Winter Squash Chocolate Brownies

If I could describe these brownies in one word it would be decadent. If I could describe these brownies in five words it would be: rich, dense, chocolaty, gooey brownies…with squash!? Yep! Are you sick of all the fall flavored things yet? I love that these aren’t over-the-top fall themed. They’re not bright orange or even extremely squash flavored. These are just a good chocolate brownie with a subtle hint of squash.

My favorite part of these brownies is that you can’t initially tell there’s squash in them. They look fudgy and chocolaty and you can only tell there’s squash after taking a bite. As opposed to pumpkin swirl cheesecake brownies. Which are equally delicious, but I wanted a good chocolate brownie. And I like the element of surprise.

I know ‘winter squash’ is a vague term. You can really use any kind of squash here: pumpkin, butternut, sweet potato. I used a mix of butternut and pumpkin, since I already has some opened. What ever you use, I recommend buying the 100% pureed canned vegetable. It’s sooo much easier and quicker. This time of year, I always make sure to stock up on some canned squash.

The other thing I love about these brownies? Unlike this brownie recipe, you just need one bowl and a spoon to mix these. There’s no need to mix anything for a specific amount of time, once it’s combined you’re good to go. The only thing you need to remember is to not overmix them and not overbake them. And let them cool before cutting – the hardest part! Since these brownies are so fudgy, letting them cool is very important! They’ll finish setting & cooking and when cool, they’ll be perfect. Definitely worth the wait.