Oh My Gourd

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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It’s not hard to understand the appeal: syrupy-sweet, warmly spiced, and redolent of everyone’s favorite morning cup of Joe, pumpkin spice lattes have taken off for plenty of good reasons. Add in their limited seasonal availability, and you’ve got a legitimate craze on your hands. What I have trouble wrapping my mind around, on the other hand, is why this same flavor palate has spread like an annual autumnal infection across the food landscape, afflicting everything from breath mints to hummus to moonshine, and that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. Don’t forget about the body care products, offering pumpkin spice lip balm to keep you in the pumpkin spice spirit even when you’re not actively consuming anything.

Pumpkin spice is a wonderful thing, but I think that I’m reaching flavor fatigue more rapidly than ever. At least, that was until I heard about the latest creation from Dandies…

Well, I’ll eat my hat. Or another round of pumpkin spice treats, to be more accurate. A large part of this once humble seasoning’s success is truly its pervasiveness. No longer can it be ignored or avoided; one must either get on board, or get run over. Luckily, it’s no sacrifice to join the bandwagon with these mini marshmallows. Cinnamon leads in this well-balanced melange of spices, followed by more subtle notes of clove and ginger, but the blend is so successful that it’s truly a challenge to pick the individual notes apart. Soft, springy little pillows of fluff, they possess the very same delightful chew as the originals, but sport a dusty orange hue to complete the theme.

The temptation to plop a few of those miniature mallows straight into my steaming mug of coffee was strong, I must admit, but I managed to resist. Of course, I didn’t manage to resist shoveling two full bags into my mouth completely unadorned and in short order, but I’d like to think that there’s still more dignity in that approach, some how.

With my last remaining bag, I went into the kitchen and fired up the oven to do these morsels proper justice. As temperatures outside began to drop, the kitchen began to warm and fill with the heady aroma of brown sugar, toasted marshmallows, and yes, pumpkin spice.

Folded into a dense yet soft blondie batter enriched with a healthy dose of genuine pumpkin puree, most of the marshmallows seemed to melt while baking, but that’s not to say they disappeared. Leaving gooey pockets of sweetness, almost like a highly spiced caramel sauce, each void contained an incredible wealth of flavor.

The year, I implore you to leave the latte, but take the blondie. There’s no sense in fighting the incoming wave of pumpkin-treats this year, so we might as well make them count.

Yield: Makes 12 – 16 Servings

Pumpkin Spice Blondies

Pumpkin Spice Blondies

Folded into a dense yet soft blondie batter enriched with a healthy dose of genuine pumpkin puree, most of the marshmallows seemed to melt while baking, but that’s not to say they disappeared. Leaving gooey pockets of sweetness, almost like a highly spiced caramel sauce, each void contained an incredible wealth of flavor.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Cup 100% Pumpkin Puree
  • 3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons Aquafaba (Liquid from a Can of Chickpeas)
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 3/4 Cup Dandies Pumpkin Spice Mini Marshmallows, Divided
  • 1/2 Cup Pepitas (Hulled Pumpkin Seeds), Divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. Add in 1/2 cup of the marshmallows and 1/3 cup of the pepitas. Toss to coat the mix-ins with the dry goods. This will help prevent them from all sinking to the bottom as the blondies bake.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, aquafaba, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Once homogeneous, pour these liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry goods, stirring with a wide spatula just to combine. Be careful not to over-mix.
  4. Spread the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing it out into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining marshmallows and pumpkin seeds over the top, gently pressing them into the surface. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the marshmallows are lightly browned, the batter no longer appears wet, and a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out cleanly. The bars puff up quite a bit while baking, along with the toasted marshmallows on top, but never fear! They’ll fall back down to a
    normal size once cooled.
  5. Let cool completely before slicing into square or bars. For the cleanest cuts, chill the whole slab for at least 15 minutes and use a very sharp knife to make easy work of that sticky marshmallow topping.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies and Bars

26 thoughts on “Oh My Gourd”

    1. I haven’t, but I did try the Trader Joe’s version, which are pretty darned good… If you wanted to go all out, I bet they’d be amazing chopped up and added to these blondies, too!

      2. I’ve had both the PS Oreos and the TJ version (before they were sold out in every TJs here) and BOTH are phenomenal!!! I hate that I’m single cuz I tend to kill the entire package by myself in a matter of days :P

        I just made these blondies – found the Dandies at WF yesterday – SOOOO GOOD! They haven’t cooled yet so I don’t know the ‘final’ texture, but they’re NOMMIE NOM NOM warm!

  5. NOW you’re talkin’ Ms Hannah! OH these look good! I adore pumpkin and eat it almost every day year round. I am going to have to make a batch of these for college. Cheers for the magnificent share :)

  6. Looks scrumptious! Just discovered your blog and absolutely love it :) I can’t wait to see more posts and recipes – thanks for sharing these great photos and inspiring me to try these blondies – I love blondies and have made PB chickpea brownies before. DELICIOUS!

  7. Oh wow – I can’t wait to make these. There’s pretty much nothing pumpkin flavoured in these parts (including sadly those marshmallows) so I haven’t got sick of the flavour at all – in fact, looking at these blondies, I’m craving it more than ever!

  8. I can’t stop saying oh my gourd, only people don’t get it out of context and I just look weird, oh well… I’ve just discovered your wonderful blog and this recipe’s great. I’ve yet to use aquafaba, need to get with it and go for it! :)

  10. Omg, I’ve never seen anything like this, this looks so good!! I see that you used the juice from a can of chickpeas which is super interesting, I’ve never seen that before (am I crazy for not knowing you could do that?!). This recipe looks so good, I can’t wait to keep looking through your blog to see what else I can discover!

    1. Wow, I’m pretty honored that mine were your first blondies! That’s a pretty big responsibility, representing all of the sweet and fabulous blondies out there, so I’m relieved that they were a hit, too. :)

  17. I’m planning to make these but with Japanese Sweet Potatoes. I don’t hate pumpkin but I never got the obsession with pumpkin this time of year!

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