Pumpkin Brownies
These pumpkin brownies make my soul sing, with their fudgy brownie layer, sweetly spiced pumpkin buttercream filling, and smooth chocolate ganache. You won't be able to keep your hands off these rich chocolate treats!
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Pumpkin Brownies
- ⏰ Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus time for the brownies to cool
- 🕰️ Cook Time: 35 minutes
- 🎃 Flavor Profile: These brownies are so rich and decadent, that you have to cut them into teeny tiny squares to not go into a sugar coma after eating one.
- 🍁 Good For: Halloween party snacks, fall dinner parties, and Thanksgiving for non-pie fans.
- 🧡 Difficulty: They look way more complex than they actually are.
"New absolute favorite. I'm amazed and so in love!"
- KAY -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
These pumpkin brownies are one of my favorite fall treats- they are like my favorite nanaimo bar recipe, but with pumpkin and a brownie base. If you're looking for a less-chocolately pumpkin dessert, my pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting might be more up your alley. But if you're a chocoholic like me? Keep on reading!
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Ooey gooey brownies. The bottom layer is your typical fudgy, dark chocolate, gloriously gooey brownie layer. Pure brownie heaven.
- Pumpkin buttercream. Mrs. Pumpkin makes an appearance in the thick and deliciously pumpkin-tastic buttercream filling, loaded with pumpkin spice flavor.
- Chocolate ganache. There is no such thing as "too much chocolate," right? The top chocolate ganache hardens just a touch-just enough to make the brownies easy to slice.
- Party servings. Because you cut these brownies into itty bitty squares-I recommend less than 2 inches-you'll get lots of brownies out of one pan.
🍫 The Ingredients You Need
- Pumpkin. You can make pumpkin puree yourself, or use the canned kind. Either way, you'll want to stick with the pure pumpkin, and not the canned pie filling-the buttercream will be sweet enough without the added sugar of the pie filling!
- Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and baking chocolate: We're going for the gold with triple chocolate. The cocoa powder and chocolate chips combo makes the brownies rich and fudgy, while the baking chocolate melts into the ganache layer.
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Go gluten-free: Want a gluten-free pumpkin brownie? Use these almond flour brownies as your base.
- Just the buttercream: You can just make this pumpkin buttercream, and then spread it onto cupcakes, whole wheat pumpkin bread, easy pumpkin muffins, or a spoon. And then eat it all. Because, yum.
🥣 How to Make These Pumpkin Brownies
Step 1: Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper (anything smaller and the brownies will be too tall). Cream the butter with the sugars, and mix in the vanilla and eggs.
Step 2: Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt in a separate bowl, and add them to the creamed butter. You'll get the smoothest result if you add the cocoa mixture in three additions and mix after each.
Step 3: Add the chocolate chips, and stir well. Pour the brownie butter into the lined pan, and spread it into a flat, even layer with a rubber spatula. You'll want to spray the spatula with cooking spray so that the batter stays in the pan and not on the spatula. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Step 4: Let the brownies cool all the way before adding the next layer. Otherwise, the pumpkin layer will melt into the brownies! Start by creaming the butter with pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. It's okay if it still looks a little chunky. Add the spices, salt, and the powdered sugar (one cup at a time). Now is the time to add food coloring, if you're using it.
Step 5: When the pumpkin mixture is the consistency of thick frosting, spread it over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate while you continue.
Step 6: Melt the baking chocolate and butter together. We did it in the microwave-keep the power level at 50% so it doesn't burn.
Step 7: Spread the chocolate mixture on top of the pumpkin buttercream, smoothing it into an even layer.
Step 8: Refrigerate the brownies to cool completely before slicing.
🙋🏻♀️ Pumpkin Brownies FAQs
Most of the flavors we associate with pumpkin actually come from spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves. This pumpkin buttercream calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
There are a few things in this brownie recipe that make them extra fudgy: using butter instead of oil, a smaller amount of flour, and using both melted chocolate (in the form of chocolate chips) and cocoa powder.
