Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

Like so many people, autumn is my absolutely favorite season. Cool temps, rainy days, and colorful leaves make it the perfect time for snuggling under a cozy blanket with a warm drink and a special treat. As someone who loves pumpkin flavor, I am always looking for new pumpkin recipes. This Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe checks all of the boxes of things I love: pumpkin pie spice flavors, snickerdoodles, and cream cheese frosting! Together they generate all the wonderful fall feelings! 

Some of the best features of this recipe:

The delicious cake is a bursting with pumpkin pie spice flavors from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of allspice – although you can use pre-made pumpkin spice if you prefer.

The pumpkin layer is dense like a blondie.

Cream of tartar adds the tang of a snickerdoodle.

The top layer of the cake is a creamy, tangy, and easy to make cream cheese frosting sprinkled with homemade cinnamon sugar – just like a snickerdoodle.

This recipe does not take a long time to make and is super easy with no difficult baking techniques and totally simple ingredients. So whether you’re yearning for the fall season in July (like me) or looking for a dessert to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, mix up a batch of these Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting for the pumpkin lover in your life.

Recipe Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar (white sugar)

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch of allspice

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

8 oz block of cream cheese (room temperature)

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

See ingredient notes about using pumpkin pie spice.

Helpful Tools

Stand mixer

Fine mesh sieve

Whisk

Offset spatula

Ingredient Notes

It’s always pumpkin season thanks to the canned version. Remember that you should be using pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.

I like mixing up my own spices, but you can use pumpkin pie spice instead. Check the FAQs for the quantity.

Full fat cream cheese makes the best frosting!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper letting a little bit of paper hang over the long sides of the pan. This will help you remove the blondies later.

3. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Check out the Tips & Tricks for my easy way of doing this.

4. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice, and cream of tartar to the flour and whisk to combine. Set aside.

5. Add 1 cup of softened butter, the brown sugar, the granulated sugar, the eggs, and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

6. Beat the ingredients at low speed until thoroughly combined, about two minutes.

7. Add the pumpkin puree and mix at low speed until combined. It will look curdled but don’t worry; it will come together once you add the dry ingredients.

8. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and up from the bottom so that all of the ingredients are combined.

9. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Mix until just combined. Once again, be sure that you have scraped down the sides and up from the bottom of the mixing bowl.

10. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to evenly smooth out the batter. Be sure to get dough into the corners.

11. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

12. Cool in the baking pan for 15 minutes, then lift the cake out using the parchment paper overhang. Cool on a wire rack. Remember that your cake must be completely cooled before frosting!

13. Prepare the cream cheese frosting by combining the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until smooth.

14. Add one cup of  powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) to the butter and cream cheese and mix on low speed until combined. 

15. Add an additional 1/2 cup to 1 cup of powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments. Taste the frosting after the first 1/2 cup to see if it is sweet enough for your taste. I added an additional 1/2 cup (total 1 cup) to achieve that taste and texture I wanted. 

16. Set aside until the cake is cool enough to frost. If you need to wait more than 30 minutes before frosting the cake, store your frosting in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also just leave it in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Give it a few minutes to soften before using.

17. Prepare the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together and set aside.

18. Use an offset spatula to frost the top of the cake.

19. Generously sprinkle the surface of the cake with the cinnamon sugar topping. You will definitely have some cinnamon sugar leftover. It is a delicious topping for so many things! I store it in an airtight container until the occasion arises to break it out.

Check out the printable recipe card below for complete directions!

Storage

I like to cut the blondies into bars and place them in an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. These Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting are actually even better the next day!

Tips & Tricks

Sifting flour ensures you won’t have lumps in your batter. Once in a while I am lazy about sifting, and I always regret it. To sift easily, position a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl. Mine hooks over the edge, but you can also just hold it up. Add one cup of flour to the sieve and tap lightly. Fill the sieve with the rest of the flour and tap again.

One of my favorite tricks for keeping parchment paper in place while I pour cake batter is to attach the paper with binder clips. Just make sure you remove them before baking!

FAQs

Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices?

Use two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices.

How should I top the cake if I want to omit the cream cheese frosting?

You can sprinkle the surface of the entire cake with the cinnamon sugar before baking. Feel free to add more after the cake is baked and while it is still warm. The cinnamon crunch is amazing!

How much is a “pinch” of something?

A pinch is somewhere between 1/16 tsp and 1/8 tsp. Generally there are no measuring spoons for such a small amount, so you literally take the tiniest “pinch” between your thumb and forefinger. Basically, pinch implies you shouldn’t overdo it.

Dreaming of fall flavors? Try my other pumpkin desserts including pumpkin no churn pumpkin ice cream and easy pumpkin pie bars with gingersnap crust.