Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Brownies Recipe

Fall is just around the corner- and if you ask me, it can’t come soon enough! While most of the country spends the summer outside and stays indoors all winter, the extreme heat here in Vegas has us doing the opposite and we have some serious cabin fever. When it’s too hot to go outside for four months, you make up for lost time- and we’re so close to being able to do that!

One of our favorite things to do when the weather cools down a bit is to head to the pumpkin patch. There are lots of places to get pumpkins this time of year {there are already some at the grocery store!} but the boys love our tradition of going to the orchard to pick our own pumpkins and apples. We tend to go early in the season while there are still plenty of good pumpkins to pick from, and then we paint them or otherwise decorate them- or sometimes, I use them in a recipe!

These Pumpkin Swirl Brownies were made using canned pumpkin puree {since it’s still just a bit too hot to head to the orchard}, but you can very easily use fresh pumpkin! Either way, these brownies are sure to make it feel like fall- even if it’s still over 100 degrees like it is here!

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie flavor
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped
• 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie natural flavor blend
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp of all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/3 ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 or 10″ square baking pan with parchment paper, then butter it.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter and stir until smooth.
3. In a medium size bowl, add flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
4. Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer {or a medium sized bowl if you aren’t using a stand mixer}. Mix until well incorporated 4-5 minutes {using your stand mixer if applicable, and a beater if not}.
5. Divide batter evenly between two medium size bowls. Pour and fold in chocolate mixture into one bowl. In remaining bowl, add pumpkin puree, olive oil, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.
6. Add half of chocolate brownie batter to the buttered pan, making sure to smooth the batter. Then add half of the pumpkin brownie batter. Repeat.
7. Using a butter knife, carefully swirl both the chocolate and pumpkin batters to create a marbled effect. Top with toffee candy bits.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. Remove brownies from pan and allow to cool. Optionally top them with ice cream.
10. Enjoy!