Butternut Squash Dark Chocolate Brownies
Fudgy brownies that swap half the fat for roasted butternut squash, delivering moisture and natural sweetness while cutting calories. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder keep the intensity high. Baked in a single tin, cooled, and dusted with icing sugar.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil or butter, for greasing
- 28 tbsp butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ¾" dice
- 14 tbsp dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids), roughly chopped
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- 1 cup golden superfine sugar
- 14 tbsp cocoa powder, good quality
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- icing sugar, to dust(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F/fan 325°F/gas 4. Grease and line a 7.75" x 7.75" square brownie tin with baking paper.
- 2
Dice butternut squash into ¾" pieces. Place in a heatproof bowl with a splash of water, cover with cling film, and microwave on high until soft and tender.
- 3
Drain excess water from squash. Add chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir; residual heat will melt it.
- 4
Using a hand-held blender, whizz squash and chocolate to a smooth purée.
- 5
Crack eggs into a large bowl, add sugar, and whisk with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- 6
Fold cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into the egg mixture.
- 7
Fold in the chocolate squash purée. Transfer to the prepared tin.
- 8
Bake until brownies have set.
- 9
Cool in the tin for at least an hour. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
Microwave time is 8-10 minutes; squash should be very soft before adding chocolate.
Do not skip the cooling hour in the tin; it allows brownies to set properly and makes cutting cleaner.
Use cocoa powder sifted or whisked in to avoid lumps in the batter.
Good to Know
Covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Batter can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Bake when ready. Fully baked brownies keep for 2 days covered.
Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with coffee, tea, or milk.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the microwave time for squash; undercooked squash will not blend smoothly and will create texture issues.
Do not over-blend the squash-chocolate mixture; over-processing can make the batter too dense.
Do not skip the cooling hour in the tin; cutting too soon will break the brownies apart.