Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Blondies — Soft pumpkin bars, cinnamon-sugary snickerdoodles, and buttery blondies rolled into one! Super good!!
This recipe for pumpkin blondies is the dessert trifecta jackpot. It tastes like three favorites in one. Soft pumpkin bars, cinnamon-sugary snickerdoodles, and buttery blondies rolled into one easy recipe.
Lately I’ve been going nuts with pumpkin recipes, snickerdoodle recipes, and I’ve got 25+ blondies recipes and counting. It was high time to marry my favorites.
The bars are super soft, moist, and full of robust pumpkin flavor. The cinnamon-sugar topping lends an awesome texture contrast to the density the pumpkin creates.
And make no mistake, they’re dense like blondies should be, rather than cakey or light. They’re for those of us who relish a thick, fudgy texture. I could see where some people would want to add baking powder or soda for some lift, but I prefer them without.
I modeled them after my Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars. It’s an easy, no-mixer, one-bowl recipe that takes just minutes to whisk together. Melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, plenty of pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon-sugar are the key ingredients.
They’re such a perfect bar for me. Simple to make, packed with flavor, and the tooth-sinkingly dense texture is amazingly satisfying.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Blondies
In addition to being super easy to prepare, these pumpkin spice blondies call for very few ingredients — meaning you can make them even on a busy weeknight when a pumpkin craving hits!
To make this pumpkin blondies recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
How to Make Pumpkin Blondies
I may have given these pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies a fancier sounding name, but the prep work is minimal. Multi-steps desserts with lots of layers are delicious, but impractical for me and my family. Hence why I have so many blondie recipes on my site already!
Here’s an overview of how these insanely easy pumpkin blondies come together:
- Whisk together the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Mix in the flour.
- Turn the mixture into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Scroll to the very bottom of this post for the full recipe card!
How to Store Leftovers
The pumpkin spice blondies continue to get softer and moister for about 3 days after baking, noting that the cinnamon-sugar coating will melt (liquify) as time passes rather than stay granular due to the moisture from the bars.
The bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes! You can double the recipe and bake the pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Can I Make This Recipe in a 9×9-Inch Pan?
You can bake the bars in a 9×9-inch pan, but they will be thinner (very thin, actually), therefore the cooking time will be reduced.
Can I Freeze the Blondies?
Yes, these blondies freeze well. To thaw, place on your counter for a few hours. You may need to sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar on top before serving.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Absolutely! In fact, the blondies taste better on the second day after the flavors have married. As a bonus, the bars get softer and moister on the second and third day, but I doubt they’ll last that long.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Spice Blondies
Make sure to use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling (which has been sweetened and spiced).
I sprinkled the top of the blondies with cinnamon and sugar, but you’re welcome to replace the cinnamon with more pumpkin pie spice if you have some that needs to be used up.
The recipe only makes an 8-inch pan and if you have pumpkin fiends in your house, the bars will probably be gone in a day.
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Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and stir.
- Using a small spoon, evenly sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over the prepared pan. Looks like a lot but it sinks down and soaks in while baking.
- Bake for about 25 to 27 minutes, or until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. The moisture content in pumpkin varies, as do climates and ovens; bake until yours are done.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. I find the bars taste better on the second and third day after the flavors have married.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Easy Pumpkin Desserts:
If you haven’t already ordered it, Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and the official release date was on Monday, October 6. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
Soft Pumpkin Bars (with Cake Mix!) — SUPER soft pumpkin bars studded with chocolate chips, candied pecans, and plenty of pumpkin pie spice!!
Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars — Super soft and are like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge! Loaded with chocolate and crazy good!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache — One of my favorite cakes of ALL TIME! A must-make!
Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread — Pumpkin bread that’s like having cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — Super soft, moist, rich pumpkin flavor, and loaded with chocolate chips! Easy, no mixer recipe that’s the BEST!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies — Rich, fudgy brownies topped with pumpkin and chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake – A FAST and EASY no-mixer coffee cake with rich pumpkin flavor!! Super soft, tender, and topped with the BEST crumble topping that you’ll fall in love with!
Pumpkin Poke Cake — Easy and the BEST PUMPKIN CAKE ever!! Two kinds of CARAMEL sauce, TOFFEE bits, CHOCOLATE CHIPS, whipped topping and more!! A total WINNER you must make!!
Perfect dessert for fall! Looks fantastic, thanks for sharing Averie :)
What a great ménage à trois ;) looks so delicious, I’m sure they wouldn’t last a second in my house!
I love that you got all the accent marks in the right place and directions on menage…. :) You have keyboard skills!!
