Fudgy Pumpkin Brownies

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These fudgy pumpkin brownies combine the best of both worlds in one dessert. Easy fudgy brownie batter is swirled or topped with perfectly spiced pumpkin mixture in this wonderful fall dessert.

An overhead shot of two brownies stacked on top of one another on crinkled parchment paper

Ever end up with a small amount of pumpkin puree left after you've cracked open a can for a recipe?

That's what inspired me to make these pumpkin swirl brownies. I was left with one-third of a cup of pumpkin puree and wanted to put it to good use.

I also had a craving for brownies (what else is new, right?) so what better way to satisfy both problems, if you will, than make pumpkin brownies? They have a denser, fudgy chocolate bottom with a softer, more cake-y pumpkin layer, leading to a variety of textures and flavors in each bite.

Why This Recipe Works

Warmly spiced pumpkin flavor is SUCH a great pairing with chocolatey brownies. Each bite features a nice balance of both flavors. It's why chocolate chips are all but a must in my pumpkin banana bread.
While some pumpkin brownie recipes will have you make one central batter and split it to add separate pumpkin and brownie ingredients, that won't work as well if you want seriously fudgy brownies. Fudgy brownies begin by melting together butter and chocolate, while cakey brownies start with creaming butter and sugar. Making two separate batters ensures you get a rich and fudgy brownie layer with a tender, cake-y pumpkin layer on top.
This is a great recipe for using up a small amount of pumpkin puree. Just one-third cup is needed.

Recipe Ingredients

While at first glance it may look like there are lots of ingredients needed for these pumpkin brownies, the two layers share many of them in common (chocolate, butter, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt).

Brownie Layer

Labeled brownie recipe ingredients on a marble board.

Chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks are used here. The form doesn't make much difference as most of it gets melted along with the butter, but you can also chop up a chocolate bar.
Egg: A room temperature egg is preferred, so take it out of the fridge at the same time you grab the butter for the pumpkin layer. The temperature difference between a fridge-cold egg and a hot chocolate/butter mixture can cause the chocolate/butter to thicken up in spots and make the batter harder to work with and spread in the pan.
Flour: Not much flour is used in fudgy brownies. One-half cup provides all the structure they need.
Espresso powder: This is optional. Rather than add a coffee taste, it just enhances the chocolate flavor in such a great way. More often than not I add it to my chocolate desserts, and (IMO) it's a must in these malted brownie cookies.

Pumpkin Layer

Butter: Softened butter is necessary so it can be creamed with the sugar. Butter is softened when an indent forms in it when poked with just a little bit of pressure. Butter can take 1-2 hours at room temperature to soften adequately, but the timing depends on how warm/cool your kitchen is.
Brown sugar: An equal amount of coconut sugar (love that caramelized flavor) or even granulated sugar can be used in its place.
Pumpkin: Use pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling, which is pre-spiced and pre-seasoned. The cans can be tricky to differentiate sometimes on store shelves.
Pumpkin pie spice: A pre-made blend works great, but if you have a reasonably stocked pantry you can make pumpkin pie spice yourself.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add a half-cup of chocolate chips or chunks and half a stick (four tablespoons) of butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, then give it a whisk.
Repeat until the chocolate and butter are fully melted and totally smooth.

Melted butter and chocolate chips in a bowl.

Smooth melted butter and chocolate in a bowl with a whisk.

Transfer the melted sugar/butter to a larger mixing bowl (if necessary), then add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
Whisk until everything is smooth and combined.

Melted buter/chocolate, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a metal mixing bowl.

Whisked together brownie wet ingredients in a bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl: flour, espresso powder, and salt. Stir until combined. You'll notice the batter take on a "shiny" look.
Stir in reserved chocolate chips. Set aside the bowl of brownie batter for now.

Dry brownie ingredients added to the bowl with the wet.

Chocolate chips stirred into the brownie batter.

Pumpkin Layer

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. You want to go beyond just combining the ingredients, but continue until the mixture is very creamy and has lightened in color some.

Creamed together brown sugar and butter in a bowl.

Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract. Then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Pumpkin layer batter mixed together in a bowl.

Chocolate chips added to the bowl with the pumpkin batter.

Line an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang along two opposite sides so you can more easily lift out the brownies to remove them for slicing. Spread the brownie batter along the bottom of the pan, then add the pumpkin batter on top in dollops.

Brownie batter in a parchment-lined baking dish with globs of pumpkin batter scattered on top before being swirled in

Run a knife through the dollops to swirl it into the brownie batter, aiming to end up with a surface relatively even in height *OR* you can simply spread the pumpkin batter on top of the brownie layer in one layer, opting not to swirl. This pumpkin brownie recipe works either way, which is nice because to be honest sometimes I'm just not up for the extra effort.

An overhead view of the brownies with a pumpkin swirl layer in the pan before being baked

Bake at 350°F/177°C for 30 minutes, or until the top has set and a toothpick tester inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean/mostly clean. Let the pumpkin brownies cool completely in the pan, then lift out the parchment paper and transfer the slab to a cutting board to cut into squares.

A slab of baked pumpkin swirl brownies on parchment (left) and after being sliced (right).

Recipe Tips

Speed up the butter softening process by placing it on top of a running kitchen appliance, such as the counter over the dishwasher, near the oven, or near a warm coffee pot. Just be sure to sure to check on it and flip the stick over so that one side doesn't get too soft.
Using a cookie scoop to dollop the pumpkin mixture on top of the brownie layer is an efficient and lower-mess way to assemble these pumpkin brownies. Smaller, evenly spaced out scoops are better if you would like to swirl the pumpkin in, while larger scoops are easier if you'd simply like to spread the pumpkin layer evenly.

A brownie on a square of crinkled parchment paper

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different pan size?

If you don't have an 8" x 8" square pan, you can use a 9" round cake pan without making any changes to the recipe. You can halve the recipe and use a 9" x 5" (or 8" x 4") rectangular loaf pan, or you can double the recipe and use a 9" x 13" pan. When halving or doubling, keep a closer eye on them as they bake as a slightly taller or shorter brownie height may require a longer or shorter bake time.

How do you store pumpkin brownies?

Once the brownies have completely cooled, store them at room temperature in an air-tight bag or container for 3-4 days. If you know you won't be able to finish them all in that time, wrap them in foil, place in an air-tight container, and freeze for four months (or longer).

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

Brownie layer adapted from my One Bowl Small-Batch Brownies