Pumpkins are a few of the vegetables that are available year-round here in New Zealand. Pumpkins are quite versatile, in that you can use them in savoury or sweet dishes. My girls like eating pumpkin in coconut milk with rice. It’s one of my go-to dishes when I can’t think of anything else to cook. Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies are another way I use any extra pumpkins in the refrigerator.
The girls like these Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies because they are soft, almost cake-like, and well, it’s chocolate. Who doesn’t like chocolate, right? I haven’t told my kids that these brownies have pumpkin in them, and I haven’t bothered. As long as they enjoy the brownies, we’re all good. I’ve reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe, but these still turned up quite sweet, and just right for us.
Here is the recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 175°C.
- To make pumpkin puree — boil diced pumpkin in water. When soft enough, drain water and mash.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt
- Add pumpkin puree and mix well.
- Add chocolate chips.
- Pour into square baking pan lined with baking paper or brushed with oil.
- Bake for 20-30 mins or until toothpick inserted is clear.
- Take out of oven and cool before slicing into serving pieces. Enjoy!
Chocolate Goodness
These brownies can be stored in an air-tight container and refrigerated for about a week. They don’t last very long in our house, because we all keep getting a slice or two.
I hope you try to make these Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies. I think this is a good way of sneaking in some vegetables for everyone in the family. Even if it’s hidden in sugar and chocolate, you’ll still get the goodness of pumpkin in there.
Have a try and let me know how yours went!
