Chocolate, peanut butter, and pumpkin, oh my! Blend the flavor of the season with your biggest weakness. Pumpkin Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies are fudgy, decadent squares marbled to perfection and sprinkled with sea salt. All from a boxed brownie mix!
What’s your favorite duo?
If you ask my kids these days, they’ll say Mickey and Minnie, Hamburger and French Fries and…
Yelling and Screaming. Ha!
So at the end of a long day, I love to share my favorite duo with my family:
Chocolate and pumpkin!
These Pumpkin Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies are up next in my canned pumpkin series. And the perfect way to end this week!
Pumpkin PB Swirl Brownies
This recipe adds a spin on popular peanut butter swirl brownies by including a seasonal (and healthful!) flair.
Pumpkin puree is a great swap for oil and eggs. While reducing fat/calories, it adds in extra nutrition. And, it’s just easier.
I also LOVE dense, fudgy brownies and pumpkin helps with that!
Mix those benefits with a warm hint of vanilla, a touch of cinnamon-y pumpkin spice, and a light dusting of crunchy sea salt.
You’ll have everyone convinced you spent the day in the kitchen!
Use Boxed Brownie Mix
I’m all about the boxed brownie mix.
It saves time, energy and makes baking fun!
For example, brownies from scratch may have an ingredient list 8-10 items long (many which I don’t stock) and require melting, sifting, boiling and mixing.
Here, it’s 6 ingredients, 5-10 minutes of prep and still, an irresistible outcome.
Why change a good thing?!
The Secret is Double Chocolate
I’m not usually too picky when it comes to brownie mix. But the secret here is double the chocolate.
I have to shoutout this mix from Aldi–The Double Chocolate Chip (Specially Selected). It’s soooo good! And a close contender to the Ghirardelli (another favorite) so I always stock up and save a little money too.
And random, but worth noting–this mix also seems to bake up faster than Ghirardelli…!
Anyways, double chocolate chip means decadent chocolate with melty, mini chocolate chips in every bite. And I’m telling you, those little added melts of chocolate against the PB, spice and salt seal the deal!
What Ingredients do I need?
- Brownie mix— Any brand will work, but I do recommend double chocolate or throwing in some extra chocolate chips into any boxed mix
- Pumpkin puree— 100 percent Pure pumpkin
- Vanilla extract— making recipes taste homemade, 1 tsp at a time!
- Peanut Butter— melted; the no stir kind works best but you can use natural
- Pumpkin pie spice— I chose to amplify the pumpkin taste and this blends in perfectly
- Sea salt–optional…but not really
And a tiny bit of water– just like you normally add to brownie mix.
How do I make Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies?
Head to your pantry and gather all ingredients, then you’re ready!
- Preheat oven and spray pan with non-stick spray
- Combine ingredients, except peanut butter and sea salt in bowl. Stir until well blended.
- Pour batter into baking dish
- Drizzle peanut butter on top and swirl with knife
- Bake to perfection and top with sea salt prior to serving.
How to swirl Peanut Butter
Oh this is fun! Feels so fancy, yet this technique is easy.
First, drizzle the melted peanut butter in a back and forth pattern over majority of brownie batter.
Then, with a knife, simply create marble effect by using a swirling motion.
A toothpick is a great option to use too, especially for kids!
How to make brownies fudgy
Even without eggs or oil, these brownies can take on a VERY fudgy consistency. Here’s a couple tips to help:
- Don’t overcook
- Place in freezer to cool for 30 minutes (no joke!)
- Store in refrigerator
Don’t worry, 5-10 seconds back in the microwave will make them warm and melty again. Although I can eat these cold!
Are these brownies healthy?
Chocolate, peanut butter and pumpkin. Yep, looks healthy to me!!
But in reality, it depends on how you define healthy.
I hope healthy for you includes the things you love (ahem, chocolate) and desserts in moderation.
And remember, you’re taking the boxed brownie mix to the next level by adding in some pumpkin and peanut butter. Kinda fun, right?
Tips/Tricks
- Pre-slice, take one brownie and HIDE THE PAN
- You can omit the pumpkin spice for a less seasonal flare
- Want more peanut butter? Go ahead! The more you add, the more it’ll swirl throughout the brownie (just know it might make brownie a tiny bit drier)
- Sprinkle on sea salt right before serving to avoid strong salt taste with leftovers
- YOU CAN EAT RAW BATTER 🙂
Looking for something similar?
Now that you have some canned pumpkin leftover, check out:
Full Heart
If this recipe made your day easier or infused some extra joy into your day, I’d love to know. Please leave a comment below! Or, better yet, share the gift of easy (or brownies) with a friend! Just be sure to tag me in it so I can see your scrumptious creations 😉
Pumpkin Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- 8×8 pan
- butter knife or toothpick
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix double chocolate
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 100% pure pumpkin
- 1/4 cup peanut butter melted
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- sea salt optional
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly spray pan with non-stick spray
- Combine brownie mix, pumpkin, water, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice in mixing bowl. Stir until well blended.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan
- Drizzle melted peanut butter on top and swirl using knife or toothpick, making marble design with batter
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Slice and sprinkle with sea salt prior to serving. Enjoy!
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