Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies
yields: 15 - 24 bars, 9x13 pan
These 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 on every bite. The perfect fall dessert to serve a crowd.
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; do not substitute white 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.