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Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies

Pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies with a cinnamon-sugar top and a chewy, golden-amber crumb from browned butter and blotted pumpkin. Bakes to a toothpick with just a few moist crumbs, then cools fully for clean squares.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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 cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp cream of tartar
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, melted and browned Use browned butter cooled briefly before mixing.
  • 1.5 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree (blotted very dry) Blot until very dry to prevent cakey blondies.
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar top
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Brown butter
  1. Brown the butter until golden and nutty, then cool for 10 minutes. Look for toasted milk solids and an amber color as the cue to stop.
Prep and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan. Coat the pan evenly so the blondies release cleanly.
  2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined. The mixture should look uniform with no spice clumps.
  3. Whisk the browned butter and packed brown sugar until smooth. Add the blotted pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk until the batter is silky.
  4. Fold in the flour mixture and mix just until no dry streaks remain, then spread the batter into the pan. The batter should be thick and cohesive.
  5. Mix the cinnamon sugar (granulated sugar and cinnamon) and sprinkle generously over the top. Aim for full coverage so the crust forms as it bakes.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The edges should look set while the center stays tender.
Cool and cut
  1. Cool completely before cutting the blondies into squares. The surface should feel firm and the pan should release cleanly when cut.

Notes

For the best chewy texture, blot the pumpkin puree very dry and don’t overmix after adding the flour. Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze unfrosted bars for up to 2 months, wrapped well and thaw overnight in the fridge. Dietary swap: use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of regular flour for a gluten-free version.