Pumpkin Brownies

These are the easiest brownies I have ever made, and are oh so delicious!  I made this recipe (doubled) last week, and my husband ate half of the batch (sorry honey) in one day!  I had to hide a few pieces to make sure I got some!

To cut the fat (and reduce the cost) you could swap out half of the almond butter for 1/2 can of drained black beans.  Either way, this exquisite brownie recipe is smooth and decadent.  If you want more of  a nutty crunch, use crunchy almond butter.  You could use any nut butter in place of almond butter, but I can’t guarantee the taste will be the same.

To avoid sugar, I use Lilly’s chocolate chips which are sweetened with stevia.  I just discovered this past week that Lilly’s now makes a Pumpkin flavor of Chocolate Chips.  I am going to have to try that!  To add a truly pumpkin flavor, don’t forget the pumpkin spice!

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter

1  cup canned pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp. stevia (if you like it sweet)

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. pumpkin spice

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

*Optional – Reserve an extra 1/2 cup chocolate chips for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix almond butter and pumpkin until combined.  Add vanilla, maple syrup and eggs.

Add cocoa powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice and chocolate chips.  Stir until well-combined.

Transfer mixture into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top immediately.  Allow to cool.  Enjoy!