Pumpkin Brownies

I was making these really awesome pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies the other day and I had some leftover pumpkin that I couldn't decide what to do with. I was thinking something along the lines of pumpkin pancakes but then I came across this pumpkin brownie recipe and just couldn't resist trying out the combination of chocolate and pumpkin together, two of my favorite flavors!

So after class and work on Friday I came home and baked these guys as a nice transition from the school week to a fun filled weekend of Badger and Packer football domination! Two of my roommates kept my company while I baked and made a music playlist for our corn-husking tailgate.

After a couple of near tragic measurement mix ups (1/4 cups baking powder instead of 1/4 teaspoons. How does that even happen?!) the brownies came out of the oven scotch free. My taste testers and I decided that they are best eaten with a cold glass of milk, otherwise they may be a little too rich. I meant to put a dusting of powdered sugar on top of the brownies when I took them out of the oven but forgot, oh well. Enjoy!

Ingredients

10 oz. of dark chocolate

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup of pumpkin

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a square 8x8 pan (line if you'd like first).
3. Melt butter and chocolate squares together. Stir together.
4. Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix together.
5. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder. Mix together with wet ingredients.
6. Pour batter into pan and level out (batter will be thick and won't fill in all the nooks and crannies of the pan on its own).
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Running to the Kitchen