Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Fudge Brownies

Ingredients and Substitutions:

These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for this chocolate pumpkin brownie recipe.

• Sugar: I used white sugar but you can use a sugar substitute, if desired. Note, this will change the taste and texture.
• Eggs: room temperature. You can place eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to quicken this step.
• Butter: I always bake with unsalted butter. If using salted, do not add salt.
• Cocoa Powder: this is what gives the brownies the chocolate flavor.
• Pumpkin Puree: use 100% pure pumpkin for the pumpkin flavor. Save the leftover pumpkin puree for other desserts like, pumpkin donuts or pumpkin banana cookies. Do not use use pumpkin pie filling.
• Creamy Peanut Butter: makes the brownies creamy and rich. You can also use almond butter.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: homemade or store-bought. For homemade, you can use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg in its place.

Step 2: make chocolate brownie batter

Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl (image 1) and whisk to combine. Use a hand mixer, if desired. Slowly add in the melted butter, whisking as you go so that any residual warmth from the butter doesn’t scramble the egg (image 2). Once you’ve incorporated the butter, add the cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to the bowl (image 3). Whisk until you have a smooth batter and there are no longer any pockets of dry ingredients remaining (image 4). Set the bowl aside and give your whisk a quick rinse. 

Step 3: make pumpkin batter

Make the pumpkin batter next. Add the sugar, egg, pumpkin puree, and peanut butter to a large bowl (image 5) and whisk until smooth (image 6). Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice (image 7) and whisk until just combined (image 8).

Step 4: layer the two batters

Spread about two-thirds of the chocolate brownie batter on the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer (image 9). Then, gently spread half of the pumpkin layer on top (image 10). Lastly, alternate placing dollops of the remaining pumpkin and brownie batters across the top of the surface (image 11). Gently swirl the dollops together with a butter knife or spoon (image 12), then tap the entire pan on the counter firmly a few times to help settle the batter. 

Step 5: bake

Bake the brownies in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs (image 13). Cool the brownies in the pan completely before slicing into 16 squares.