How to Make Pumpkin Spice Blondies with Fresh Milled Flour

These pumpkin blondies are a fall version of my regular fresh milled flour blondie recipe, with warm pumpkin pie spice, white chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and a little flaky salt on top. This pumpkin blondies recipe has the rich, buttery flavor I love in a blondie, with an autumn twist.

There is no pumpkin puree in this recipe. I wanted the cozy flavor of pumpkin spice while keeping the familiar blondie texture and simple one-bowl method. Coconut sugar gives the bars a deep color and caramel-like flavor, so they may look darker than blondies made with white or light brown sugar.

I have made this recipe with both hard red wheat and soft white wheat. The two grains bring different flavors and textures, and both work well. If you want the original version, see my regular fresh milled flour blondies. My kids helped taste-test the batch, and it disappeared before long. They especially liked the flaky salt I sprinkled over the blondies as soon as they came out of the oven.

Use the jump-to-recipe button if you are ready to bake. If you want a little more detail first, I’ll walk through the ingredients, wheat choices, and the doneness cues that make a difference with this recipe.

What Makes This Pumpkin Blondies Recipe Different?

Many pumpkin blondie recipes use pumpkin puree. This pumpkin blondies recipe gets its fall flavor from pumpkin pie spice instead, so it stays close to my usual blondie recipe. That is the point of this variation: familiar buttery bars, with warm spice, sweet white chocolate, and toasted pecans.

The finished bars are rich and substantial, not light like cake. Coconut sugar and fresh milled wheat make the batter and baked bars a deeper brown, even though there is no cocoa in the recipe. The spice brings a warm, cinnamon-forward flavor, while white chocolate adds little pockets of sweetness and pecans add a toasty crunch.

A sprinkle of flaky salt balances the sweetness. I added it when I pulled the pan from the oven, and my kids loved it. If your family likes a sweet-and-salty finish, this is a simple way to add one.

Why You’ll Love This Fresh Milled Flour Blondie Recipe

• It uses the familiar blondie method: melted butter, one bowl, and a 9 x 13-inch pan.
• Pumpkin pie spice gives it fall flavor without adding pumpkin puree.
• White chocolate and toasted pecans make each square feel special without requiring frosting.
• You can choose hard red wheat for a heartier flavor or soft white wheat for a milder one.
• The pan makes about 12 bars, so there is enough to share or tuck away for later.
• You can choose your preferred texture. Begin checking before 40 minutes for a softer center; at 40 minutes, my batch was fully cooked rather than gooey.

Choosing Fresh Milled Wheat

I have made these pumpkin spice blondies with hard red wheat and soft white wheat. Both work, but each brings its own flavor and texture.

Hard red wheat has a deeper, more noticeable whole-grain flavor. It gives the bars a heartier character that pairs naturally with toasted pecans and warm spices. Soft white wheat is milder and makes the whole-wheat flavor less prominent. If you are new to fresh milled flour, soft white wheat may be a comfortable place to start.

The recipe is based on my regular blondie recipe, which is flexible with different grains. I think it can work with a range of wheat varieties, but the amount of flour may need adjustment. In this pumpkin spice version, use 280 grams if you are milling hard red wheat. If you are using soft white wheat or spelt, start with 260 grams and add more only if the batter looks loose. Fresh flour can vary with the grain, mill setting, and how it is measured, so use the batter texture as your guide.

You want a thick, spreadable batter. It should not be dry or crumbly, and it should not run like a thin cake batter. Add flour gradually if needed; it is easier to add a little more than to correct a batter that has become too stiff.

Quick Flour Reference

Grain	Starting flour weight	Flavor and texture note
Hard red wheat	280 g	Deeper whole-grain flavor and a heartier blondie
Soft white wheat	260 g; add up to 280 g if the batter is loose	Milder flavor; the amount needed can vary
Spelt	260 g; add up to 280 g if the batter is loose	The regular blondie base has also worked with spelt; check batter consistency

The pumpkin-spice version was made with hard red and soft white wheat. Spelt is included as a possible option based on the regular blondie base, not as a separately confirmed pumpkin-spice test. Use the texture of the batter as your guide rather than adding the full amount automatically.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Butter: Melted butter forms the rich base of the blondies. Let it cool slightly before adding the eggs so the eggs do not begin to cook.

Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar sweetens the bars and gives them their dark color and deep flavor. It may look grainy when whisked with the butter; that is normal.

Eggs and vanilla: Two large eggs bind the batter, and vanilla rounds out the warm spice and coconut sugar.

Fresh milled flour: The recipe uses 280 grams of freshly milled hard red wheat flour. For soft white wheat or spelt, begin with 260 grams and add up to 280 grams only if needed.

Pumpkin pie spice: Two teaspoons add the autumn flavor without changing the moisture level of the base recipe.

Baking soda and fine salt: These season and lift the batter. Whisk them into the flour so they are evenly distributed.

White chocolate chips and toasted pecans: The white chocolate makes the bars sweeter and creamy, while pecans bring a nutty crunch. Toast the pecans before adding them and let them cool so they do not melt the chips.

Flaky salt: This optional finishing salt adds a pleasant contrast to the sweet bars. Sprinkle it over the top right after baking.

Equipment

You will need a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a whisk, and a flexible spatula. A kitchen scale is helpful for weighing fresh flour and coconut sugar, since weight measurements are more consistent than scooping.

