Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Halloween is just around the corner, and I’m on the hunt for some fun recipes to make. Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies fits that bill completely.

And even though I am a big fan of packaged brownie mixes, this recipe just sounded so good with the aromatic and flavorful ingredients like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Obviously, this is not an appetizer recipe, but this blog IS about food that comes in small packages! So, thank you Martha Stewart, once again, for another over-the-top great brownie recipe that I grudgingly found too good to not try. 

What I like about this piece of deliciousness is the addition of cayenne pepper. Spiced up chocolate has always been a big winner for me. And it’s not too spicy, just enough of a kick that you take a bite and a couple of seconds later you think, “Hmmm. That’s good! What IS that flavor?” Try it. My kid loves these too. P.S. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the list of ingredients. It’s still easy to make.

What you’ll need:

(Printable recipe)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter, plus a little more for the pan
- 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 3/4 cups of sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups of solid-packed pumpkin
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

What to do for Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the lining.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir the mixture occasionally until smooth.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Put the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Then beat in the flour mixture.

4. Divide the batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir the chocolate mixture into one bowl. In the other bowl, stir in the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of the chocolate batter to prepared pan while smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of the pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so the batters don’t set.

5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

6. Bake until the brownies are set, 40 to 45 minutes. Take the brownies out of the oven an let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

This delicious simple recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies makes 16 servings.

* Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart website. Thanks!