These Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies are soft, chewy, buttery dessert bars with real pumpkin purée, warm fall spices, brown sugar, and a crackly cinnamon-sugar topping. They have the cozy flavor of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies but come together more easily in one bowl and one baking pan.
The centers stay tender and fudgy, while the cinnamon-sugar topping gives every square a classic snickerdoodle finish. They are ideal for fall baking, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dessert tables, bake sales, or an easy weekend treat with coffee.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
Chewy, soft, and warmly spiced
These Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies have the best parts of a chewy blondie and a cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle cookie. Brown sugar gives the bars a deep caramel-like flavor and helps keep the middle soft. Pumpkin purée adds moisture and a gentle pumpkin taste, while pumpkin pie spice brings cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove notes.
The texture should be soft and chewy rather than cakey. The edges become lightly golden and slightly firm, while the center stays tender. Letting the blondies cool completely is important because they continue setting as they cool.
A simple one-bowl fall dessert
You do not need a mixer for this recipe. Melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin purée, egg yolk, vanilla, flour, spices, and a few pantry staples come together in one bowl.
Using only an egg yolk rather than a whole egg helps control moisture and gives the blondies a richer texture. Pumpkin purée already adds a lot of moisture, so a full egg can make pumpkin blondies more cake-like.
This recipe is also easy to double. Bake a double batch in a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13-inch pan when you need a larger dessert for a Halloween party, autumn potluck, or Thanksgiving gathering.
Cinnamon sugar topping adds classic snickerdoodle flavor
The topping is what makes these pumpkin bars taste like snickerdoodles. Before baking, sprinkle the blondie batter with a mixture of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. As the blondies bake, the topping forms a sweet, lightly crisp surface.
For a stronger snickerdoodle flavor, add a small pinch of cream of tartar to the batter. Traditional snickerdoodles often use cream of tartar for their subtle tang, but it is optional in blondies because pumpkin and brown sugar are already the main flavor notes.
Great for parties, bake sales, and holidays
These bars travel well, slice neatly after cooling, and can be made one day ahead. Arrange them on a platter with other fall desserts such as pumpkin cookies, apple bars, brownies, or mini cupcakes.
For Halloween, decorate the serving platter with candy pumpkins, orange sprinkles, or small chocolate spiders. For Thanksgiving, serve the blondies warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies
Pumpkin purée and warm spices
Use plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling includes added sugar and spices, which would make the recipe too sweet and change the balance of flavors.
Blotting the pumpkin purée is an important step. Spread it on a few layers of paper towel and gently press another paper towel on top. This removes excess moisture and helps keep the blondies chewy instead of cakey.
Pumpkin pie spice gives the bars a quick blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Add extra cinnamon for a stronger snickerdoodle flavor. If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, make your own using cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a small pinch of cloves.
Butter, sugar, and vanilla
Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt in the recipe. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly before mixing it with the sugars. Warm butter is fine, but it should not be hot enough to cook the egg yolk.
Light brown sugar is best because it provides moisture and a deeper flavor. Granulated sugar adds a little structure and helps create a more traditional blondie texture. Vanilla extract rounds out the pumpkin spice flavor.
A tiny amount of maple extract is optional but delicious. Use no more than ¼ teaspoon because it is strong and can quickly overpower the pumpkin.
Flour, leavening, and salt
All-purpose flour gives these bars structure. Measure it accurately by spooning flour into a measuring cup and leveling it with a knife, or use a kitchen scale. Too much flour creates dry, dense blondies.
Baking powder gives a little lift, while baking soda supports browning and balances some of the acidity in the brown sugar. Use only small amounts—too much leavening will make these more like cake than chewy blondies.
Salt balances the sweetness and makes the cinnamon and pumpkin spices taste brighter. If you use salted butter, reduce the added salt slightly.
Cinnamon sugar topping ingredients
The snickerdoodle topping uses granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix them together in a small bowl before sprinkling over the batter so the cinnamon is evenly distributed.
For a more festive Halloween version, use orange sanding sugar in place of part of the granulated sugar. For a richer finish, add a handful of white chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or cinnamon chips to the batter before spreading it into the pan.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Blondies
Prepare the blondie batter
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper overhang on two sides. This makes it easy to lift out the cooled blondies for clean slicing.
Blot the pumpkin purée thoroughly with paper towels. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, blotted pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional cream of tartar. Fold the mixture with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix, because that can make the blondies tough.
Mix the cinnamon sugar topping
In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. The topping should look evenly speckled with cinnamon.
Transfer the pumpkin blondie batter to the prepared baking pan. The batter will be thick, so use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly into the corners.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the top. Press it very gently with the back of a spoon so it adheres, but do not press deeply into the batter.
Bake until chewy and lightly set
Bake the blondies for 22 to 27 minutes. The edges should look set and lightly golden, while the center should still look slightly soft. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
Do not overbake. Pumpkin blondies can look underdone when hot but will firm up considerably as they cool. If you wait until the toothpick is completely clean, the finished bars may become dry and cakey.
Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. For especially clean squares, chill the cooled pan in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.
