Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting are soft, chewy and the perfect answer to a crisp Fall day. With warm spices, velvety white chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and a silky-smooth cream cheese frosting that is to die for, these blondies are even better than a Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Better than a PSL
You guys, these blondies… Are. So. Freaking. Good. The second one crispy leaf hits the ground, I’m craving them.
Why, you ask? Because these gluten free pumpkin spice blondies with cream cheese frosting have everything.
√ Buttery, chewy, toffee flavor
√ Warm fall spices
√ Melty white chocolate chips
√ Crunchy toasted pecans
And let’s not forget about the absolute best part of the whole damn blondie: cream cheese frosting. Oodles of it.
Dare I say it, but these Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting are even better than a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
**GASP!!**
I know, I know, but hear me out. A PSL is topped with whipped cream. And these blondies are topped with cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting > whipped cream. All day, every day.
Now, let’s talk about how to make these blondies so we can start eating.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Step 1
To make the blondies, I use a basic blondie batter for the base (say that 5 times fast!) and amp up the flavors with fall spices, cinnamon chips, velvety white chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and (obviously) cream cheese frosting.
To give the gluten free pumpkin spice blondies a little more oomph, I use brown butter like I do in my gluten free toffee chocolate chip cookies. This gives the blondies an extra nutty, toffee flavor that is irresistible!
(Side note, if you haven’t made my gluten free toffee chocolate chip cookies yet stop what you’re doing and make them right now. Everyone you know will thank you for it. Seriously, they are that good).
Whatever you do, DO NOT add the sugar to saucepan with the cooked butter. Make sure you melt and cook the butter in a saucepan, THEN pour into a bowl with the brown sugar. Allow the butter/sugar mixture to cool to lukewarm before adding the egg.
If you add the sugar directly to the saucepan with cooked butter, you will wind up with a glob of Werther’s caramel. It is a hot mess (literally) and a ROYAL pain in the ass to clean up. Not that I’ve ever done this before or anything…
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Step 2
While the butter-sugar mixture cools, toast the pecans over medium-low heat in a small sauce pan, just to bring out their flavor. Once the butter-sugar mixture has cooled to lukewarm (please be careful not to burn your hand or fingers when testing this!!!), add the egg and vanilla and mix to until the batter is thick and lighter in color.
Next, sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You should still see a few streaks of flour.
Finally, fold in the toasted pecans, white chocolate and cinnamon chips. You shouldn’t see any streaks of flour after the remaining ingredients are folded in.
Bake the gluten free pumpkin spice blondies in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Your house will smell like all of the fall candles… a basic girls dream come true.
The Best Part of Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies: Cream Cheese Frosting
If you missed any of the previous sections of this post, we have already established that cream cheese frosting is the best. Not the best frosting, just the best. Period.
So adding cream cheese frosting to these gluten free pumpkin spice blondies was a no-brainer. I use my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe and simply adjust the amount based on the size of this recipe.
Simply take one, 8 ounce package of softened, room temperature cream cheese and combined it with ¾ of a stick of unsalted room temperature butter. It’s important to use room temperature ingredients because that’s what keeps the frosting silky-smooth and prevents lumps of cream cheese or butter.
When mixing the butter and cream cheese, make sure to mix until smooth and combined and then add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Again, this ensures a smooth texture for the frosting.
And about 5 minutes later you will have fluffy, smooth, delectable cream cheese frosting. Just make sure you have enough for the gluten free pumpkin spice blondies; you can eat this cream cheese frosting by the spoonful.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Final Step
Once the gluten free pumpkin spice blondies are cooled to room temperature, spread the top with the cream cheese frosting and some of the remaining toasted pecans.
Your final step? Devour.
These blondies are so soft and chewy, they have an almost fudgy texture. The spices compliment the crunchy toasted pecans and creamy white chocolate chips. The cinnamon chips add just enough heat and bring out the pumpkin spice even more. And the frosting…well, you know.
Let's Eat!
The next time you don’t know what to make for dessert or you’re craving the perfect Fall bite, give these Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting a try. I promise you’ll be glad you did. And be sure to tag me on social if you make them. Cheers to you, friend!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Blondies
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans* divided
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (I prefer Godiva)
Frosting
- 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup confectioner's sugar sifted
Instructions
For the Blondies
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8” x 8” pan.
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the butter begins to foam and then brown. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the brown sugar to the brown butter and mix on low for 30 seconds until just combined. Let the mixture cool slightly, until lukewarm.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until batter begins to thicken and lighten in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrap the bowl down to ensure mixture is well combined.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and with the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
- With a rubber spatula, fold in ½ cup of the toasted chopped pecans, the cinnamon chips and the white chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the blondies are lightly brown on the edges and top. Remove from the oven, loosed the edges with a table knife, and cool completely before frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting and serving.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extracts until mixture is smooth.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar ¼ cup at a time and mix until smooth after each addition.*
- Frost the cooled blondies, cut into 12-16 squares and serve.
Notes
- To toast the pecans, place them in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat and stir often with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. You will begin to smell the pecans as the oils are released. Make sure to keep an eye on them because they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly! Once you can smell the pecans, they should be done toasting.
- It goes without saying, but always make sure your mixer is on low when you add the confectioner’s sugar to the cream cheese mixture. Otherwise you’ll be wearing most of it.
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