Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

As soon as November hits, I’m ready to think about the holidays. I don’t necessarily rush to decorate for Christmas because I love Thanksgiving just as much, but regardless, its a fun and tasty time of year.

I was thinking about some of my favorite fall and winter desserts when I came across my brown butter butterscotch blondies from a season or two ago (you can find that recipe in the Yakima Herald archives or on my website, thesaltandstone.com). Remembering how many batches of those blondies I made for holiday gatherings got my wheels turning and I decided I needed a new, fun blondie recipe for this year.

And because I’m just not ready to be done with pumpkin flavor yet, a pumpkin blondie seemed like something fun to try. The first batch I made were embarrassingly undercooked and while the edges were yummy and quickly devoured, I used the wrong pan, making the bars too thick and more brownie-like than cookie. I was determined to try again and get what I was dreaming about just right.

I made the mistake of pulling a second batch of pumpkin blondies out of the oven one day right as my children arrived home from school. They swarmed around the pan like vultures, asking every minute or two if they were ready to be sliced into. I had to swat them away for a few minutes to allow the pan to cool but it wasn’t long before they started circling again and I relented and let them dig in.

This particular recipe falls somewhere between a cake and a cookie. It’s not as dense as a typical blondie, the pumpkin puree adding a bit of lightness to the treat. I couldn’t resist adding some chocolate to the batter, as I do love pumpkin and chocolate together. A little spice from the pumpkin pie spice and additional cinnamon give the blondie a lovely sweet and spicy flavor.

This is an easy and quick recipe to throw together, even better there’s no scooping the batter into balls or rolling out dough and cutting into shapes. Simple spread the batter in a baking pan and in less than an hour you have perfect blondies ready to be cut into squares and gobbled right out of the tray.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

• 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a half-sheet rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the blow of a stand-up mixer combine the softened butter and sugars. Beat on low until smooth for about 2 minutes. Once combined, add the vanilla and egg, turning the mixer back on beating until just incorporated. Add the pumpkin puree to the mixture and mix again. If the batter looks a bit curdled, don’t worry about, it will be just fine.

In a separate, medium-size bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using a spatula, gently combine the dry ingredients.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, gently mixing until just barely combined after each addition of flour. Gently stir in 2 cups chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly across the prepared pan. Bake in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes and the edges begin to pull away from sides and a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean (or with a few little crumbs but NO batter).

Allow the blondies to cool in the pan before slicing into them. Makes 24 blondies.