Pumpkin Blondies

I told you there would be pumpkin recipes on this blog!

I really like making blondies - they are faster than cookies, and don't need to be frosted or decorated like a cake. If you haven't tried any before, blondies are essentially a bar cookie with a soft chewy texture (kind of like a brownie). Baking this with pumpkin gave them a little more of a puffy, cake-like texture, but they weren't too crumbly. You can use any combination of chips in yours - I used white chocolate and semi-sweet, but butterscotch would be good too. Also, add nuts to your liking - I omitted them this time around.

A trick from Martha - Line your pan with aluminum foil before baking. In addition to preventing your bars from sticking to the pan, it makes clean up a breeze!

Pumpkin Blondies
adapted from Martha Stewart; makes 24 bars

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. canned pumpkin puree

2 c. chocolate chips (I used 1 cup white choc chips and 1 cup mini choc chips)

1/2 c. chopped, toasted nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the pumpkin puree. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips you are using (and nuts, if using) with a rubber spatula.

3. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.
To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.

REVIEW:

Love these! So yummy, they were gone in no time!