Though I’m a strong proponent of sneaking veggies into desserts I’ve always drawn the line at brownies. When I want a brownie, I want a brownie. I want something reminiscent of the chemical-laden box mix brownies of my youth: gooey, crumbly and oh-so-chocolatey, not the dense fudge-like desserts that grace (or disgrace?) every restaurant dessert menu and coffee shop display case. You can see why, then, it came as such a surprise to me the day I looked at my leftover butternut squash puree and thought adding it to my almond-butter brownie batter seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t a good idea. It was maybe the best idea I’ve ever had. These are pure brownie perfection - the butternut squash magically enhances all of the aforementioned brownie qualities while adding an additional nutritional boost to these already "health-ified" brownies. I’ve never looked back.
butternut squash brownies
ingredients
1 cup almond butter*
2 eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup (more or less depending on your preferences/if your almond butter is sweetened or unsweetened)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
scant 3/4 cup pureed butternut squash**
optional: 1 bar good quality dark chocolate (62-73% cacao), chopped into small chunks
method
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees and line an 8x8 glass baking dish with parchment paper
2. in a large bowl blend almond butter and eggs together with hand mixer until smooth. blend in maple syrup and vanilla
3. blend in cocoa, salt and baking soda
4. fold in butternut squash until combined, then fold in chocolate chunks
5. pour into baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on how gooey you like your brownies
6. use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan and let cool on a cutting board before cutting.
* i highly recommend Justin's Maple Almond Butter.
** to make butternut squash puree preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membrane. Place squash cut side down in a baking dish or pan, with half a cup to a cup of water and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool. Scoop squash out of skin with a spoon and transfer to a food processor, puree until smooth. Alternately you can purchase frozen butternut squash: follow directions on package to cook then puree in food processor.