Lining the pan with parchment makes it easier to lift the blondies out after they cool. Leave a little parchment overhang on two sides so you have something to hold.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Blondies

1. Prepare the pan and oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
2. Melt the butter. Melt the butter and pour it into a large bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes if it is very hot. It should still be melted, but not so hot that it could cook the eggs.
3. Whisk in the coconut sugar. Add the coconut sugar and whisk until the mixture is evenly combined. It may still look slightly grainy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy and smooth.
5. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the fresh milled flour on top of the wet mixture. Add the baking soda, fine salt, and pumpkin pie spice over the flour. Whisk the dry ingredients together lightly on top before stirring them into the wet ingredients below. This helps distribute the leavening and spice without dirtying another bowl.
6. Fold in the chocolate and pecans. Add the white chocolate chips and cooled toasted pecans. Fold just until they are spread through the batter.
7. Spread the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly into the corners. Sprinkle flaky salt over the top if you are using it.
8. Bake and check early. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. For a softer, gooier center, begin checking before the end of that window. The edges should look set and the center should no longer look wet, though it may still appear soft. At 40 minutes, my batch was fully cooked rather than gooey.
9. Finish with flaky salt. If you did not salt the top before baking, sprinkle flaky salt over the hot blondies as soon as they come out of the oven.
10. Cool completely. Let the pan cool before lifting the blondies out and cutting them. They will continue to set as they cool, and waiting makes cleaner squares.

How to Tell When Blondies Are Done

The bake time is the biggest texture choice in this recipe. If you like a gooier blondie, start checking around 30 minutes and continue in short intervals as needed. Look for set edges and a center that is no longer visibly wet. A toothpick may have moist crumbs attached; it does not need to come out perfectly clean.

If you prefer a fully cooked, firmer bar, bake closer to 40 minutes. At that point, my blondies were fully cooked rather than gooey. The center should look set, and a toothpick should come out with a few crumbs rather than wet batter.

Do not rely on color alone. Coconut sugar and fresh milled wheat make these bars dark before they go into the oven, so their brown color is not a reliable signal that they are overbaked.

Optional Cream Cheese Frosting

This uses the frosting proportions from your pumpkin bread recipe; it hasn’t been separately tested on these blondies.

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
• Cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add cream a tablespoon at a time until spreadable. Frost the blondies only after they have cooled completely; add a light sprinkle of cinnamon if you like.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Spice Blondies

• Measure the flour by weight when you can. The recipe’s 280 grams is based on hard red wheat. With soft white wheat or spelt, begin at 260 grams and add more only if the batter is loose.
• Let hot butter cool briefly. Very hot butter can affect the eggs when you whisk them in.
• Do not overmix once the flour is added. Stir just until the flour disappears, then fold in the chips and pecans.
• Toast and cool the pecans first. This brings out their nutty flavor and keeps them from warming the chocolate chips.
• Check the blondies before 40 minutes. This is especially important if you like a gooey center. Your pan, oven, and preferred doneness all affect the final bake.
• Cool before cutting. Warm blondies can be soft and messy to slice. Once they cool, they hold their shape better.

Troubleshooting the Batter and Bake

If the batter looks loose or dry, check the flour guidance for your grain and add flour gradually. If the center still looks wet, continue baking and check again after a few minutes. At 40 minutes, my batch was fully cooked rather than gooey, so begin checking earlier if you prefer a softer center. The bars are dark from the coconut sugar and fresh milled flour; judge the edges and center instead of color alone.

Serving Ideas

These blondies are good on their own with a glass of milk, coffee, or tea. For dessert, serve a square slightly warm with vanilla ice cream. You can also cut them into smaller pieces for a fall potluck, family gathering, or treat tray. For another bake with warm spices, try my fresh milled flour pumpkin bread. For more ideas, browse my fresh milled flour recipes.

Because the bars already have white chocolate, pecans, spice, and flaky salt, they do not need frosting. If you want to dress them up, serve any sauce or ice cream on the side rather than spreading it over the pan. That keeps the top easy to see and lets everyone choose how rich they want their serving.

How to Store Them

Let the blondies cool completely before storing. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. If your kitchen is warm, you can refrigerate them.

For longer storage, cut the cooled blondies into squares, wrap them well, and freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. This follows the storage method for my regular blondie recipe; I have not separately tested how the white chocolate and pecans affect freezer texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this pumpkin blondies recipe different from one made with pumpkin puree?

This recipe uses pumpkin pie spice instead of pumpkin puree, keeping it close to my regular blondie base and its familiar one-bowl method.

Can I use hard red wheat or soft white wheat?

Yes. I have made these with both. Hard red wheat gives a stronger whole-grain flavor, while soft white wheat is milder. Start with the flour weight listed for your grain and check the batter before adding extra.

Can I use another wheat variety?

I think the recipe is versatile enough to try other wheat varieties, but the amount and texture may vary. The pumpkin-spice version has been made with hard red and soft white wheat. The regular blondie base has also worked with spelt, so that is a reasonable next variation to try. Start with less flour and add more only if the batter is loose.

How do I keep the center gooey?

Start checking before 40 minutes. The edges should be set, while the middle can remain soft as long as it no longer looks wet. My batch baked for 40 minutes was fully cooked and not gooey, so take your preferred texture into account.

Can I leave out the pecans?

Yes. You can omit the pecans if you need a nut-free version. The bars will have less crunch and a slightly different flavor. If you need to avoid cross-contact with nuts, check the labels on your chocolate chips and other ingredients.

A Fall Twist on a Family Favorite

These pumpkin spice blondies take my regular fresh milled flour blondies and give them a cozy fall flavor with pumpkin pie spice, white chocolate, toasted pecans, and flaky salt. I like that hard red and soft white wheat each bring something different to the pan, and my kids made it clear that the flaky-salt finish belongs on the recipe. For the softest center, check before 40 minutes; if you bake the full 40, expect a fully cooked bar rather than a gooey one.

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