These pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies are thick, chewy, and perfect for fall. They’re sprinkled with cinnamon sugar like a snickerdoodle and then drizzled with pumpkin butter icing.
Hi friends, happy October! Things I’m currently loving are spending too much money on new sweaters for fall (shoutout to TikTok for successfully influencing me to be a shopaholic) and baking all of the pumpkin desserts, including these brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies.
They’re a hybrid blondie meets pumpkin snickerdoodle situation and so, so good! We start with rich and nutty browned butter and fold in lots of pumpkin and spices. Then top it all off with cinnamon sugar and a pumpkin butter icing. The result is chewy and melt-in-your-mouth blondie that is perfect for fall.
What You’ll Need for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
Equipment
- An 8×8-inch baking pan like this one here (aka my favorite).
- Lots of paper towels or a cheesecloth: use these to squeeze the liquid out of the pumpkin puree.
- A heavy bottomed pan in which to brown the butter.
Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: for the best results, measure your flour using a digital scale, otherwise use the spoon-and-level method.
- Unsalted butter: cut into slices
- Canned pumpkin puree: I like using Libby’s brand pumpkin, but have tried the Whole Foods 365 as well with similar results. Just make sure you’re using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Eggs, at room temperature: soak eggs in a bowl of very warm water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature quickly
- Ground cinnamon: what’s snickerdoodle without cinnamon? 😉
- Sugar and light brown sugar
- Cream of tartar and baking soda: cream of tartar is what gives these bars that slightly tangy flavor associated with snickerdoodles.
- Additional spices and flavors: ground nutmeg, ground ginger, vanilla extract, and salt
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
Since I’m dedicated to your success, here are the steps and some tips for making the best pumpkin snickerdoodle blondie bars:
Step 1: Make browned butter
Making browned butter takes less than 10 minutes and once you’ve done it a few times I hope you’ll feel like an expert. I love using browned butter in a lot of recipes such as these brown butter pumpkin muffins or brown butter blondies.
To make brown butter, heat butter that’s been cut into slices over medium heat in a pan. Let the butter melt completely and then continue to cook it while stirring consistently. The butter will crackle, bubble, and eventually foam up. Once you start to see little brown flecks and smell an amazing nutty aroma, then it’s ready.
Step 2: Squeeze the pumpkin
Pumpkin puree in its natural state is way too wet to use. Great for cake, but not for anything that needs to be chewy like cookies or blondies. To remove this excess liquid you’re going to need to get your hands dirty and squeeze it all out.
I like to wrap the pumpkin in several layers of paper towels or a cheesecloth and then gently apply pressure to squeeze out the liquid. Don’t completely seal the pumpkin or squeeze too hard though, or you might get a little pumpkin explosion (speaking from personal experience, RIP to my white shirt lol). In the end the pumpkin will have reduced in size and look like Play-Doh.
Step 3: Make the dough and bake.
Prepare the dough by following the instructions listed in the recipe. It’s super easy and takes less than 10 minutes after you’ve browned the butter and prepared the pumpkin.
Press the dough into the baking pan and sprinkle a generous layer of cinnamon sugar on top. Bake the bars until they’re set and start to turn golden along the edges, which will take around 30 minutes.
Let the bars cool completely before drizzling with icing to serve.
FAQs
DO I HAVE TO USE BROWNED BUTTER?
Absolutely not! While I am a huge fan of browned butter, if you want to save yourself some time then it is completely optional here. You can substitute an equal amount of regular melted butter.
HOW DO I STORE LEFTOVERS?
The best way to store pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies is to let them cool down completely and put them into an airtight Tupperware or Zip-loc bag.
can i bake these in a larger pan?
This recipe was scaled for an 8×8-inch square baking pan. If you double the recipe, then it will work nicely for a 9×13-inch rectangular pan. I would try to avoid using a 9×9-inch pan, as the blondie bars will be very thin (the surface area is 25% larger than the 8×8).
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or rating to share your thoughts and help others on the internet find this recipe.
Or, take picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your pumpkin snickerdoodle blondie bars!
Pin & Save for Later
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over or tap (on mobile) any image in this post (pick your favorite or use the one below), and use the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into slices
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1¾ cup (210g) all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
- 3 tbsp granualted sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1½-2 tsp milk
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- splash of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin butter, optional
Instructions
Make Browned Butter
- Add the butter slices to a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
- Melt the butter, stirring frequently. Once the butter is fully melted, continue heating it. It will begin to start bubbling and crackling. Continue stirring. After a while, the crackling will subside and butter will begin to foam. At this point, keep a close eye on the butter while continuing to stir. Be on the lookout for brown flecks and a nutty aroma.
- Once you see brown flecks and the melted butter turns a rich amber color, immediately remove it from heat and pour the butter into a separate, heatproof bowl. Let the browned butter cool down until it is just warm to the touch.
Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the pumpkin puree by squeezing the liquid out (reference photo in recipe for example). Wrap the pumpkin in a few layers of paper towels or a cheesecloth. Gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands. You may need to replace the paper towels a few times. You will end up with a pumpkin puck that has the texture of soft play-doh.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and spices together until well combined.
- In a separate bowl or a mixer, whisk the browned butter, sugars, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla together for 1-2 minutes until very smooth. Add the flour mixture and gently fold together until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Press the dough in an even layer into the baking pan. Make the cinnamon sugar by mixing the two ingredients together and then sprinkle on top of the dough.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until the bars are set. Let the bars cool for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the icing whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle over the cooled blondies. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredients: Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Preparing the pumpkin: Squeezing liquid out of the pumpkin is a lot of fun but can be messy if your paper towels rip! Make sure to use several layers of towels or a sturdy cheesecloth. Don’t squeeze so hard that it bursts (learned this from personal experience lol), but apply gentle pressure.
- Storing leftovers: Keep pumpkin blondie bars in an airtight container or zip-loc bag. They’ll last for 3 days on the counter.
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