These healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies are a perfect way to indulge in a fudgy, pumpkin-y fall treat all without refined flour or sugar. They are also a delicious Thanksgiving dessert alternative to pie.
This recipe is sponsored by Green & Black's Organic whose amazing chocolate bars are a dream for baking and snacking.
Have I confessed to you yet that I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie? This may come as a surprise considering all the many pumpkin recipes I have on this site.
And it's not the flavor at all - I LOVE everything pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavored. Rather I have problems with the texture.
It seems like pumpkin pie just has so little of it. It's all just smooth and creamy and that little bit of crunch from the crust just doesn't give me enough contrast.
And it's not just limited to pumpkin pie. Any kind of uniformly textured cream pie and even cheesecakes are not high on my must-eat dessert list.
But other than pie I am all about pumpkin - not even just in fall! I add it to smoothies, oatmeal, and sauces year round.
And of course in baking!
Pumpkin puree is a fantastic way to make super moist baked treats - like these moist chocolate brownies. Furthermore, it can even be used to replace or at least decrease the amount of fat in many recipes.
In today's chocolate brownie recipe the pumpkin puree definitely contributes to the awesome fudginess. And another contributing factor is of course the high quality dark chocolate (I used 85%) from Green & Black's.
How To Make Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies From Scratch
There are super easy pumpkin brownies recipes out there that use just a box of brownie mix and pumpkin puree. However this isn't one of them because I like my pumpkin brownies healthy and from scratch.
These are so worth the extra effort!
First step is to melt the chocolate. I do this together with the butter (or coconut oil). This way the melting chocolate won't scorch at the bottom and I won't have to mess with a double boiler.
Then, the pumpkin puree and sugar are added. I use muscovado (real brown sugar) but coconut sugar will also work well.
Because the addition of these two cools the chocolate/butter mix down, when the eggs are added next they don't get scrambled. Together with vanilla extract this already makes up all the wet ingredients.
On to the dry ones. I used white whole wheat flour here. Regular whole wheat flour and probably even your favorite gluten free flour blend may also be substituted. (If you are looking for paleo chocolate pumpkin brownies try these grain-free pumpkin brownies.)
I whisked the flour together with baking powder, sea salt and of course pumpkin pie spice. Because if it has pumpkin, it needs the spice mix to go with it.
Now, the dry ingredients are added to the wet and I am ready to bake the pumpkin brownie bars. Lining the baking pan with parchment first makes it easy to lift out the pumpkin fudge brownies after baking.
I used an 8-inch square pan for super thick brownie slices. You can also bake them in a 9x13-inch pan for thinner brownies. Just be sure to lower the baking time by a few minutes.
VIDEO: How To Make Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownie Frosting
With their fudgy, moist richness and the pumpkin spice flavors these could definitely also be called pumpkin pie brownies. And they are great to be enjoyed all on their own.
But if you want to take these pumpkin puree brownies up one notch - like say, when you want to make them Thanksgiving dinner worthy, you'll also want to add this pumpkin almond brownie frosting.
It is very simple to make. First, almond butter and pumpkin puree are stirred together, then sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with vanilla and pumpkin spice.
A touch of milk to give the frosting its desired consistency. I kept it thicker to be able to pipe it on in swirls. You can also just spread the frosting over the brownies or make it thinner to simply drizzle over top.
Finally, a sprinkle of just a little more chopped Green & Black's chocolate and voila!
Intensely chocolatey, moist and decadent pumpkin brownies that can definitely hold their place next to any pie on your Thanksgiving dessert table.
Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Green & Black’s Organic 85% Dark Chocolate
- ⅓ cup butter or coconut oil
- 1-½ cups coconut sugar or unrefined sugar like muscovado, demerara, etc.
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Pumpkin Almond Butter Frosting:
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1-3 tablespoons almond milk or milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a sauce pan melt Green & Black’s Organic 85% Dark Chocolate and butter/coconut oil on low heat while stirring regularly.
- Once melted, stir in sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and fold in without over mixing.
- Pour the brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. For fudgy brownies a toothpick inserted into the centre should come out with just a few wet crumbs attached.
- Let the brownies cool before frosting and cutting.
- For the frosting, stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Add more milk to achieve desired consistency. Thicker frosting has to be spread or piped, while thinner icing can be drizzled.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you Green & Black's for sponsoring this post. And thank you for all your support to the brands that make Leelalicious possible.
Amy
They look amazing!
We have nut allergies. Any substitutions for the almond butter that would be similar in taste and texture?
Thanks☺️
Regina
How about a seed butter? Like sunbutter or maybe even tahini
Tiffany
I love a good brownie and these look delicious. The pumpkin almond butter frosting is a nice touch. Great for Thanksgiving.
Regina
My thoughts exactly! Perfect for those guests that aren't crazy about pie (like me)
Colleen Milne
These look beautiful and the chocolate and pumpkin together sounds delicious!
Regina
Thanks so much Colleen! It's a great combination
Bethany
I love a good brownie! These look amazing!
Regina
I am not sure I trust people who don't like brownies 😉
The Food Hunter
I love their chocolate.
Regina
We are HUGE fans too. It's just so good
Sabine
Regina, I'm in love with those brownies. The frosting looks so adorable. It lets me thinking of Halloweeeeen.
Regina
You are so right! It almost looks like an orange tinged spiderweb. It didn't even occur to me before your comment 🙂
Cristina
Thanks for the amazing recipe! 🙂
Perfect for entertaining family for
Thanksgiving!
Regina
Yes, I sure hope these brownies will make it's way onto many Thanksgiving tables
Neli @ Delicious Meets Healthy
Perfect recipe for all! Love the chocolate and pumkin combination! Can't wait to try it!
Regina
Aww let me know how it goes, when you do try these
Leslie Rossi | alifewellconsumed
i'd never thought to use pumpkin for brownies!
Regina
It's such a great way to make them extra moist and fudgy!
Katie
You had me at chocolate... and pumpkin... and brownie. Okay basically I don't see how this could go wrong. Looks delicious and that icing sounds to die for.
Regina
Right?? All the good things in one great browie
Syama
We are big fans of Green & Black's chocolate, but they usually disappear before I get cook with them :-). These brownies must be absolutely delicious .
Regina
Haha I know exactly what you mean! I had to hide an extra stash for baking 😉
Matt @ Plating Pixels
Recipes like this get me excited for fall! Can't wait to try the pumpkin chocolate combo.
Regina
Oh yes this recipe just screams of fall! Although I can see myself making it anytime of year
Ginny
What an absolute great brownie. Love that it's chocolate/pumpkin and then that icing is so smart. Thanks!
Regina
The icing is almost the best part! So easy but totally takes these brownies to the next level
Maggie Unzueta
YUM! I wish one of these brownies was in front of me. They look delicious. Pinning for later.
Regina
Haha, me too! I made them a while ago already and wish there were any leftovers 😉
[email protected]'s Recipes
You have me at that pumpkin almond butter frosting! These look so autumny and irresistible!
Regina
Yes! That frosting is amazing and really takes these brownies to the next level.