What would Thanksgiving be without dessert?
Actually, don’t answer that question. I do not want to imagine a world in which a table full of desserts is optional on Thanksgiving. Desserts are life. End of conversation.
So, for Day Six of Thanksgiving Week I’m sharing brownies.
I don’t think there have ever been brownies at my family’s Thanksgiving celebration, but that’s about to change because this year I’m baking a pan of brownies covered in PUMPKIN AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE (aka more chocolate).
Yes!
Chocolate tends to be forgotten on Thanksgiving, and I think that’s a real shame. Don’t get me wrong, I love a slice of pumpkin pie, or pumpkin cheesecake, or apple pie, or blueberry pie, or pecan pie, or….ANY PIE, but this lady needs a little variety in her life. And by variety, I clearly just mean chocolate, since there is plenty of variety already happening on the Thanksgiving dessert menu.
So, to add a little chocolate spice to our lives, I made a pan of brownies (with butter and sugar and flour oh my) and topped it with a thick pumpkin pie layer made from pumpkin puree, almond butter, and lots’a spice. These brownies are dark, dense, and fudgy, and topped with a thick swirl of pumpkin pie goodness. And then, just for fun, I drizzled a little melted chocolate over the top. Because why live a life where brownies aren’t drizzled in more chocolate?
These brownies aren’t here to compete with pumpkin pie, just to make friends with it on the Thanksgiving table. Much like side dishes, my perspective on Thanksgiving desserts is that there can never be too many. Cut them into small slices, and everyone can have a little taste of everything.
Enjoy these brownies at Thanksgiving and beyond! They would be just as welcome on the Thanksgiving dessert table as they would be on a lazy fall weekend, or at any holiday gathering in the coming weeks!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you make it, leave a comment below, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram! And don’t forget to check out my PANTRY STAPLES page to stock up on ingredients for this recipe!
Tomorrow is the very last brand new recipe for Thanksgiving Week! Stay tuned for my Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup on Monday, where I’ll share all my favorites Thanksgiving recipes including ideas for breakfast, starters, sides, and dessert!
Pumpkin Pie Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 stick 8 Tablespoons/4oz butter
- 3 oz bar of dark chocolate
- 2/3 cup sucanat* aka natural cane sugar or organic cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Pie Topping
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree canned is fine!
- 1/3 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or 1 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice instead of these three spices
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.
- 2. Break up chocolate bar into pieces and put in in a large microwave-safe bowl with the butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir and keep microwaving in 20-second increments until melted. Alternately, this can be done in a double boiler on the stove.
- 3. Once chocolate is melted, stir in sugar. If mixture is still very hot, wait a few minutes before adding the egg. If it's only just warm, proceed to whisk in the egg and vanilla. Add all remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Batter will be thick.
- 4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spoon to spread it all the way to the edges.
- 5. In the now empty bowl, mix together all pumpkin pie ingredients. Pour pumpkin mixture on top of the brownie batter and spread it to cover the brownies completely.
- 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pumpkin mixture is no longer liquidy. It should still look moist, but not jiggly. Let cool completely before cutting and serving the brownies.
- 7. If desired, melt 1/4 cup of chopped dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle it over the brownies before serving.
Notes