I am a confirmed chocoholic. I have a small bit of dark chocolate every day. I also love pumpkin in any form. I grow them, I decorate with them in the fall and I cook with them in desserts & savory dishes. So a chocolate pumpkin brownie recipe for Halloween?  I’m all over it!

For some reason, Kelly doesn’t like brownies. She has no qualms about telling me this any time I suggest some sort of brownies for a dessert. I don’t see how anyone can not like homemade, not from a box brownies, so I asked her what about them she didn’t like. She couldn’t come up with a reason. In jest, I asked her if she had ever been traumatized by a brownie. While she couldn’t remember any specific upsetting incident involving a brownie, she did relay a story about being traumatized by a cupcake.

Kelly had the same birthday as a little boy named Will in preschool. Kelly brought in muffins for her birthday treat and Will brought in cupcakes. All the other 3- or 4-year-olds chose Will’s cupcakes over Kelly’s muffins. That probably explains why Kelly doesn’t like cake, although it has nothing to do with brownies! Regardless, the rest of the family loved these brownies & Kelly’s refusal to even try them left that much more for the rest of us!

Rich & moist & pleasing!

Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies (adapted from bhg.com)

Servings: 36    Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Layer:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º. Grease a  13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and set it aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of butter in an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the cinnamon and the ginger until it is all well combined. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour. Set the pumpkin mixture aside.

The pumpkin layer gets its body from the cream cheese.

In a small bowl, stir together 1-1/4 cups flour, the baking powder and the salt then set the dry ingredients aside. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup of butter. Set the microwave at 50% power and cook the chocolate & butter in 30 second intervals until they are melted and smooth.

The microwave is quick & convenient for melting chocolate & butter.

Transfer the chocolate-butter mixture to the large bowl of an electric mixer and gradually add 2-1/4 cups sugar to it, beating on low speed just until combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk and the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until combined. Spread the chocolate batter evenly in the prepared pan.

The brownie layer goes into the pan first.

Spoon the pumpkin mixture on top of the chocolate batter in mounds. Using a butter knife or narrow metal spatula, gently swirl the pumpkin mixture into the chocolate batter.

Place mounds of pumpkin on top of the chocolate layer.

Bake the brownies about 60 minutes or until the center is just set when the pan is gently shaken. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack. Cut the brownies when they are cooled.

These are brownies to savor!

You don’t know what you’re missing, Kelly!  ~Linda

Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies (adapted from bhg.com)

Servings: 36    Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Layer:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º. Grease a  13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and set it aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the 1 tablespoon of butter in an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the cinnamon and the ginger until it is all well combined. Stir in the 1 tablespoon of flour. Set the pumpkin mixture aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1-1/4 cups flour, the baking powder and the salt then set the dry ingredients aside. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup of butter. Set the microwave at 50% power and cook the chocolate & butter in 30 second intervals until they are melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate-butter mixture to the large bowl of an electric mixer and gradually add the 2-1/4 cups sugar to it, beating on low speed just until combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk and the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until combined.

Spread the chocolate batter evenly in the prepared pan. Spoon the pumpkin mixture on top of the chocolate batter in mounds. Using a butter knife or narrow metal spatula, gently swirl the pumpkin mixture into the chocolate batter.

Bake the brownies about 60 minutes or until the center is just set when the pan is gently shaken. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack. Cut the brownies when they are cooled.