The Perfect Fall Treat

The Perfect Fall Treat

Pumpkin Swirl Brownie Bars

Recipe by Chloe Grubb

Part brownie, part pumpkin bar, and exactly the kind of fall treat we want tucked into a lunchbox. These Pumpkin Brownie Bars combine rich chocolate with warmly spiced pumpkin batter for a swirled treat that’s just as good packed for school as it is eaten straight from the pan.

Made in our Prep to Pack Baking Trays, they’re already perfectly portioned to fit inside your PlanetBox lunchbox. Make a batch now, pack a few this week, and save the rest for later.

Bake, Store & Pack

Prep to Pack Baking Tray Set: Skip the slicing and bake each bar in a lunchbox-ready size. The two silicone trays create perfectly portioned baked goods designed to fit right into PlanetBox lunchbox compartments.

Square Glass Food Storage: Keep the rest of the batch ready for another day. Our airtight Glass Food Storage Containers help keep your Pumpkin Brownie Bars moist and fresh until it’s time to pack another one.

Ingredients

  • ¾ (90g) cup all-purpose flour

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) butter melted

  • 1 ½ cups (300g) brown sugar

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 3 eggs

  • ½ cup cocoa powder

  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • ½ cup (120g, fresh or canned) pumpkin puree

  • ½ cup walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds

  • 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice


Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease your Prep to Pack Baking Trays.

  2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

  3. In another bowl mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Next, beat in the 3 eggs one at a time with a spoon. Gradually add the flour mixture, and stir the batter until it's evenly moistened. Pour half the mixed batter back into the flour bowl (if you have a scale, its roughly 325g of batter)

  4. Into one bowl of batter, mix the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In the second bowl of batter, stir in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.

  5. Fill each baking tray section halfway with the chocolate batter, roughly two spoonful's of batter per section . Fill the remaining space with the pumpkin batter. Optionally, use a toothpick to make a swirl pattern in the batter after filling.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven until the bars begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan before removing.


Make It Extra Cozy

These bars are delicious on their own, but a swipe of cream cheese frosting makes them feel extra special. For an easy seasonal shortcut, try Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread on top.