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!
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.