{secretly pumpkin} brownie cupcakes

Hello! Today, I have made for you... brownie cupcakes! Delicious, fudgy, chocolatey and totally unhealthy brownie cupcakes. No vegetables or healthy stuff in sight.... right? Wrong! :) I made you super easy, healthified brownie mix cupcakes with pumpkin hiding inside. Seriously, if you eat one and you don't know it's made with pumpkin, you would never ever guess. These don't taste the least bit like vegetables, just rich and yummy. This recipe is probably the third or fourth in a series I like to call, "Brownie Mix Cheats." These recipes all start with a box of brownie mix, add a thing or two, and boom! You got some fun brownies. :) I have just added the category to my Recipe Index, so make sure to check it out!

Now, onto the recipe... All you need is one box of brownie mix (Ghirardelli's Dark Chocolate mix is to die for, oh em geee!), and one can of Libby's pure pumpkin puree. Not pumpkin pie filling! That would probably not work right. Anyways, one box of brownie mix + one can of pumpkin + 25 minutes at 325F = secretly healthy brownie cupcakes! I told you it was easy. :) And it's a great way to get kids and vegetable-hating adults to eat their veggies. The fact that they have no idea makes it fun! :) I love that these taste like regular brownies (well, maybe a bit more cakey and dense, but still), yet have vitamin A, C, and E, and lots of good-for-you fiber! I love turning brownies into health food. ;)





P.S. Do you love sneaking vegetables in your desserts? Check out: Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Zucchini Cupcakes, and Baked Sweet Potato Doughnuts; along with my embarrassingly large assortment of pumpkin recipes. :)

{Secretly Pumpkin} Brownie Cupcakes
Yields: 12 regular cupcakes + 10 mini cupcakes

1 regular box brownie mix (not family-size)
1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree 
chocolate chips (optional, if they are not in your brownie mix!)

Preheat the oven to 325F, and line a regular muffin pan and a mini muffin pan with cupcake liners. 
In a medium bowl, mix together the brownie mix and the whole can of pumpkin puree. Mix well, then add the chocolate chips if desired. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full, but know that they will not really rise at all! You don't want to overfill them, though, otherwise they will never get done cooking. :) Bake the large ones for 25 minutes, and the small ones for 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack to prevent soggy bottoms.