Nutella Pumpkin Blondies

Stack of three pumpkin Nutella blondies with a small pumpkin

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Nutella Pumpkin Blondies

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Nutella Pumpkin Blondies, Nutella Stuffed Pumpkin Blondies

Servings: blondies

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan

Ingredients

3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (120 ml) NOT pumpkin pie filling
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (209 grams)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams)
2/3 cup light brown sugar (140 grams)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Nutella Layer

Line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang around the edges. Add the Nutella to the lined pan and spread into an even layer. Place in the freezer.

Pumpkin Blondie Dough

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
Squeeze the pumpkin puree with a paper towel to remove the excess liquid/moisture. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until you no longer see the melted butter sitting on top of the sugars.
Then whisk the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract into the butter mixture until evenly mixed.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The batter will be sticky and thick - so you may need to use a rubber spatula. Keep mixing until you no longer see lumps or streaks of flour.

Assembling & Baking

Line a second 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper so that there's an overhang around the edges. I recommend lightly greasing the pan first so that the parchment paper stays in place. If you don't have a second pan, remove the Nutella (still attached to the parchment) from the pan in the freezer. Place the Nutella back in the freezer and line the original pan again.
Add about 2/3 to 3/4 of the pumpkin dough into your prepared pan. Spread into an even layer. Pop the pan into the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the top is set.
Remove form the oven (keep the oven turned on). Let the base layer cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the frozen Nutella from the freezer. Peel off the parchment paper, then place the frozen Nutella on top of the pumpkin blondie base.
Lightly grease your hands. Then spoon/pinch off sections of the remaining pumpkin dough. Flatten them down into disc shapes. Place the discs on top of the Nutella layer, working to cover the Nutella layer with pumpkin dough. If you are not able to cover all of the Nutella - that is totally OK.
Place the pan back in the oven. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the sections on the top look set. Bake time will depend on your oven and how gooey you like your pumpkin blondie layers. I baked my base layer for 18 minutes and then the whole pan for an additional 18 minutes and my bars were still on the gooier side.
Cool the bars in the pan until the pan is no longer warm to the touch.
When ready to slice, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment. Place on a cutting board, peel back the parchment and slice using a sharp knife.

Notes

Pan Sizes: This recipe can also be made in a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) pan. The bars will be thinner and the bake time for each layer will be a few minutes less. I do not recommend doubling the recipe and making in a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan, as the bars will be too thick.
Pumpkin: Be sure to buy pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. These two ingredients are not interchangeable.
Spices: Feel free to replace the spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves) with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
Eggs: There are no eggs in this recipe - that is not a typo. Eggs add moisture to baked goods, and because the pumpkin adds so much moisture, we do not need them in this recipe.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 bar, assuming the pan is sliced into 12 uniform bars. You can easily get 16 bars out of this recipe, especially if making in a 9x9 inch pan.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition