This recipe solves a pesky little kitchen problem that I will bet anything you have run across.
It goes like this: You find a great recipe for some pumpkin muffins, or maybe pumpkin doughnuts. You open a typical grocery store can of pumpkin puree, measure out the one cup needed for the recipe – and don’t they all just need that ONE cup – and then thriftily scrape out all of the remaining pumpkin into a refrigerator dish and pop in in the fridge. “I’ll make some thing out of that later in the week.” you say to yourself as you slather butter on a fresh muffin.
Scroll ahead in your life, when you’re trying to fit all the Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge, and you come across a … hairy little creature of some kind waaaay in the back of the middle shelf. Ew! It’s the 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin left from when you made muffins. You, shudder, toss it and feel bad that you wasted perfectly good food.
Well, my friends, I am here to help you never again have this happen, because this recipe for Skillet Pumpkin Fudge Brownies calls for exactly 3/4 of a cup of canned pumpkin puree – the amount left over after you have used a cup of it in something else. You can have your muffins or doughnuts, and then NOT waste the remainder of the can – plus you get some rich, fudgy brownies!
I made these in my 8 inch cast iron skillet, because after 30 years it has a perfect non-stick surface, and things bake up nice and moist in it – you can use an 8 x 8 pan though, if you don’t have a skillet.
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup dutch process baking cocoa powder
- ½ ground cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup of pumpkin puree
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup each toasted chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350º and generously butter an 8 inch cast iron skillet, or an 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Place the cast iron skillet in the oven [but not the baking dish, if that is what you use]
- Melt the butter, and in a medium mixing bowl immediately stir in the baking cocoa powder and cinnamon. i do all of the mixing in this recipe with a wooden spoon - no need to break out the mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes to hydrate the cocoa and cinnamon and to cool the mixture slightly.
- Mix in the brown sugar, and then the egg, and then the pumpkin, making sure each addition is completely mixed in before going on to the next.
- Measure in the flour, then sprinkle the salt and baking powder over it, then mix everything until well combined.
- Remove the skillet from the oven - be careful as it will be pretty hot - spread the batter evenly in the pan or dish, and then sprinkle the nuts and chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes in the skillet, 25 in a baking dish. A toothpick inserted near the center should only have a few moist crumbs on it, but no liquid batter at all.
- Cool for about 30 minutes before cutting - these are really good warm with vanilla ice cream, or just eaten out of hand. Store in a tightly closed container for up to 4 days at room temperature - in the fridge if any longer than that.
These are quite divine, if I say so myself – moist and fudgy, with just a hint of cinnamon. And you can feel all virtuous because you haven’t wasted anything – it’s a win – win!
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