Bake someone happy with these delicious, cake-like Butternut Squash Brownies. They freeze beautifully and are perfect with a glass of milk.
Once upon a time there was a family of Butternut Squash: Papa, Mama, Big Brother, and Baby B. They all wanted to become something valuable and delicious.
Papa became squash puree to be frozen for later. Mama was baked into pies. Big Brother was an overachiever and became cake, muffins, soup, and cinnamon rolls. And Baby B? Well, he became brownies.
Butternut Squash Brownies.
I’ve made these brownies many times so far, and they are always a hit. While the texture is not quite the same as my regular brownie recipe, the flavor is rich and the inside moist.
I imagine that you could use pumpkin puree or even applesauce instead, but I’ve not tested it that way. I am, after all, rich is squash.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of flour and cocoa can help keep the price down.
- Freezing produce for later. When it rains squash, it pours. Take advantage of a seasonal glut and puree squash to freeze for later.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- stainless steel mixing bowl – I’m not sure you have too many of these.
- rubber spatula – I have two of these; I love them so much.
- parchment paper – I hate washing pans. Parchment paper makes clean up a breeze.
- 1/2 cup butternut squash puree (can also use pumpkin puree)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the puree, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the sugar and combine well.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well to blend. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until baked through.
- Cool on a rack before cutting into squares and serving.
To freeze, wrap the brownies in plastic wrap and store them in a ziptop freezer bag in the freezer.
Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1/12 the recipe.
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I have a friend who uses baby food veggies to get extra nutrients into her kiddos… I’ve tried it and it works! Into pancakes, muffins, etc. I’m thinking it would work great in this recipe too. Bookmarking to try this soon!!
Best brownies ever. I have made many healthy brownie recipes, But this one is so easy and always turns out. I do make mine with gluten free flour and I use stevia instead of sugar.
SO glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the great feedback!
I have never heard of butternut squash in brownies. I happen to love butternut squash (and most squash).
I’m totally confused by your comments about bears? Here, the only one left is momma bear, but I’m assuming you’re talking about something completely different than I am.
@ter@waaoms, She’s referring to her butternut squashes. They were so big that she named them after the Three Bears.
That looks really good! I made chocolate zucchini cake last summer from a huge zucchini that got away from me in the garden. It was also very moist and tasty so I can well imagine that squash would also be good in baked goods.
Brilliant I always have left over roasted squash that I mashed /puréed and froze from the end of the growing season and look forward to using it in these brownies. I have used the squash in muffins and pancakes when I was out of pumpkin!
Let me know what you think of the brownies!
I’m excited to try the recipe! I’m linking it to my post today on what to do with winter squash. I’d love to see your other squash recipes as well. We have a ton of it right now.
http://healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-to-do-with-winter-squash.html
This is my kind of brownie recipe! Yum.
Haha, love it! What a creative use for butternut squash.
Yum! I’ve got a bunch of pureed squash in the freezer, I know what I’m making before the kids get home!
Me thinks this is AWESOME!! Great job! 🙂 I definitely plan to utilize this recipe! Thanks!
i’m going to have to try this. thanks for sharing the recipe.
also loved how in lifeasmom you shared the details of one of your days. busy.so.busy! i think you & your family accomplish more than you realize. ((hugs))
Do you think I could use acorn squash? I have a bunch pureed in the freezer
I have no idea. I have three acorn squash that I have no idea what to do with! LOL
@Jessica,
Yes, acorn squash is a GREAT substitute for pumpkin. We like to slice, scoop seeds, roast in a pan with a little water. At the end of roasting top with butter, salt & brown sugar. Serve in 1/2 shells or scoop and mash. I wish I could say my boys love it, but they are weird and don’t. I served it to my Russian neighbors once and I saw them coming from the market the following week with a bunch of acorn squash, so it must be good for adults 🙂
My absolute favorite thing to do with acorn squash is to stuff it. I add a mixture of sausage (I usually make mine from ground pork), spinach, red peppers diced, sautéed mirepoix, day old baguette, and a slash of chicken broth. Mix in a little bit of parmesan cheese and grate some on top. Bake it into parbaked squashes until brown. Delish!
