Sometimes We Only Use Two Ingredients for Dessert

In our house we like dessert.  I am so glad I married someone who also has a bit of a sweet tooth!  We enjoy all sorts of desserts.  We love fruity ones like the these no sugar added mango fruit roll-ups, fruit crumbles like this one, and, of course, we love chocolate.  I have to hide open bags of chocolate chips or else they will "disappear" before we use them in a recipe!  

Sunday evening we realized we did not have any dessert options other than chocolate covered popcorn (it is delicious!) until....Jeffy remembered we had brownie mix and pumpkin purée!  Luckily, pumpkin is a fruit, so we are technically still eating a fruity dessert with chocolate!!!!  It's the best of both worlds!  (Cue Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus....)  It does mean that my butternut squash soup is technically a fruit soup....but we are not going to dwell on that!

We started making this after being inspired by a Pinterest pin using only those two ingredients to make delicious brownies.  The original recipe also has a frosting, but that makes the somewhat healthy (hey, pumpkin has lots of nutritional benefits!) brownies seem completely indulgent.

To make these tasty brownies you preheat your oven to 350, prepare a baking dish (we are stuck with 8x8 glass containers because an old roommate used to cook pork shoulder in MY brownie tray....the nerve!) with cooking spray (we use a coconut oil one!), and stir the two ingredients together.

Yes, you literally add a can of pumpkin purée to a box of brownie mix and stir.

After mixing, your creation will look nice and glossy, like this:

One of the nicest things about this recipe is that you do not feel slightly guilty at all for eating the batter because there are no eggs!

Jeffy likes the delicious batter!

You bake in your baking dish for 35 minutes at 350.  Test the brownies by sticking in and removing a toothpick.  If a lot of cake comes off, then you should allow them to cook a little longer.  We used a Family Size box at 350 degrees and it took about 45 minutes to cook through and create the delicious brownie you see below.  It is not perfectly smooth and crumbly on top like a traditional brownie because it is essentially a different product.  It's a slightly healthier one! 

The finished product!

We cleaned out that 8x8 dish of brownies in only three days....they're that good!

Here is the "recipe" for this simple concoction! 

Two Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:

- Can of pumpkin purée (recipes always remind you to use purée and not pie filling, so here is my reminder to you!)

- Box of brownie mix (we used a Family Size box for thick brownies and so we can eat more batter)

- Cooking spray (we use coconut oil spray) or butter 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together the brownie mix and entire can of pumpkin purée so it is all incorporated and seems glossy.  (TASTE IT BECAUSE IT IS SAFE!  NO EGGS IN THIS MIX!)

3.  Prepare your baking dish with cooking spray or butter.  

4.  Bake for 35 minutes and test with a toothpick.  If it is clean-ish, remove and let cool for a minute.  If it is not clean, bake for a few minutes longer.  Ours took 45 minutes in an 8x8 baking dish because we make them thicker using a Family Size box.

5.  Remember, these are not traditional brownies.  They will appear glossy on top throughout the few days they last in your house.  It is ok!  Keep eating them!

6.  Enjoy!