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Pumpkin Blondies

Pumpkin blondies with a warm pumpkin spice flavor, chewy browned-butter texture, and a golden top. Baked until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs, then finished with caramel drizzle and flaky sea salt.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and browned
  • 1.5 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree (blotted dry)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
  • 1 caramel sauce and flaky sea salt for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the butter
  1. Brown the unsalted butter until golden and nutty, then cool for 10 minutes. Look for amber-brown solids and a toasted aroma before removing from heat.
Mix and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan. Aim for a well-coated surface so the blondies release cleanly.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until evenly speckled and the dry ingredients look uniform.
  3. Whisk the browned butter and brown sugar, then add blotted pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix just until glossy and combined with no streaks.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, then spread the batter in the prepared pan. The batter should become cohesive and thick enough to level out.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick has just a few moist crumbs. The edges should look set while the center stays slightly tender.
Finish
  1. Cool completely before topping. The bars should firm up so the drizzle sits on top instead of soaking in.
  2. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle flaky sea salt. Add the topping evenly across the surface for a sweet-salty finish.

Notes

Pro tip: blot the pumpkin puree until it’s less wet so the blondies stay chewy rather than cakey. Store airtight in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze baked bars (without topping if possible) up to 2 months, then thaw and drizzle caramel/sea salt after. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant butter suitable for baking, and brown it as directed for similar flavor.