Pumpkin Blondies...

I know many of you got all excited when Pumpkin Spice Lattes showed up at Starbucks this fall. All I can say is, good for you. Though I like the sound of that, I have to admit I never order one...just a coffee purist to the core. I have tasted one...they do give samples at Starbucks once in while. I'm always game to try something one time, but I just really like the flavor of coffee. When you add other flavors or spices, it radically changes the taste...I'm just not willing to go there with coffee. An occasional cappuccino is one thing, but pumpkin spice...no thanks!  BUT, I will admit that I love it when Pumpkin Bread shows up at Starbucks in the fall! You see, I love sweet treats with my coffee, just not in my coffee.

I do love most things made with pumpkin and am always on the look out for new pumpkin recipes. Standing in the line at the market the other day, I leafed through several magazines and saw a recipe for Pumpkin Blondies. It caught my eye. After all, I love pumpkin, and I'm blonde, so it had to be good, right?!! Seriously, the recipe did sound good so when I got home, I searched online and found a very similar one. I like to bring homemade treats to my little shop in Plain to serve to my customers, along with hot cider, so this recipe looked like a good one to try it.

I'll admit, I also wanted to try making something with a can of pumpkin puree that I found at the Dollar Tree store...one dollar... like that price. I love recipes that don't require a trip to the market for ingredients so this one met that criteria too.  One of the benefits of being a baker is that I usually have some left over icing in the freezer, so I knew I had some cream cheese butter cream icing ready to thaw out. I thought that would be the perfect topping for this recipe. The motivation to try out this recipe was getting stronger and stronger!

The recipe was easy to follow and I was able to whip it up in no time...love recipes like that! Taking them out of the oven, I ran out the door to join friends for dinner and left the cream cheese icing thawing. Once I got home, I just had to try a bite and I must say it's delicious. The Blondies are dense (no blonde jokes now!) and moist, with wonderful pumpkin flavor, with a little bit of crunch from the pecans and a little hidden pockets of sweetness from the white chocolate chips. I'm looking forward to sharing them in the shop. I always know when one of the treats is a hit because I get several comments and requests for the recipes. What about you...any favorite pumpkin recipes that you enjoy?

Pumpkin Blondies

ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

instructions

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. line and grease a 8x8-inch* pan with parchment paper, letting the paper overhang the sides. set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, ground cloves and salt. set aside.
3. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugars on medium speed for one minute. add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. add the pumpkin puree and beat until incorporated. slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well until combined. gently fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. remove from oven and let cool. remove bars from pan and cut into squares. store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

As I mentioned, I added cream cheese icing to mine, but they are delicious plain as well. If you are wondering where I got the great wicker plate tray, I sell them in my shop in Plain. Stop on by!

 Can you believe it's Friday already? This week just flew by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and take some time to relax and enjoy the beauty of this season around you. As Psalm 67:6 says, 

The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. 

Just had to share another favorite image from my fall pinterest page...breathtaking! Happy Friday! Warmly, Gracia

via pinterest...