You didn’t–you did! Shucks, I don’t think these would last long enough for extra flavor-marrying; but then again, I’d probably marry these bars first. Awesome recipe, pinning and sharing!
Thanks for pinning, sharing, and the compliments!
These bars look ridiculously amazing; so dense and pumpkin-y. You always have the most perfectly-sliced treats!
Thanks for the compliments!
Now if you just come up with one that includes molasses and pumpkin, you will have hit the jackpot for me. :) This sounds good–I recently tried the pumpkin chocolate chip bars and they were tasty, and you’re right, waiting a day makes a huge difference in the flavor.
You could totally add 1-2 tbsp molasses to this recipe without making any other changes other than maybe? 1 tbsp extra flour, or maybe lengthening the baking time by a minute or two, but doubtful you’ll need to change anything major. Have you tried the gingerbread molasses bars? I can’t remember who’s made these…but the people in my core group of readers like you who make a ton of my stuff, everyone who has tried these, loved them! No pumpkin in them but I think it would get lost. You could try adding 1/3 cup or so and bumping up the flour slightly but the molasses flavor is very strong and I think would take it over anyway. https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-gingerbread-molasses-chocolate-chip-bars/
Yes, those have made my “regular” baking list, along with gingerbread pancakes and the 1-hour yeast breadsticks and the peanut butter cookies and …
LOL!!
I thought they had, actually. But couldn’t quite remember, but was pretty sure they were on your regular list! The 1 hr yeast breadsticks, God, I forgot about those! Thanks for the reminder they exist :)
Oh and glad you liked the pumpkin chocolate chip bars and yes a day or two does make a nice difference!
The pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies do look amazeballs, but those soft pumpkin chocolate chip bars made me drool all over my computer.
LOL :) Thank you!
These look SO good, Averie! Great idea for a dangerously delicious blondie!
You’re killing me with these pumpkin recipes…each one more tempting than the last…I can’t make them fast enough…these looks so fudgy and that cinnamon and sugar on top is like a brulee top…so wish I was a neighbor or “tasting guinea pig”….
What I wouldn’t give to have you as my neighbor! I give away so much food, every day, to people who sometimes I don’t know if they do or don’t appreciate it but I’ve gotta give it away regardless…I mean baked goods are best fresh and I can’t eat a pan of fresh stuff daily, or a batch of fresh cookies daily, so off it goes! :)
I love all your blondie recipes! They are so quick and easy to make and super delicious. This one looks fantastic!
You know how much I love blondies! :) LOOOVE this pumpkin-snickerdoodle blondie creation you made. Perfect!
I always think of you when I post blondies recipes! :) xo
These look incredible too! I love how you combine prior recipes into something new–and you’re still coming up with more pumpkin recipes after publishing your cookbook! All of these bars look so good–I’ve scrolled back to the pumpkin bars with browned butter glaze a few times too.
When I was writing Cooking With Pumpkin I truly was at a loss some days about what to make, what else, I felt like I had made everything and could never find a new way to use pumpkin (Pb was much easier and much more versatile) but here we are, two years later, and I wish that I could plop some of these current recipes right into the book!
Oh you didn’t tell me what you ended up making for your work friends and how the item(s) went over with everyone!
Today is baking day–I’ll take the goodies in to work tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I’m going with the cake and quick bread…but all your recipes look so tempting and fun!
Loving your snickerdoodle obsession recently. These bars scream fall!
What an awesome recipe (and collection of recipes along with it in this post). I’m seriously drooling here! I love that everything is in one bowl! Can’t get much better than that! Congrats on the book – love pumpkin and I’m sure it’s gorgeous. I’ll keep my eye out for it when I’m shopping!
Thanks for all the praise, Sam, and yes one bowl whenever I possibly can!
Oh my gosh the texture on these is amazing! I would inhale them, no joke. Snickerdoodle rules!
I keep thinking about your apple rolls…I would inhale those!
These bars are becoming your signature! LOVE how dense they are and of course, you always get the perfectly straight cuts! :) Btw, loved your tip in the book how you get them! Pinning these beauties!
Thanks for pinning and I don’t even remember writing that in my book…ha! I answer that question about once a week on my blog in the comments and know I write it a lot, I just didn’t know I wrote it in my book….so many recipes, so many years later… :)
I am becoming more and more a fan of pumpkin, and these do definitely look like the perfect bar for fall! I showed this to my roomie, and all she could say was that we need to make these immediately. I agree! The photos give the perfect reasoning to make these :)
Well if you try them, LMK!