Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

As soon as I saw the title of these bars, I knew I would have to try them, and the sooner the better. I made them for a birthday party at work, and they were a huge hit. A colleague then made them and took them to a church potluck, where they were a huge hit. So there you have it, two testimonials.

The temperatures in these parts have been more like fall than winter, so I think it's still acceptable to be cooking with pumpkin. Oh, who am I kidding? I cook with pumpkin all year long. And without apology. It's just that good.

Start by combining the butter and brown sugar



and creaming them until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin



and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg



and gradually mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread about 2/3 of the batter into a greased cake pan.



Now sprinkle with the chocolate chips,



then pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate chips.



(You may need to microwave it for a few seconds so it will pour easily.)

Dollop the remaining batter over the caramel sauce



then spread it out carefully. There still may be some caramel peeking out, which is ok! Bake the bars for about 25 minutes or until they are golden. I especially like these topped with ice cream and drizzled with even MORE caramel sauce...



One year ago: Carrot Bran Muffinshhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Two years ago: Baked Oatmeal

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Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

3/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 - 12 oz. jar caramel ice cream topping

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla and pumpkin until combined. Gradually add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly to ensure a smooth batter. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into a greased 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of the batter.

Microwave the caramel sauce (in the jar) at 50% power for 30 seconds, just to soften it and make it easy to pour. Pour the caramel over chocolate.

Place dollops of the remaining batter over the top of the caramel layer. Spread those dollops out to try and get a smooth layer of batter over top.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until edges are golden and a toothpick comes out free of batter when inserted. (It might come out with a little caramel on it which is fine.)

Recipe Source: Adapted from the Tasty Kitchen