Cool, slice, and serve
Once completely cool, use the parchment overhang to lift the blondies out of the pan. Place them on a cutting board and slice into 16 squares.
Serve the Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies as they are, or dress them up with a drizzle of caramel sauce, white chocolate, maple glaze, or cream cheese frosting. A scoop of vanilla ice cream turns one blondie into a simple fall dessert.
Store any remaining bars in an airtight container once they have cooled completely.
Baking Tips and Variations
How to measure pumpkin purée correctly
Use a dry measuring cup for pumpkin purée rather than a liquid measuring cup. Level it gently; do not pack pumpkin purée tightly into the cup.
For the chewiest bars, blot the measured ½ cup pumpkin purée with paper towels. Pumpkin naturally contains a lot of water, and removing a little excess moisture helps maintain a dense blondie texture rather than a cake texture.
Do not replace pumpkin purée with pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has added sugar, sweeteners, spices, and thickeners that will affect both the taste and texture.
How to avoid cakey blondies
The main causes of cakey pumpkin blondies are too much pumpkin, too much egg, too much flour, overmixing, or overbaking. Follow the ingredient quantities closely and use only one egg yolk.
Blot the pumpkin purée, stir the flour in only until combined, and remove the pan from the oven when the center still has a few moist crumbs. The residual heat of the pan finishes cooking the bars as they cool.
For a denser and richer blondie, chill the batter in the pan for 15 minutes before baking. This step is optional, but it can help prevent spreading and create a slightly chewier center.
Add white chocolate chips or pecans
White chocolate and pumpkin spice are an excellent match. Fold ½ cup white chocolate chips into the batter before spreading it in the pan. Cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips also work well.
For crunch, add ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Toast the nuts first if you have time; toasting gives them a deeper, nuttier flavor. You can add them to the batter or sprinkle some over the cinnamon-sugar topping.
If serving people with nut allergies, leave out the nuts and check labels on all optional add-ins.
How to know when blondies are done baking
Look for set, lightly browned edges and a center that no longer looks wet or liquid. The top should have a thin crackly cinnamon-sugar crust.
Use a toothpick or thin knife near the center. It should come out with moist crumbs attached, not raw batter. Because this is a pumpkin recipe, the toothpick may look slightly orange, so focus on whether the crumbs are moist versus wet.
The blondies will firm up as they cool. Let them cool fully before deciding whether they are too soft.
Storage, Freezing, and FAQs
How to store pumpkin blondies
Store the cooled Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Place parchment paper between layers if you stack them.
For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to 5 days. Bring refrigerated blondies to room temperature before serving, or warm a square in the microwave for 8 to 12 seconds for a soft, fresh-baked feel.
If you add cream cheese frosting, store the blondies in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.
Can you freeze snickerdoodle blondies?
Yes. These pumpkin blondies freeze well for up to 2 to 3 months. Cool the bars completely, then wrap individual squares in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Place them in a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-top bag.
Thaw the bars at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. For a warm dessert, microwave a thawed blondie for about 10 seconds.
Freeze unfrosted bars for the best texture. Add cream cheese frosting, caramel drizzle, or other toppings after thawing.
Why are my pumpkin blondies too soft?
Pumpkin blondies may be too soft if they were underbaked, if the pumpkin purée was not blotted, or if they were sliced before cooling. Let them cool completely first; the texture will become firmer as the butter and sugars set.
If they remain very soft after cooling, chill them in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes. They should then slice more cleanly. In the future, bake for 2 to 4 minutes longer, but do not overbake them.
Can I use homemade pumpkin purée?
Yes, but homemade pumpkin purée is often wetter than canned purée. Drain it in a fine-mesh sieve or blot it thoroughly with paper towels before measuring.
For more consistent baking results, canned plain pumpkin purée is usually the easiest option. If using homemade purée, make sure it is smooth, thick, and free from added sugar or spices.
Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blondies – Chewy Fall Dessert Bars
Ingredients
- For the pumpkin blondies
- ½ cup plain pumpkin purée blotted well with paper towels
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional
- For the cinnamon-sugar topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional mix-ins
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup cinnamon chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Measure the pumpkin purée, place it on paper towels, and gently blot away excess moisture. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, blotted pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar, if using.
- Fold with a spatula just until the dry ingredients are combined. Do not overmix. Fold in white chocolate chips or nuts, if using.
- Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 22 to 27 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the blondies completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Lift the cooled blondies out using the parchment paper. Slice into 16 squares and serve.
Notes
- Blot the pumpkin: This is the most important step for chewy rather than cakey blondies.
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling: Use only plain pumpkin purée.
- Use an egg yolk: Egg yolk gives richness with less added moisture than a full egg.
- Do not overmix: Mix only until no dry flour remains.
- Do not overbake: The center should have a few moist crumbs and will continue setting as it cools.
- For clean slices: Chill completely cooled blondies for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.
- Add-ins: White chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, pecans, or walnuts all work well.
- Gluten-free option: Use a reliable 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that includes xanthan gum.
- Batter safety: Do not taste raw batter or dough containing raw flour and egg. FDA guidance says flour is a raw food, and baking is necessary to make flour-and-egg mixtures safe to eat.
