These Pumpkin Blondies are soft, chewy, and packed with pumpkin, brown sugar, warm fall spices, and creamy white chocolate chips. With fudgy centers, lightly crisp edges, and an optional cinnamon-maple glaze, they're an easy fall dessert that's just as welcome at home as it is on a Thanksgiving dessert table.
My grandson loved helping add the chocolate chips (and eating a few along the way), but decided stirring was far too much work. "I don't know how you do it, Grandma," he said. He was also suspicious of an "orange brownie," but after one cautious little bite, he decided they were amazing after all.
Pumpkin Blondies at a Glance
- 🎃 Flavor & Texture: Warmly spiced pumpkin with fudgy, chewy centers and lightly crisp edges.
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Pumpkin puree, brown sugar, butter, fall spices, and white chocolate chips.
- ⏱️ Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes.
- 🍴 Servings: 9 large or 12 smaller blondies.
- 🥗 Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains dairy, egg, and wheat.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes. Bake up to a day ahead.
- ❤️ Why You Will Love It: Fudgy, pumpkin-packed bars that are easy to make.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: The simple batter comes together without a mixer and bakes in one 8×8-inch pan.
- Better the Next Day: The flavors settle overnight, so they're ideal for making ahead for Thanksgiving and other fall gatherings.
- Glaze Is Optional: Everyone who tried them loved the blondies both glazed and unglazed, so finish them the way you like.
How We Tested This Recipe
- Bake Time: In an 8×8-inch metal pan, ours were perfect at 27-28 minutes, with set, lightly golden edges and a slightly soft center.
- Pumpkin and Spices: ½ cup pumpkin puree was the sweet spot. More made the blondies too wet to set properly, while less made them too dry. The listed spices gave the best balance. More overwhelmed the other flavors, and less left something missing.
- Cooling: Longer cooling gave us noticeably cleaner cuts. My son couldn't wait and tried slicing at 25 minutes, which proved the point.
Ingredients
These pumpkin spice blondies use everyday baking staples plus pumpkin, warm spices, and white chocolate for their signature fall flavor. If you love rich, chewy bars like these, you'll find plenty more to try in our best brownies and blondies collection.
- Butter and Brown Sugar: Create the rich flavor and chewy blondie base.
- Egg Yolk: Adds richness and structure without making the bars cakey.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla and Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla provide warm fall flavor.
- Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt: Give the blondies enough structure while keeping the centers soft.
- White Chocolate Chips: Add creamy sweetness and melty chocolate pockets. Semi-sweet chips also worked well, or use a mix of both.
- Optional Glaze: Powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, and cinnamon make a quick finishing drizzle.
The recipe card below includes the exact quantities and complete instructions.
How To Make Pumpkin Blondies
These blondies come together in four simple steps.
Step 1: Prepare the Pan and Wet Ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until fully combined.
Step 2: Make the Batter. Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Stir gently just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix. Fold in ½ cup of the white chocolate chips.
Step 3: Bake and Cool. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup white chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 30-60 minutes before lifting out and slicing. The longer you wait, the cleaner the cuts.
Step 4: Glaze, If Desired. Whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon milk, and cinnamon until smooth, adding the remaining milk as needed for a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the completely cooled blondies, or leave them unglazed.
If you love these pumpkin blondies, try my pumpkin cheesecake bars for another easy pumpkin bar dessert or perfect bar pumpkin pie for a fun twist on traditional pumpkin pie.
Storage Directions
Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They stay softest and chewiest for the first 2 days, then begin to firm up.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate for 4-5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for a softer texture.
Freezer: Freeze glazed or unglazed blondies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. The glaze looks slightly duller after thawing.
Make Ahead: Bake them up to a day ahead and store covered.
Pumpkin Blondies FAQs
Yes. In our testing, a glass pan needed about 2-4 extra minutes and produced slightly softer edges.
Blondies get their flavor from brown sugar and vanilla instead of cocoa, so they taste more like caramel and butterscotch than chocolate. The texture is similarly soft, fudgy, and chewy. These pumpkin blondies add pumpkin and warm fall spices.
Overbaking is the usual cause, and too much flour can also dry them out. Pull them when the edges are set and the center still looks slightly soft. A toothpick with a few moist crumbs gives fudgy, chewy blondies, while a clean toothpick means they've gone drier and cakier.
More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
If you love the warm pumpkin flavor in these blondies, try more of my pumpkin desserts and fall baking recipes. They're perfect for everything from everyday autumn treats to Thanksgiving dessert tables. For even more fall baking inspiration, browse my pumpkin dessert recipes for pies, cookies, cakes, bars, and more.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Pumpkin Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips divided
Cinnamon-Maple Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Stir gently just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix. Fold in ½ cup of the white chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup white chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 30-60 minutes before lifting out and slicing. The longer you wait, the cleaner the cuts.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon milk, and cinnamon until smooth, adding the remaining milk as needed for a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the completely cooled blondies, or leave them unglazed.
Notes
- Use Pumpkin Purée: Use plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Best Pan: An 8×8-inch metal pan gives the best results and is what the baking time is based on.
- Check for Doneness: Remove the blondies when the edges are set and lightly golden, the center looks slightly soft, and a toothpick has a few moist crumbs. A completely clean toothpick means they're likely overbaked.
- Cool Before Cutting: Cool for at least 30 minutes; 60 minutes gives the cleanest slices.
- Glaze: Start with 1 teaspoon milk and add the second only if needed for a drizzling consistency. The blondies are also delicious without the glaze.
- Storage: Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze glazed or unglazed blondies for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature.
- Make Ahead: These taste even better the next day, making them an excellent make-ahead dessert.
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