Pumpkin Spider Web Blondies with Cream Cheese

Fudgy, chewy, moist, and perfectly spiced blondies are packed with the flavors of white chocolate, pumpkin, and a little cream cheese. Decorate however you’d like, but I’ve included instructions for making a spider web design on top.

Most people might say their favorite holiday is either Christmas or Thanksgiving, but Halloween is definitely mine. Halloween is a close to my heart because it’s a day that blurs the line between the living and the dead. Before I started blogging, my full time career was “Mortician” and every day I held hands with death (…and painted it’s nails, too). Morticians remember and honor the dead every day, but on Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), we ALL celebrate life and death together. Those in the death industry face their own mortality every day, so it’s nice when the rest of the world does it with us. The dead can’t talk, but they have taught me so much about LIVING, having gratitude, and savoring every little moment. I suppose that’s why meals and food shared together mean so much to me. I could go on (and on), but I’ll get back to these spook-tacular pumpkin blondies instead! I’m not sure when pumpkins, spiders, witches, and monsters all got roped into Halloween, but here we are!

King Arthur Baking posted this incredible looking spider web brownie recipe years ago and I have not forgotten about it one bit. It is the inspiration behind these not-as-spooky pumpkin blondies. I based this recipe off my banana and white chocolate blondies recipe.

Ingredients Used In Pumpkin Blondies

• White Chocolate & Butter: the base of any great blondie! Brown your butter for extra blondie points, too!
• Brown Sugar: adds a rich, chewiness to these blondies. Granulated sugar would be okay, too.
• Egg: Room temperature for best results! I haven’t made this recipe eggless, but a flax egg would likely still work well!
• Pumpkin Puree: canned, not fresh for the best moisture content. I prefer Libby’s brand 100% pure.
• Vanilla extract: to enhance the flavors.
• Flour: all-purpose works great. I have not tried substituting with alternative flours in this recipe, but a 1:1 gluten-free flour will likely work best.
• Salt: enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
• Baking Powder: for just a little rise.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use store-bought or make your own with this easy recipe!

How To Make Pumpkin Spider Web Blondies

Make the cream cheese topping:

Cream together the cream cheese and sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Make the pumpkin blondies:

1. Line the base and sides of an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan with parchment and preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
3. In a medium heat-proof bowl, place white chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until chocolate and butter have melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add brown sugar and mix to combine. Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. Using a medium mesh strainer, sift in the dry ingredients then fold just until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.
5. Place cream cheese topping in a piping bag or ziploc bag. Cut ¼ inch opening on one corner of the bag and begin creating your spider web.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until wobbly-set and golden on top. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

How To Make the Spider Web Design on Bars

Start either in the center of the pan by creating a small circle with cream cheese or on the outside creating the largest circle and working your way in toward the center. Continue creating larger concentric circles with a little gap in between so you can still see the pumpkin top. Create circles until you run out of space (I made 5 circles using a 9×9 inch square pan). Don’t worry about making the perfect circles as this adds a charming cragginess to these bars.

Using a toothpick inserted into the batter, start at the center of the center circle and pull to the outside edges. Clean the toothpick each time or use a new one. Go around the entire circle repeating this pattern. Trace those lines with more cream cheese for a more pronounced spider web design. I filled in my center circle with cream cheese and added a little bit of pumpkin blondie batter to it to complete the middle of my spider web.

Why this recipe works

• Perfectly spiced: The pumpkin spice flavors are not overwhelming. They perfectly complement the pumpkin puree for a well-balanced bar.
• It’s easy: Once you’ve mixed together the blondie batter and the cream cheese mixture, it’s easy to assemble. The spider web design looks more complicated than it is!
• You can double the cream cheese: More cheesecake batter for me, please! If you’d like to make a marbled cheesecake blondie, follow the notes in the recipe below.

Storing Pumpkin Spider Web Blondies

Store pumpkin blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days for best results. These can be frozen for two weeks for maximum freshness and best moisture content.

More delicious Halloween recipes

• Hocus Pocus Life Potion Cocktail: A sweet and sour green bubbly potion cocktail that feels straight out of the movie itself! Add a piece of dry ice for the full effect. 
• Graveyard Chocolate Panna Cotta: Fudgy, chocolatey and unbelievably creamy, these individual Halloween party panna cotta desserts will have your guests digging little graves! 
• Snickers Brownies: Use up your leftover Halloween candy in these delicious brownies filled with snickers bars!

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