pumpkin pie spice is a little spicier from the added cloves and apple pie spice is little more mellow from less cloves and more nutmeg.
So, what is gingerbread spice? Gingerbread spice typically includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. This spice blend has more of a focus on ground ginger with a nod to the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. However, gingerbread spice also has ground mace which is the lining of the nutmeg and has a different flavor than nutmeg. My recipe has star anise, coriander, and a little black pepper in there for added heat.
Ingredients for pumpkin spice blondies
To create the perfect pumpkin spice blondies, you’ll need a combination of pantry staples and seasonal ingredients.
- Pantry staples – brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, powdered sugar
- Refrigerator staples – eggs, butter, cream cheese
- Seasonal ingredients – pumpkin puree
- Mix ins – butterscotch chips, chopped pecans, or other ingredients you want to add to your pumpkin spice blondies
Instructions for baking the blondies
Preheat your oven and take your egg and cream cheese out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Put the butter in a saucepan to melt and brown. It should be a light golden brown before you let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter with the brown sugar and beat with a whisk or hand mixer until the brown sugar is smooth. Next, stir in the pumpkin until creamy before adding in the vanilla and the egg. Stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined and the flour is airy with no lumps. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Fold in your mix ins which in this case are butterscotch chips and chopped pecans. Chocolate chips and pistachios would be good or try some walnuts and white chocolate chips.
Line a 9 x 12 baking pan with parchment paper. I sprayed mine with cooking spray to make it easier to remove the blondies from the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula or even an offset spatula. I also banged the pan on the counter to make sure they were spread evenly in the pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center is just barely clean. Remove from the oven and cool.
Instructions for frosting and decorating
Combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, the remaining butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth. Add whipping cream until the frosting is the consistency you want. It should be slightly stiff but still spreadable. But not too spreadable that it runs off the edges of the bars.
When the bars are room temperature, use and offset spatula to spread the frosting on top of the bars. Decorate with Halloween sprinkles, eyes, quins (larger sprinkles in shapes like bats or pumpkins), and even simple sanding sugar in creepy themed colors like purple and green (Beetlejuice), orange and black (traditional), or red and black (vampire).
You could make some meringue ghosts or whipped cream ghosts to put on top of each bar. There are numerous stencils that you can use to decorate with a pumpkin or ghost. Turn the frosting into a dark brown color and make cookie tombstones. Or try your hand at decorating these pumpkin spice bars with some actual pumpkins. Just save some of the frosting and add food color to make orange and a little to make some green for the tops.
What do these pumpkin spice blondies taste like?
The brown sugar and butterscotch play off each other making these super delicious. The pumpkin adds earthiness to these bars that goes well with chopped pecans. Then there’s the sweet and tart cream cheese frosting that lifts these bars up making them completely irresistible. Since they’re easy to whip in no time, you can make them all fall and even into winter if you want. They’re that good!
Pumpkin Spice Blondies
Calling all pumpkin lovers! These Halloween Pumpkin Spice Blondies are the perfect treat for your spooky celebrations.
Ingredients
For the blondies:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 chip chopped pecans
For the frosting:
- 8 ounce softened cream cheese
- 4 to 5 cuts powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven and take your egg and cream cheese out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
- Put the butter in a saucepan to melt and brown. It should be a light golden brown before you let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter with the brown sugar and beat with a whisk or hand mixer until the brown sugar is smooth. Next, stir in the pumpkin until creamy before adding in the vanilla and the egg. Stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined and the flour is airy with no lumps. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Fold in your mix ins which in this case are butterscotch chips and chopped pecans. Chocolate chips and pistachios would be good or try some walnuts and white chocolate chips.
- Line a 9 x 12 baking pan with parchment paper. I sprayed mine with cooking spray to make it easier to remove the blondies from the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula or even an offset spatula. I also banged the pan on the counter to make sure they were spread evenly in the pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center is just barely clean. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, the remaining butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth. Add whipping cream until the frosting is the consistency you want. It should be slightly stiff but still spreadable. But not too spreadable that it runs off the edges of the bars.
- When the bars are room temperature, use and offset spatula to spread the frosting on top of the bars.
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 555Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 62mgSodium 329mgCarbohydrates 77gFiber 2gSugar 61gProtein 5g
Welcome to 2024’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!
If you’re new here, Welcome! If you’re a returning haunt, welcome back!
#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a yearly Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife . This spooky event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some frightfully fun Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween loving bloggers!
For this year’s 7th annual #HalloweenTreatsWeek event we have 12 hauntingly talented bloggers who are sharing their favorite Halloween recipes throughout the week! You can follow the hashtag #HalloweenTreatsWeek on social media to collect all of these frightful recipes to use at your own Halloween parties and events!
Halloween Treats Week 2024 Wednesday
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Savory Moments: Ouija Board Planchette Cookies
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Skull Sloppy Joe Bombs #HalloweenTreatsWeek
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Pumpkin Pear Soup (Spiderweb Optional)
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Jalapeno Ranch Skeleton Cheeseball
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Biscoff No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
This scrumptious dessert takes very little time and can be made ahead of time making it a perfect dessert for your Halloween Gathering.
It wouldn’t need to be Halloween for me to eat this! Such a yummy treat!
Same! All the pumpkin flavors in a blondie.
I love all things pumpkin and these sound perfect to me.
Thank you! They were full if delicious pumpkin flavor.
I’m a sucker for a cream cheese frosting! Love the chocolate chip/pistachio flavor combo idea too!
Me, too! The sweet tang of it takes me back to being a kid.
That frosting looks absolutely divine.
Thanks! I always struggle with frosting. This one turned out so delicious.