‘Tis the season for pumpkins and I can’t resist baking this brown butter pumpkin pecan blondies. I happen to love pumpkin in any form, savory or sweet. And when mixed with spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves, it’s just a classic signature flavor that celebrates autumn.
I have baked blondies before and typically they’re like white brownies that are somewhat chewy. But, we all know that pumpkin makes everything soft and moist when you bake with it. So this pumpkin blondies will be on the softer side, but not too soft and light like a cake. (In case there are blondies fanatics out there, please don’t get mad at me!)
There was a question in my mind on how much pumpkin puree to use in this blondies recipe. In the end, I opted to use 1 cup which worked out for the best. I was really aiming for more pumpkiny flavor and I’m glad about the result.
Every fall I crave for warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. For this blondies, I used the spices in making my pumpkin pie which really was a good choice. You can’t go wrong with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. I also thought, why not use brown butter instead of just plain softened butter? It has a deeper, toasty and more intense flavor than plain butter. And why not add chocolate chips and chopped pecans to take it to another level?
What I love about this pumpkin blondies is that it bakes quickly, in less time than a cake or pie. Mixing the ingredients was also easy and quick. The best part is you can cut it into bars and leave it in the pan. It will last for about a week in the refrigerator (if you can resist) covered with a plastic wrap.
The other great thing about this pumpkin pecan blondies is it can feed a crowd. This recipe makes 16 generous size bars! It’s fantastic to bring to a potluck or any party. I hope you try to take advantage of this harvest season by grabbing this recipe. You will love it.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Pecan Blondies with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter plus more for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Make the brown butter: In a small pot melt 1 cup butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally. (DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE AS THE BUTTER CAN BURN QUICKLY) Keep stirring when butter becomes foamy, then brown bits will start to form in the bottom. Once you start to see brown bits in the bottom, turn off heat and immediately transfer brown butter into a heat-proof bowl. Cool slightly. (DO NOT LEAVE THE BROWN BUTTER IN THE POT AS IT CAN CONTINUE TO COOK AND BURN)
- Meanwhile, butter the bottom and all sides of a 9 x 12 x 2 baking pan. Cream the sugars and brown butter together using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add pumpkin puree and mix. Scrape the sides with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add this flour mixture gradually to the pumpkin mixture. Do it in 2 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition. Scrape the sides with a spatula and mix again. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
- Spread the batter evenly into buttered baking pan and level the top with a spatula. Bake the blondies in the preheated oven at 350ºF in the middle rack for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Insert the toothpick in the center. When it comes out clean and the sides of the blondie slightly separates from the pan, it's ready. (If not, bake it for 4-5 minutes more) Take it out and let cool in the pan on a rack. Let it cool completely for easier cutting.