Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites

If you are looking for the same satisfying fudgy consistency of brownies minus the guilt, these Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites are the ones for you! Also, unlike regular brownies, these have a deep rich chocolate flavour and are reminiscent of dark chocolate truffles.  They are egg and gluten-free and can be made diary-free and suitable for vegans.

What Makes My Pumpkin Brownie Bites Healthy?

My Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites make a great balanced snack for kids and adults alike. Pumpkin is very nutritious, and we are using a lot of it in this recipe. Pumpkins contain a high amount of immune boosting vitamins and minerals, as well as proteins and carbohydrates.

Adding peanut butter gives you a protein fix, good fats as well as some vitamins and minerals. And the peanut butter flavour that comes through is subtle.  The cocoa powder and even the dark chocolate chips contain important anti-oxidants. Plus, these pumpkin brownie bites have no refined sugar, we are using honey or agave nectar which also have their health benefits.

If you have a toddler or weaning baby and are wondering how to adapt this recipe for your family, see here >

The Stars of my Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites

Pumpkin 

This recipe uses a whole 425g / 15oz tin of pumpkin puree so you’re getting all that veggie goodness in your brownie bites. Through October in the UK you should be able to find tins of pumpkin puree in the world foods aisle of large supermarkets. Otherwise, you can find them on Amazon, but the price goes up in October so it’s always best to buy it in August and early September. You can of course roast your own pumpkin and puree that to use. Keep reading for instructions on how to do that.

How to Roast & Puree a Pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F, or gas mark 4, and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Brush the pumpkin all over with oil and place them cut side down on the baking tray. Prick the skin a few times with a fork. Roast for 50 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes until able to handle. If the flesh is separating from the skin, use a large serving spoon to scoop it out in chunks. If not, flip the pumpkin halves over and peel off the skin with a spoon. Roughly chop the flesh, then transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let it cool completely before using it in your brownie bites. You can prepare the pumpkin a day in advance and refrigerate until needed.

Cocoa Powder

I like to use Dr Oetker’s Fine Dark Cocoa Powder, I find it to be the best flavour wise. I also like that Dr Oetker advocates for sustainable cocoa cultivation and protection of the world’s rainforests. You can of course use any other cocoa powder you have.

Peanut Butter

You’ll want to go for a smooth runny type peanut butter, so you can whisk it by hand easily and also so you aren’t left with clumps of it running through your pumpkin brownie bites.

The Sweetener

You can use either honey or agave. Obviously, to make the recipe vegan, use agave. If you’d like to share these with a baby under 12 months old you will need to use agave too. To see other tweaks for making this recipe suitable for a weaning baby, see below.

Chocolate Chips

You will need a 100g pack of dark chocolate chips or chunks for these Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites. To make these diary-free and vegan, use vegan dark chocolate chips.

How to Make These Healthy Brownie Bites

Making these little bites of goodness is a simple process. Just combine all these ingredients and mix using a hand whisk. Then transfer to a muffin tin, regular or mini and bake for 15 minutes. Next, you’ll leave them to cool and then store them in the fridge to further set until ready to eat.

FAQ’s For My Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites

What muffin tray do I need to make these Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites?

I personally prefer mini muffin size as then they turn out more bite-size, but a regular muffin tray will be fine if that’s all you’ve got. The mixture will roughly half fill the holes and so be wider and flatter than if you use a mini tray. Whichever size tray you use, I recommend using a silicone one if you have it, lightly sprayed with oil. Then, you can pop out a nice smooth edged pumpkin brownie bites once cold. If you don’t have a silicone tray, you will need to line it with cases.

If you are using a silicone mini muffin tray, fill each hole to the top. If you are using a metal tray with cases, fill to just below the top. You may find a couple of muffin holes are left empty and that’s fine.

Can I make my own pumpkin puree?

You sure can! See the above pumpkin section for instructions on how to do this.

How can younger children help make it?

Yes! This is such a great recipe for younger kids to get stuck into as you are hand whisking everything to combine. It’s also a great one to teach them that sweet treats can be made using healthier ingredients.

Can I Store Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites leftovers?

Once your Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites have cooled completely and before eating, transfer them to the fridge. Storing them at room temp will cause them to be too soft and messy. You can store them in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). They can also be frozen, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge before eating.

More on safe food storage and reheating.

What diets is this recipe suitable for?

My Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites are gluten and egg-free. They can be made diary-free and vegan by using agave instead of honey and by using vegan chocolate chips. These bites are not suitable for anyone with a peanut allergy.

I have fussy eater, will they be able to tell there is pumpkin in there?

No they definitely won’t realise that the main ingredient is a vegetable, don’t worry. In fact, treats that hide vegetables are a great way to get more nutrients into picky eater’s diets.

Making My Healthy Pumpkin Brownie Bites Suitable for Baby

You can make a few pumpkin brownie bites that little ones can have, you’ll just need to use agave instead of honey and add some of the mixture to the muffin tin for them before you add in the chocolate chips.

I’ve also added these notes to the bottom of the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook.

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