Pumpkin Chocolate Protein Brownies

We love pumpkin, we love chocolate, we love brownies, and we love treats that are high in protein. That is why this recipe is just perfect.
I won’t hide it. It took me a long time, and several attempts to get the right balance of flavors and texture. In the end I got it right.
In a way pumpkin and chocolate are not exactly meant to be together. It is a sort of weird combination.
So when I first saw the original recipe at my mum’s place in one of her cookbook, I was like: “This doesn’t sound right...” Nevertheless, I gave it a go, and it was quite delicious. Filled with sugar and fats but delicious. I knew I had to tweak it quite a lot to make more IronYou compliant. Some dramatic changes were involved, but ended up with those rad dudes.


First off: they’re incredibly tasty. The combination works not only from a taste perspective but also texture wise. The chocolate part is very brownie/cakey, while the pumpkin is more close to a pumpkin pie filling.



When you bite into one, your taste buds will be like: “Is this a brownie or a pumpkin pie?” It’s eventually a bit of both, and that’s why everybody loves ‘em.
Plus the protein powder after taste is almost non-existent, which is always a good thing.



Pumpkin Chocolate Protein Brownies Print this Recipe!
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

1 stick / ½ cup / 4 oz / 113 grams butter (plus more for the pan)
6 oz / 170 grams +70% dark chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cup / 6.5 oz / 185 grams whole wheat flour
2 scoops / ¼ cup protein powder (either vanilla or unflavored)
1 tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
1 cup / 6.5 oz / 185 grams brown sugar
8 egg whites (or 4 large eggs)
1 ½ cup / 11.3 oz / 320 grams solid pack pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract (only if using unflavored protein powder)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line with parchment paper, and butter the lining as well.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, stir occasionally until smooth.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
In a different bowl put sugar, and eggs. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat until fluffy (3 to 5 minutes).
Beat in flour mixture until well combined.
Pour half the batter (about two cups) into a separate bowl, and stir in the chocolate mixture.
In the other bowl, stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Transfer the chocolate batter to the prepared pan smoothing top with a spatula. Top with the pumpkin batter smoothing the top with a spatula.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan or transfer to a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares (or 20 bigger ones). Just keep in mind that these brownies have a very dense, almost cake like texture, and they’re very filling.
Also, they get better when completely cold, and even better the day after; just remember to store them properly in an airtight container.

Note: If you feel particular playful you can do 4 layers instead of 2, alternating the chocolate and the pumpkin batter. Just be careful as the chocolate batter is much more dense and richer than the pumpkin one. And if you’re feeling even more playful, using a knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect.

Nutrition facts

As I said before these babies are dense and pretty filling, that’s why I suggest to cut 24 squares out of the baking pan. If you do so, each brownie will score the following nutrition facts: 140 calories, with 10 grams of sugar, 7 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein. What about that?

The Iron You