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👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Don't be a square: You might be tempted to try to make this in a square pan-don't! You'll have brownies so tall they can't stand up. Stick with the 9"x13" pan.
- Team fudgy brownies: To me, the dream brownie has crunchy edges and a soft, gooey center. A toothpick inserted into the baked brownies should come out mostly clean. If it is entirely clean, the brownies will be overcooked.
- Keep it orange: if you use homemade pumpkin puree for the buttercream layer, you might think about tinting the filling with natural orange food coloring). Homemade puree tends to be a lighter, more yellow color, so a buttercream made with it won't be as vibrant on its own.
🎃 More Fun Fall Treats
If you tried this pumpkin brownies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
For the First Layer:
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the Second Layer:
- ¼ cup butter softened (½ stick)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 drops orange food coloring optional
For the Third Layer:
- 5 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- To make the first layer, in the bowl of stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the vanilla and eggs, and mix until smooth.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in three additions, mixing well after each.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan (it will be very thick), and spread it out flat using a rubber spatula coated in cooking spray.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean (if you wait until it is totally clean, the brownies will be a little less fudgy).
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before proceeding.
- To make the second layer, cream together the butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer. The butter might look chunky, but don't worry, it will smooth out later.
- Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Continue adding the powdered sugar in 1 cup increments until you reach the consistency of a thick frosting. Mix in the food coloring until well incorporated, if using.
- Spread the pumpkin mixture onto the cooled brownies in an even layer. Place in fridge to chill while you make the third layer.
- To make the third layer, in a small microwave bowl, combine the baking chocolate and butter. Microwave at 50% for 60-90 seconds, or until the mixture is melted. Stir well.
- Remove the brownies from the fridge, and spread the chocolate mixture in an even layer over top of the second layer.
- Place the brownies back in the fridge to cool completely before slicing into small squares.
The pumpkin buttercream is EVERYTHING, and I'm definitely on team fudgy brownie. Don't skip this recipe!
I just made these and I only used half of the powdered sugar in the pumpkin layer (that was all I had lol) and they were still INCREDIBLY sweet. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I would recommend cutting back on the sugar a bit, one bite is enough to give you a sugar rush! Very good flavor and I'll definitely be using the recipe for the first layer as my new go-to brownie recipe.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Katie! We appreciate you taking the time to come back and tell us about your experience. It makes a world of difference to us and everything we do. Thank you! =)
Do you think these would freeze well?
I think so! I've never tried it, but I don't see why they wouldn't.
Is it unsalted or salted butter?
Unsalted!
I just wanted to say that these turned out AMAZING. I used much less sugar in the buttercream, and used bittersweet instead of semisweet for the ganache, but HOLY COW. New absolute favorite. I'm amazed and so in love!
My favorite recipe!!
They look just like Nanaimo bars! And they sound just as sweet and decadent.
Definitely the same idea! Although when I make Nanaimos the base layer is a crumbly, crunchy graham cracker crust. Kinda almost like a cheesecake crust! These are definitely a fudgy brownie base. 🙂
And now I want Nanaimo bars.
Those certainly look healthy for the soul haha! So many layers to love 🙂
These are awesome! They look just like the peanut butter layered brownies but switched up for fall.
Oh yum! I gotta make these!
Also my sugar addiction is getting bad too. I'm hoping to do this to help. https://www.facebook.com/groups/JAOGR21junkfoodfree/
These look AMAZING! And just FYI I totally own that orange Kitchen Aid. LOL! It's a beauty.
I was still in the summer mode till I saw your recipe. And then about 30 minutes later I walked into the Whole Foods market and saw a pumpkin stand. Coincidence?? I am making the pumpkin puree as we speak (or write). And these the Three Layer Pumpkin Brownies are first on the list once I have my puree.
P.S. Impressive pictures
Yum! I am so making the pumpkin buttercream!!
This looks so good! Your pictures are amazing!!!
This is insane, I can't wait until I make these