Key Ingredients

Unsalted Butter — Used in both the blondie base and the toffee sauce, giving these bars their rich, signature flavor. It also helps create tender, chewy bars while adding silky richness to the homemade toffee.

Brown Sugar — The star and necessary ingredient in both the blondie base and homemade toffee sauce. Its molasses adds a deep, almost butterscotch-like flavor which I think is perfect for these these bars. You can use light or dark brown sugar- I personally like dark 

Granulated Sugar — Balances the brown sugar by adding sweetness and helping the blondie edges bake up crisp and golden.

Pumpkin Puree & Spices — We are using just the good ole canned pumpkin puree here- not pumpkin pie mix- dont get those confused! And healthy does of pumpkin spice and cinnamon to really make these bars taste like fall

All-Purpose Flour — Provides just the right amount of structure without making the bars cakey. Measuring it correctly (spooned and leveled) helps keep the blondie base soft and chewy (dont overfill your measuring cup if measuring with cups and not scale).

Baking Soda — I personally like using a little baking soda to help with browning and crispy caramelized edges which offer a nice break from the gooey, soft middle.

Flaky Sea Salt — Don’t skip the flaky sea salt on top. Plain and simple, cuts the sweetness of these bars.

Cornstarch — Used in both the blondie batter and the toffee sauce. In the blondies, it helps create a softer, more tender crumb. But also, cornstarch helps with a longer shelf life. I’ve noticed that when using it in baking, the baked goods stay fresher, longer. In the toffee, we use corn starch as our thickening agent.

Eggs & Yolk — Eggs are a must in these bars. Without them you will lose moisture and richness. They also contribute to the chewy texture that makes blondies so dang good and addicting. I threw in an extra egg yolk to help the give the bars a little more bind after the pumpkin addition.

Semi Chocolate — This ingredient is optional but I like adding a light layer of dark chocolate melts over the warm toffee, adding richness and just enough bitterness to balance the sweetness of the bars.

FAQ’s

Helpful tips

Here are some important Pro tips by Maude

• Be sure to drain your pumpkin! If you don’t your cookie bars wont completely set in the middle and the bars could come out soupier than we want.
• To ensure your cookie bars come out of the pan after baking, grease your pan well and lay a strip of parchment paper in the pan. This will help you lift the bars out of the pan later.
• When measuring your flour, be sure not to scoop your measuring cup into the flour (that is too much flour!) You want to spoon your flour into your measuring cup (spoonful by spoonful) until the cup is full. Then use a knife to scrape off the top, excess flour. This tip will ensure that you are not using too much flour in your recipes. Too much flour in this recipe can make for cakey bars and we want dense and chewy.
• For the best texture, make sure your butter, eggs, and other refrigerated ingredients are at room temperature before mixing. Room temperature ingredients blend together more evenly, helping create a smooth batter and a blondie base that bakes up chewy, tender, and consistent.

More Recipes!

Here are some more recipes you might enjoy!

OG Toffee Cookie Bars

Perfect Fudge Brownies

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Almond Croissant Blondies

Millionaire Brownies

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Pumpkin Toffee Cookie Bars

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 32 minutes mins

Wait Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

SERVINGS 12 bars

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Equipment

• Saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Mixing bowls (medium & large)
• Rubber spatula
• Kitchen Scale
• Measuring cups
• 8×8 inch pan
• Parchment paper

Ingredients 

Pumpkin Cookie Bars

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter + 2 1/2 tbsp (35 g) for after browning (after browning and additional 2 + 1/2 tbsp, butter should weigh about 217 g)
• 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 g) pumpkin puree, drained well (should land be about 40 g after drain) (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour (spooned & leveled, not packed)
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (3 g) corn starch
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 4 oz Melted dark (or semi sweet) chocolate (for drizzling after baking) (Optional)
• Flaky sea salt for topping

Maple Toffee Sauce

• 28 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 73 g (⅓ cup) packed brown sugar
• 60 g (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) maple syrup
• 21 mL (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) heavy whipping cream
• 6 g (2 tsp) cornstarch
• 10 mL (2 tsp) water
• pinch of fine sea salt
• 1.7 mL (⅓ tsp) vanilla extract

Instructions 

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Note before beginning: In the equipment section above, I reference the type of light metal 8×8 pan that I like to use for this recipe. A light colored pan works best for these bars. I have not seen great success with glass or darker colored pans. Additionally, to drain your pumpkin, simply place the puree in a paper towel and gently squeeze out the excess juice/water.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×8 pan with butter and line with parchment paper (this helps with easy pan removal later).
• To brown the butter- Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan or skillet and place it over medium heat. *A light-colored pan makes it easier to see when the milk solids begin to brown.
• Allow the butter to melt completely, stirring occasionally. As it cooks, the butter will start to foam and sputter, don't worry, this is normal! Continue stirring.
• As the foam begins to subside, you'll notice golden-brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan and a rich, nutty aroma developing. (Keep a close eye on it at this stage, as the butter can brown quickly.)
• Once the milk solids are a deep golden brown and smell toasted and fragrant, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Pour the browned butter, including all of the flavorful browned bits, into a heat-safe bowl. Add the additional 2 1/2 tbsp of butter to the brown butter along with the pumpkin spice and cinnamon. Stir and let the butter cool for about 10 minutes. (Note: Adding the spices to the warm butter will help them bloom and intensify the bars flavor)
• Using a rubber spatula, mix together the cooled butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth. Add the drained pumpkin and mix well. Add the eggs, yolk and vanilla, mix again until incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, gently whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix/fold as you go. Do not overmix!
• Evenly spread dough into the prepared pan and bake for 31-32 minutes, or until the base is golden brown, the edges are set and there is a just a slight jiggle like jello in the middle. Note: ovens do vary so please look for visual cues rather than at the clock. The bars could need more or less time depending on the oven. Best rule of thumb is to start checking for visual cues around 28-30 minutes.
• When the cookie base is almost done (about 5 minutes left of baking), work on the toffee layer. Add water and cornstarch to a small bowl. Mix well with a fork until all cornstarch chunks disappear. Set to the side.
• In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream, salt and maple syrup. Whisk constantly until mix comes to a boil and pour in the cornstarch/water slurry. Stir until the mix thickens, about 1-2 minutes (please do not cook the mixture any longer than 1 – 2 minutes). Then mix in the vanilla. The mixture should still be runny (so that we can pour over the baked cookie bars).
• When the cookie base is done baking, pour the hot toffee over the base *Note: try to spread the toffee in and around the bars as much as possible. You can do this by moving the pan around and letting the toffee spill all over the bars. Our goal is not let too much of the toffee pool in the middle of the cookie base.
• Bake for another 8-9 minutes. Toffee should be bubbling. Remove from the oven, let the bars rest for about 2 hours. To melt the dark chocolate, simply place chocolate chips or chunks in a heat proof bowl, microwave in 10 second intervals, stir and repeat until chocolate is completely melted.
• When ready to serve, lift bars from the pan, drizzle with the melted chocolate and sea salt! Enjoy!
Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If stacking, place a sheet of parchment paper between layers to prevent the chocolate from sticking. For a firmer texture (my personal favorite way to eat these bars!), refrigerate the bars in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Let them sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving so the cookie base and toffee soften slightly.