pumpkin blondies

Are you still with me? I've been gone for a hot minute and I'm the sorriest. You know the drill: life is busy...yadda yadda...so many things on my plate...blah blah blah...whatever. It's been a whirlwind of a year but I'm back! And I come bearing blondies that are seasonally appropriate, no less!

Confession: I actually made these last fall. Yes, that's right, I've been sitting on this recipe for no less than one full year. Here's the thing. I made these last fall and they were a huuuuge hit but I didn't necessarily like the photo above so I just put it off posting the recipe thinking I would make them again and take better photos. And then life got crazy and I just never got around to repeating this recipe and then all of a sudden pumpkin season was officially over. Tragic.

So, today, despite the horrid yellow-ish photo above, I offer you pumpkin blondies. I don't expect the picture to pull you in. But here's what should: pumpkin, spices, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, pecans. Need I say more? It's like every cliche fall ingredient jammed into one pan.

I made these for a work meeting and the guests not only took containers of blondies home with them...they emailed the next morning to tell me how great they were for breakfast with a big mug of coffee. I'd call that a win. :)

pumpkin blondies

ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, with enough to hang over the sides; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both sugars until completely smooth and no lumps remain. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk to incorporate, making sure the egg has been completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin and again whisk to fully incorporate. Add the flour mixture to the batter and, using a rubber spatula, fold the mixtur until combined and no pockets of flour remain. Fold in the butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.

Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then use the parchment handles to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield: 24 bars

Source: slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker