Pumpkin Brownies are a fall twist on the classic chocolate treat, with a pumpkin spice swirl that satisfies both chocolate and pumpkin cravings in one delicious bite!
More pumpkin recipes right this way! Try my Best Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Spice Waffles, and Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting.
Why This Recipe Works
Fall Flavors: What isn’t to love about chocolate and pumpkin spice? They make the perfect combination for a fall-inspired sweet treat. Every fall, I can’t get enough of everything pumpkin! The warm spices and earthy pumpkin is just so tasty, and even tastier when combined with chocolate! Plus, they are the perfect festive treat to serve on Halloween or for any of your fall get togethers. If you are pumpkin crazy like I am, you have to try my pumpkin cookies and pumpkin cheesecake!
Fudgy Perfection: Pumpkin brownies are extra moist and fudgy thanks to the extra moisture from the pumpkin! These are everything you love about dark chocolate brownies with the added flavor of pumpkin spice that takes them to a whole new level. You will get brownies with a crispy edge and perfectly soft, fudgy center!
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Brownie
- Butter: For a rich flavor!
- Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate along with the cocoa powder makes these brownies super chocolatey!!
- Eggs: Eggs add structure and help the brownies to rise a little bit in the oven.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works well here!
- Vanilla Extract: For added flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works here. For gluten-free pumpkin brownies, use a gluten-free 1:1 replacement flour!
- Cocoa Powder: A high quality cocoa powder will make dark, rich brownies.
For the Pumpkin Swirl
- Sugar: Granulated sugar will do!
- Eggs: For structure and soft texture!
- Pumpkin Puree: The pumpkin flavor in these brownies comes from the pumpkin puree. Make sure you use 100% pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Flour: All-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free replacement flour!
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Ginger: The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger give the pumpkin swirl the perfect pumpkin spice flavor!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 320 F and prepare a large brownie pan with cooking spray and baking parchment. (not pictured)
- Melt Chocolate: Place a large, heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water and add the butter and chocolate. Allow to melt, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, stirring only occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat to cool a little. (photos 1-2)
- Beat Eggs & Sugar: While the chocolate is cooling, using an electric hand whisk, beat together the eggs and sugar until light, thick, pale and frothy. (photos 3-4)
- Fold Together: Using a metal spoon, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the flour and cocoa to make a batter. (photos 5-6)
- Make Pumpkin Swirl: To make the pumpkin swirl, again whisk together the sugar and eggs until light, thick, pale and frothy. Fold in the pumpkin puree, followed by the flour and the spices. (photos 7-10)
- Assemble: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Dollop over the pumpkin mixture, and gently swirl into the chocolate with a teaspoon. (photos 11-12)
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Add nuts! If you like nuts in your brownies, feel free to add them. Walnuts would be a lovely addition!
- Add extra chocolate! You can throw in some chocolate chips if you want an extra chocolatey flavor. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or even caramel chips would be yummy here!
- Use pumpkin pie spice! You can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with pumpkin pie spice if you have that on hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
The pumpkin swirl will be too sweet if you use pumpkin pie filling as a substitute for the pumpkin puree in this recipe! You can use pumpkin pie filling, but skip adding the extra sugar and spices to avoid your brownies getting too sweet.
Store any leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Fall Dessert Recipes to Try
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Mini Cheesecakes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Caramel Butter Bars
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
- Classic Apple Cobbler
Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Brownie
- 8 oz butter
- 7 oz 70% dark chocolate - broken into pieces
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 oz flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
For the Pumpkin Swirl
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320F and prepare a large brownie pan with cooking spray and baking parchment.
- Place a large, heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water and add the butter and chocolate. Allow to melt, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, stirring only occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat to cool a little.
- While the chocolate is cooling, using an electric hand whisk beat together the eggs and sugar until light, thick, pale and frothy.
- Using a metal spoon, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the flour and cocoa to make a batter.
- To make the pumpkin swirl, again whisk together the sugar and eggs until light, thick, pale and frothy. Fold in the pumpkin puree, followed by the flour and the spices.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Dollop over the pumpkin mixture, and gently swirl into the chocolate with a teaspoon.
- Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Add nuts! If you like nuts in your brownies, feel free to add them. Walnuts would be a lovely addition!
- Add extra chocolate! You can throw in some chocolate chips if you want an extra chocolatey flavor. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or even caramel chips would be yummy here!
- Use pumpkin pie spice! You can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with pumpkin pie spice if you have that on hand.
hey girl these look amazing! Yummy- I am to so ready for Fall!
Caramel in pumpkin swirl brownies? I can’t wait to try these!
Baked this recipe *exactly* as written and it did not turn out well. The brownie batter was too wet, seemed to need more flour. Baked this in an oven that has been tested and cooks evenly – batter was runny and did not cook like a brownie. This ended up more like a pudding.
Also worth noting, in step 4, the instructions say to mix the pumpkin with the cream. In step 5 the recipe says to microwave the caramel with the remaining 1/4c cream. The previous step omitted that you should only use 1/2c cream in the pumpkin layer.
This multi-bowl, multi step recipe with apparent errors was very disappointing.
I made these exactly as written, and I agree…they did not turn out well. Ended up baking for 70 minutes, and still too wet. I think the butter should have been 1/2 cup, instead of 1 cup.
And there is not a mention about the 1/2 cream in the pumpkin layer…just says cream.
I should have read the other comments before trying this recipe; I have had great success with some of the other desserts on this blog so I neglected to do so. Same exact problem with me. Borderline inedible, very frustrating.
Can you just use a prepared brownie mix!
Can you just use a prepared brownie mix?