My favorite butternut squash recipe is quite simple and I use it for a quick no fuss supper night. Roast your squash cut up with some olive oil salt and pepper. Then when tender toss with fresh ravioli or tortilini and mix with it some sage, and pasta cooking liquid and parmesan cheese. Delightful!
Looks good!
Thank you! I still have 11 cups of pumpkin/squash purree in my freezer and we’re getting a bit pumpkined out. As much as I love my pumpkin bread (and pancakes, and scones….) it’s the wrong time of year for the pumpkin flavor. I’ll have to try these brownies today!
I tried this tonight with canned pumpkin and dark chocolate chips. It was delicious! Very rich and chocolatey. I’ll have to try it with some butternut squash next time.
Great idea.. I have been working on getting more orange veggies in our diet. Last night I made homemade spaghetti sauce (about 3-4 quarts) and put in about a cup of butternut squash puree. It was delicious and sweet and everyone thought is was about the best batch yet….They never knew it was there. Next time I will increase the amount!
I had to add 1/4 cup oil to this…it was way too dry as a batter, I just didn’t think it would be a very moist brownie. I added the oil (I could’ve done applesauce too, I was just not thinking about it) and these are tasty and moist.
Hmmm…. ours were almost too moist. I wonder if there is a difference in butternut squash puree. Did you use homemade or canned?
Just baked a double batch of this awesome recipe!!! Thank you, I made extra baby food and didn’t have enough ice cube trays to freeze it all. These are my new go to brownie!!!
I just made a batch of these. When I tasted the batter, I was worried that it might be too sweet. However, sweetness was right on. I would try cutting back to 3/4 cup if I were to make it again, just to see if I could be a smidge healthier. The one downside to this treat is a personal preference. These brownies are cakelike and I prefer a fudgy brownie. I would consider making these again!
I just baked these for dessert tonight. The kids think I’m super mum! And it was great having them guess the secret ingredient. The fact they said beet root first made me smile – I like to bake and the kids are getting used to veggies in cakes!
Baking the squash in the oven whole is genius, so easy.
My only 🙁 was the chocolate chips. We can’t get semi sweet here in the UK and I was saving my last bag of Ghiradelli for cookies. I caved in thinking it was worth it. And I’m so pleased I did.
Plus we’re coming to Cal at Easter 🙂
@Rebecca, I’m so glad it was worth the chocolate chip sacrifice!! 🙂
Success! My story? Leftover butternut puree in the fridge + desire for brownies. One internet search later = just the right recipe to suit my needs. I lucked into super-sweet squash, so I reduced the sugar by almost half (between a 1/2 and 2/3 cup instead of the full cup it called for, and I recommend you do this as well, depending on whether your squash tastes sweet or no). I’m not usually a recipe-follower, but this time I pretty much walked the straight and narrow. My only mods were the sugar (1/2-2/3 cup instead), the pans (1 regular bread loaf pan plus 1 kid-sized bread loaf pan), and the cooking spray, which I never have. I used butter to grease the pans, and voila! Delicious, moist *and* cakey brownies, ready in record-time. About 15 minutes flat. Thanks, goodcheapeats.com! 🙂
I am always looking to cook nutritiously. What is the nutritional value of this recipe?
I’m sorry. I don’t offer that kind of information.
Mine turned out VERY dry as well, thought maybe I cooked too long, but looked back on the recipe and noticed no oil…..So I will try adding the oil.
Interesting. That has not been our experience. They are on the edge of too moist. Can I ask what kind of flour you used and if you measured it by scooping or weighing?
I scooped. I used AP flour.
That may be the problem. This post explains it: https://goodcheapeats.com/how-to-measure-flour-properly/