Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies (Reduced Fat & 178 calories)

On this gorgeous weekend in the tri-state region, I hung out with my friend, ran my errands, spent quality time with my dad, and enjoyed 2 fun days with my husband.  It was a busy, yet relaxing weekend which is just how I like it.

Sunday I was in the mood to bake and opted for those Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Caramel Blondies featured on Lauren’s Latest.  Although the original recipe looks uh-mazing, I wanted to tweak the recipe and lower the fat.
The major change was in the caramel sauce.  For the sauce, I skipped using caramel candy and heavy cream, and instead opted to make my own caramel sauce from scratch using regular evaporated milk. 
Although fattening, evaporated milk saves you 3 grams of fat per serving in comparison to heavy cream. 
This recipe is wonderful, however since the fat was lowered it wasn’t as gooey as I had hoped.  To correct this I would add 2 tbsp of butter in the caramel sauce, instead of 1.  In addition, I would consider increasing the evaporated milk by a couple tablespoons, and thus use 1/2 cup of evaporated milk instead of 1/3 cup.  As always, suggestions and feedback are always welcome. 

NUTRITION: Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and Fiber.  Whole Wheat Pastry Flour adds protein and fiber to this recipe.  Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  Semisweet Chocolate Chips add some antioxidants to these blondies.


MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• I used 2/3’s of the original recipe.
• Instead of using all white flour, I used 1/2 a cup of whole wheat pastry flour.
• 2/3’s of the recipe calls for 8 tbsp of butter, I lowered this to 6 tbsp.
• For the caramel sauce, I didn’t use package caramels and heavy cream, instead I made my own caramel sauce using butter, sugar, and evaporated milk.    

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 16 squares)

• Calories: 178 cals
• Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.6 g
• Carbs: 32 g
• Protein: 2.8 g
• Fiber: 0.8 g

OOEY GOOEY CARAMEL PUMPKIN BLONDIES (REDUCED FAT) (mostly adapted by Lauren’s Latest)
~ yields x @ 350 degrees using a 8″ x 8″ baking tray
~ fat reduced by 33%; saturated fat reduced by 14%; calories reduced by 23%
INGREDIENTS:
for the blondies:

• Unsalted Butter – 6 tbsp (room temperature)
• Brown Sugar – 2/3 cup
• Eggs – 1 egg + 2 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Pure Pumpkin Puree – 2/3 cup
• Cinnamon – 2/3 tsp
• Nutmeg – 1/3 tsp
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1/2 cup
• All Purpose White Flour – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp + 2/3 tsp
• Baking Soda – 2/3 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp

for the filling:

• Walnuts – 1/4 cup (chopped)
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips – 2 tbsp + 2/3 tsp
• Reduced Fat Caramel Sauce

for the Caramel Sauce

• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Water – 2 tbsp
• Evaporated Milk – 1/3 cup (may want to increase to 1/2 cup)
• Unsalted Butter – 1 tbsp (may want to increase to 2 tbsp)
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8” x 8” baking dish.
For the Blondies
3. Cream the butter and brown sugar until creamy and light.
4. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
5. Blend until well incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients… cinnamon, nutmeg, whole wheat pastry flour, white flour, baking soda and salt. 
7. Combine until well incorporated, do not overmix.
8. Spread 2/3’s of the blondie layer into the baking dish.
9. Add chopped walnuts.
10. Add semisweet chocolate chips.
For the Caramel Sauce:
11. Heat a pot on medium heat – add 1/2 cup of sugar and water.  Allow the sugar and water to come to a boil.  Stir occasionally. 
12. Stay close, the color will slowly change.


13. Once it changes to a maple color, turn off the stove and set aside.
14. Slowly add the evaporated milk and stir at the same time.  Keep your face away – it will vigorously bubble away.
15. Stir and add butter.
16. Add vanilla extract and stir.
17. Carefully top the batter, nuts, and chips with caramel sauce.
18. Now add the remaining 1/3 of the batter.
19. Spread.
20. Into the oven for 23 minutes exactly, more or less.
21. This is what you should have.
22. Allow the blondies to cool and then cut into 16 pieces. 

OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5
These caramel pumpkin blondies tasted very good, the trick is to microwave them for about 20 to 30 seconds so they can truly be ooey gooey and delicious.  Since this was a reduced fat recipe, I cut the fat out but I sure did miss the ooey and gooeyness.  Going forward I will add that extra tablespoon of butter in the caramel sauce, in addition to more evaporated milk (suggestions in the recipe above).  If you make these, please tell me what your thoughts are and what alterations you made, if any.


TELL ME: Have you made the original recipe – Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies?  If so, what are your thoughts?