You guys, I have a confession to make.

I only JUST figured out why blondies are called blondies.

I know. Horrible, right? I seriously always just thought that was a cute name for the delicious cookie like bars. Nope, blondies are called blondies because (and I’m entirely certain all of you already know this) they are brownies without the cocoa! How in the world did that take me so long???

One thing I’ve always known is that blondies are delicious.

Know what else? Pumpkin choucolate chip blondies are out of this world!

I’m going pumpkin crazy over here.

I made these pumpkin blondies back when my in-laws came to visit. I firmly believe that the best way to welcome someone into your home is with baked goods. So, since I wasn’t going to be home when they got in, I had a big plate of these waiting in my place. I think they were ok with the switch!

You’ve all heard the trick of using mashed banana in place of butter right? Well guess what, the same thing works with pumpkin! So, I tweaked a blondie recipe I found on Saveur to make it a little bit healthier, but just as moist, fluffy, and delicious.

After mixing the sugars, vanilla, and eggs, you add the pumpkin to create a beautiful orange batter.

Then, you dump in the chocolate.

One of the keys to this recipe is using really good dark chocolate. I like 70% cacao (or more!), but anything over 60% works.

I also prefer to chop a big chocolate bar as opposed to using chocolate chips because then every once in a while you get a huge chunk of chocolate in your slice and all is right with the world.

Make these pumpkin blondies asap. Set them on the table to welcome guests, or set them on the kitchen counter to welcome you home. They be just as good either way! ☺

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin dark chocolate blondies

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups roughly chopped dark chocolate (I used 70% cacao)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ baking pan; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  2. Whisk together sugars, vanilla, and eggs together in a bowl until smooth. Add butter and pumpkin, and stir until smooth.
  3. Add flour mixture, and stir until just combined.
  4. Stir in dark chocolate, and spread batter in prepared pan.
  5. Bake about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.