#pullupachair with Food Network

It’s halfway through November and I thought for sure I’d have cooked my way through a patch’s worth of pumpkin by now, but alas, I’ve been through only a measly two cans this fall season. I have all sorts of pumpkin-centric recipes bookmarked — pumpkin garlic knots, pancakes, mac ‘n cheese — but life is getting in the way. I’ve barely had the chance to cook at all over the last few weeks, and I’m oh-so-sad. Sigh.

Fortunately, my not-so-secret obsession, Food Network, has fixed up just the thing to get me out of my food funk: Virtual Thanksgiving. In honor of the ultimate foodie holiday, Food Network has invited the entire food community to #pullupachair to The Communal Table today at noon EST. (Scroll down to view the whole menu. Bet you’re going to be stuffed!)

As I so often do for dinner parties, I’ve volunteered to do dessert: my very own cinnamon chip pumpkin blondies. (Fun fact: It’s taking me twice as long to write this blog post because I’m eating one of these right now — typing a sentence, taking a bite, typing a sentence taking a bite…  It’s unproductive.)

I’ve seen pumpkin blondies with both chocolate and white chocolate chips, but I worried they would overpower the fantastic fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I opted to use a bag of mini cinnamon chips I purchased from a local candy shop, and was pleased with the little pockets of spice bursting out of each bite.

Cinnamon chip pumpkin blondies
♦14 tbs. butter (1-3/4 sticks) of unsalted butter
♦1-1/4 c. brown sugar
♦2 c. all-purpose flour
♦1 tsp. baking soda
♦3/4 tsp. salt
♦1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
♦3/4 tsp. ginger
♦1/2 tsp. nutmeg
♦1/2 tsp. ground cloves
♦1 egg
♦1 tbs. vanilla extract
♦1 c. pumpkin puree
♦1-1/2 c. mini cinnamon chips
♦3 tbs. honey
♦2 tbs. caramel sauce (I used Hershey’s)

Cream butter and brown sugar in stand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Back in the mixer, drop vanilla and egg and beat well. Add pumpkin puree, and mix until well combined. On low, slowly add dry mix. Fold in cinnamon chips. To make removal and cutting easier, I would recommend placing a sheet of tinfoil inside a 9×13 baking dish (and coat with baking spray). Spread mixture evenly in dish. Drizzle honey, then caramel  on top, and bake at 375 degrees for 38 minutes. Makes 24 bars.

Total time? 10 minutes prep, 40 minutes baking
Cost? $1.69 can of pumpkin puree, $2.99 mini cinnamon chips (not the best price, but worth it for the novelty!), additional costs if you don’t have ginger, cloves, etc. on hand.
Overall success relative to expectations? 9 out of 10. Pumpkin is back with a vengeance, my friends. Five minutes after these blondies hit the oven, I peeked my head in and was punched in the face by a metaphorical fist full of pumpkin spice. Eventually, my house smelled like a Yankee candle — a bargain, considering these are a fraction of the cost and won’t give you wax poisoning if you eat them. The blondies are incredibly moist and make a great group dessert (or breakfast, as I’ve done every day this week). The honey and caramel on top get a slight post-bake crisp to give you a textural variant, and the overall flavors are the epitome of autumn.

#PullUpAChair with Food Network’s Virtual Thanksgiving!

Cocktails, Appetizers, Soups and Salads:
Eat Be Mary: She’s Mulling It Over Wine
Cookistry: Bread With Ancient Grains
Celebrity Chefs and Their Gardens: The American Hotel Peconic Clam Chowder
Picky Eater Blog: Butternut Squash Soup With Thyme and Parmesan
Good Food Good Friends: Mushroom Soup

Mains:
Examiner.com: Grilled Quail with a Warm Beet, Frisée, and Pistachio Salad
She Wears Many Hats: Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey

Sides:
Living Mostly Meatless: Vegan-Friendly Corn Casserole
Healthy Green Kitchen: Red Kuri Squash Pie
The Naptime Chef: Crispy Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes
Gluten-Free Blondie: Apple and Cranberry Studded Stuffing
Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat: Blue Cheese and Rosemary Celebration Potatoes
Burnt Lumpia: Turkey, Sweet Potato and Cranberry Empanadas
Panfusine: Pan Fried Polenta Seasoned With Cumin, Ginger & Black Pepper
Homemade Cravings: Warm Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Slaw
Bakeaholic Mama: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crispy Prosciutto
Show Food Chef: Beer-Braised Brussels Sprouts
T’s Tasty Bits: Sweet Empanadas with Pumpkin and Lupini Beans Filling
The Amused Bouche Blog: Braised Kale
The Little Kitchen: How to Make the Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Desserts:
The Macaron Queen: Macaron Tower
Poet In The Pantry: Amaretto Apple Crisp
Farm Girl Gourmet: Pumpkin Coconut Panna Cotta
That’s Forking Good: Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Blondies
Out of the Box Food: Out of the Box Food Maple Pumpkin Pie
Cake Baker 35: Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Lisa Michele: Pumpkin, Pecan, Cheesecake Pie
Food For My Family: Buttermilk Custard Pear Pie
Simple Bites: Black-Bottom Maple Pumpkin Pie
A Cooks Nook: Swedish Apple Pie
Yakima Herald: Pretzel Jell-O Salad
How Does She: Three of Our Favorite Desserts
Dollhouse Bake Shoppe: Thanksgiving Candy Bar Name Plates
Sweet Fry: Pumpkin Latte
Tasty Trials: Spiced Apple Panna Cotta With Caramelized Apples and Caramel Sauce
An Uneducated Palate: Puff Pastry Apple Tart
Frugal Front Porch: Mini Cheaty Cheesecakes

Even more:
Kitchen Courses: Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60
A Curious Palate: The Communal Table