These chewy gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip blondies are everything you love about chocolate chip cookies but with pumpkin flavor, cozy fall spices, and the chewiest, gooiest center. The perfect fall dessert to serve a crowd.
I've done it - I've opened a can of pumpkin this fall and I'm not looking back for at least another month. These gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip blondies are a riff on my classic gluten-free blondies, with all the coziness of fall baked into one scrumptious cookie bar.
- Easy: This recipe is easy to make and doesn't require chilling the cookie dough.
- Chewy and gooey: Thanks to dark brown sugar, these cookie bars have a chewy gooey center with a crisp edge, similar to brownies.
- Flavorful fall spices: Paired with browned butter (oh hello!), fall spices make these blondies taste like fall coziness.
- Make ahead: You can make the cookie dough ahead and bake just as soon as you're ready for pumpkin cookie bars!
For ultra-chewy pumpkin blondies with crisp edges, this recipe uses a blend of almond flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca flour. Almond flour is my go-to base for gluten-free cookies and blondies because it has a neutral classic flavor.
Tip for Gooey Cookie Bars
To ensure your bars are ultra-gooey inside, take care not to overbake. The top should be golden brown and the edges just set, but the center seems very soft and puffy when gently touched. When in doubt, err on the side of undertaking rather than overbaking!
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F and lining a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
Place the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Pour the browned butter over the sugars into the mixing bowl.
Stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes until no longer hot.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg yolks, and vanilla...
...mixing until smooth.
Once the butter and sugar are lightly cooled, mix the pumpkin blend with the butter and sugar, beating until well combined.
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients...
...mixing until just combined.
Fold in chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for on top, and any other optional mix-ins.
The dough will be thick, but still softer than cookie dough.
Tip: Don't overmix dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just it is just combined. Overmixing the dough will release some of the oils from the almond flour, preventing the crackly topping and producing blondies that are greasy on the bottom.
Recipe
Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies
Ingredients
- 224 g (2 cups) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 196 g (1¾ cups) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 160 g (1 cup) sweet rice flour, Also called "mochiko", distinctly different than white rice flour or brown rice flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 250 g (1¼ cups) organic dark brown sugar, Conventional will work, but be a bit less chewy
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 large egg yolks
- 160 g (⅔ cup) canned pumpkin purée*, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips, any combination of milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- Place the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking until the butter foams and browns, but does not burn. Pour the browned butter over the sugars into the mixing bowl, stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes until no longer hot.
- Whisk together the pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then mix that into the butter and sugar, beating until well combined.
- With the mixer on low, or by hand, slowly mix in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for on top, and any other optional mix-ins.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press it evenly into the pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips and bake for 28-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown, the edges are just set. The center should still feel every so slightly soft when gently touched. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Like most cookies, these pumpkin chocolate chip blondies have the best texture the first two days after they're baked. When freshly baked, the chocolate chips are still warm and melty against the chewy centers and crisp edges. That being said, if you have leftovers (this is a BIG IF), store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Pumpkin Puree
I exclusively use non-organic canned pumpkin purée as it is thicker and less watery than organic canned pumpkin. If using organic canned pumpkin, press the pumpkin purée between some sheets of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to remove some of the moisture.Dairy-Free
Replace the browned butter with melted plant butter, and be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.How to keep blondies chewy rather than cakey
Weigh your dry ingredients and, as mentioned above, use any of the specific brands of flour listed in the recipe. Different brands have different grind texture and will produce different outcomes. For the chewiest blondies, I recommend using organic dark brown sugar. It is more moist with a more assertive molasses flavor than conventional. Conventional will also work, but then I recommend then adding in ½-1 teaspoon of molasses if you've got it and reducing the bake time by 1-2 minutes. Finally, err on the side of underbaking or you risk crunchy or dry blondies that are gritty in texture. They're ready when the edges are golden brown and set and the center is set but still feels a bit underbaked when gently touched.Recipe Variations
These pumpkin blondies can be easily customized to satisfy your cravings. Here are a few ideas!
- M&Ms: replace the chocolate chips with M&Ms (or do half and half!)
- Butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips: Swap some or all of the chocolate chips for a different flavor. All of these would pair beautifully!
- Nuts: Add up to ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
- Leftover Halloween candy: Chop up that leftover chocolate-y Halloween candy and toss it into the dough. You will thank me later.
Make Ahead Pumpkin Blondies
If you want to save time, you can prepare the blondies in advance up to the step of pressing the dough into the pan but before baking. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 4 days in the fridge. On the day you want to serve these blondies, bake them directly from the fridge, adding 2 minutes to the baking time!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review and rating to let me and others know how you liked it!
Andronico's: Ingredients for chewy gluten-free pumpkin blondies
If you're in the Bay Area, head to your local Andronico's Community Market to stock up on canned pumpkin purée because it's officially the season of all things pumpkin. While you're there you can grab the three gluten-free flours you'll need for this recipe: almond flour, tapioca flour, and sweet rice flour (mochiko), as well as all other baking staples you don't already have on hand.
GFree619 -
Thank you sooo much for this recipe. My husband was having a bad day and these completely turned it around! We fought over them!