Midnight Pumpkin Pie Brownies

I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of  days ago and was compelled to make brownies. Brittany walked out around 3 in the morning to see why I was blending a hubbard squash in the kitchen. Did you know pumpkin puree is actually hubbard squash puree? Anyways, the squash is a darker orange and has a much denser meat.

This recipe is from the Baking Bird.

For the brownie layer:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the pumpkin layer:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinches of nutmeg and allspice

For decoration: a handful of chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 8 by 8 inch pan.

To make the brownie layer:

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar, oil and vanilla. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine, then mix in the melted chocolate.

To make the pumpkin layer:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, stir until thoroughly combined.

To assemble:

1. Use a spatula to spread the brownie layer mixture into prepared baking pan, taking care to bring the batter to the edges of the pan. Pour the pumpkin layer over it, leaving a little room at the edges if you can.
2. Bake for 30 minutes, until pumpkin layer looks fairly firm (slight jiggling is ok), and has cracked at the edges a bit.
3. Let the brownies cool for 20 minutes, then transfer the pan to the fridge to set for at least an hour and a half. Once set, decorate with chocolate chips, slice into wedges, and serve!

Oh and by the way it's vegan!