Imagine a brownie + pumpkin pie + protein-packed all-natural ingredients-that’s what these chocolate brownies with pumpkin are! They pack in 8 grams of protein and come in at under 300 calories for huge squares. Whip them up with just 15 minutes of work to enjoy all week or serve at your holiday gatherings.
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Our cottage cheese brownies are always a hit. But when fall rolls around, I’m always looking for more ways to enjoy pumpkin. So pumpkin brownies it is!
Because truly, chocolate brownies with pumpkin are so, so good. So when I have leftover pumpkin from making pumpkin protein muffins, I go straight to these brownies!
Okay, the texture of the pumpkin topping can be deceiving. It truly is like a pumpkin pie texture, so you need to let the brownies cool before slicing in order for it to fully set.
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
Cottage cheese: We use small curd, low-fat cottage cheese for the best texture and highest protein. If yours has liquid on top, drain it off or stir it in. Have more leftovers? Use it to make cottage cheese meatballs for dinner and dessert.
Basics: To make the brownies, you need eggs, oat flour, baking powder, butter, salt, and vanilla.
Coconut sugar: I love using coconut sugar in desserts but brown sugar will work too. Liquid sugar does not work because it makes the brownies too cake like.
Chocolate chips: Use any kind you like! I love the semi-sweet stevia ones from Costco because they do not taste like stevia!
Coffee: Ok, this is the number one tip for the best brownies (or any chocolate dessert). Add just a splash of coffee to bring out the chocolate taste.
Filling: This is an easy mixture of cream cheese, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. No pumpkin pie filling here!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
salt – you always finish with salt!
A lot of people (my husband included) think healthier desserts are not sweet enough. But they don’t need more sweetener, they need salt! Salt primes your palate to taste more. So both add salt to your batter and finish with flaky sea salt.
step by step: tips to nail this recipe every time
Blend everything together for up to an entire minute or until all curds are gone.
Whip the cream cheese first. I used to have issues with my cream cheese curdling, and it was because I didn’t whip it first at room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Bake until the top is set but still soft. This will vary based on your oven, and you might have to rotate the pan because ovens are typically hotter in the back.
Let it cool completely, which I know is difficult, but the pumpkin topping needs to set up a bit before you can slice it!
help! it sunk after I took it out of the oven!
This is likely to happen when the center is still under baked. Next time bake the whole thing longer or put it in a larger pan to reduce the bake time (less depth = less time needed to bake). I know it seems hard to tell if the middle is baked but when you press it, it really should feel like foam. Solid but with a light spring.
how to store it
You can keep these bars in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days. And like most high protein desserts, you can freeze this one for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Enjoy warm or cold!
Imagine a brownie + pumpkin pie + protein-packed all-natural ingredients-that’s what these chocolate brownies with pumpkin are! They pack in 8 grams of protein and come in at under 300 calories for huge squares. Whip them up with just 15 minutes of work to enjoy all week or serve at your holiday gatherings.
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray (or butter) a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.
Blend together ¾ cup cottage cheese, 3 tablespoons melted butter, ¼ cup brewed coffee, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until no curds remain. To a large bowl combine this mixture with ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ cup coconut sugar, ¾ cup oat flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Then fold in the ½ cup chocolate chips.
Pour ¾ths of this batter into the prepared pan.
In a mixing bowl, use a hand beater to whip the ½ c cream cheese until fluffy. Then mix in the ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, ⅛ cup pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Pour this over the chocolate batter and spread it evenly across it.
Then dollop the rest of the chocolate brownie batter over the pumpkin batter and swirl it all together with a knife.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is set and not jiggly. It will be soft like pumpkin pie still, but should feel like pressing foam. Firm but soft. Finish with flaky sea salt.
Let it cool completely before slicing into 9 slices and digging in!
Notes
Storage: Keep these in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. Enjoy cold or reheat them to be warm and serve with ice cream. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
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