I Tried Martha Stewart’s Famous Fall Dessert—and I Can’t Wait to Make It Again

It’s officially pumpkin spice season, which is one of my favorite times of the year for festive food. (Second only to Christmas cookies, eggnog, and other holiday eats.) While some may tire of a pumpkin spice spin on everything, I say, keep it coming. If there’s one iconic homemaker who, I bet, would agree with me, it’s Martha Stewart. Which is how I ended up with what has become a new must-bake in my kitchen: Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Swirl Brownies.

Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Brownie Recipe Has the Perfect Fall Swirl

I must admit: I cannot resist a dessert with a swirl detail. From marshmallows to cake and now brownies, I love creating a mesmerizing pattern in batter. It adds the exact amount of whimsy I look for in an autumnal-inspired dessert. 

To create the swirl in Stewart’s recipe, the brownie batter is divided before adding pumpkin purée to one half and melted chocolate to the other. It’s then added to the baking dish in four alternating layers. I recommend spooning the batter in even dollops across the surface of each previous layer as Martha shows in this video, to reach a balanced pumpkin-to-chocolate ratio for optimal swirling. The video also features a helpful swirling demo, though I recommend using a butter knife for the swirling since the brownie batter is deeper than the cheesecake she’s making. 

Why Martha Stewart Changed How I View Fall Brownies Forever

I was initially intrigued by the combination of chocolate and pumpkin. I’ve never tried anything that marries those two flavors together, but I love brownies and I love pumpkin bread, and this Martha Stewart dessert really is the best of both worlds. The overall texture and consistency are definitely more pumpkin bread-forward than brownie, but it has enough chocolate flavor to satisfy the late-night boxed brownie cravings. 

My favorite part about Stewart’s fall brownies recipe—and the reason I’ve made it multiple times—is that it’s not super sweet while still being a satisfying treat. I have a serious sweet tooth, but also don’t like sugar bombs, and this recipe manages to strike the perfect balance between the two elements.

Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies Bring Some Delicious Heat

The unsuspecting star ingredient in this brownie recipe is cayenne pepper, which is not all that surprising—we all know Martha can be a little spicy. Though I had my hesitations about how the heat would affect the brownies’ taste, I can now confirm that it gives them something special. You get a hint of heat, but it doesn’t come through as spicy. The cayenne combines perfectly with cinnamon and nutmeg to create a warmth to the overall flavor. If I haven’t fully convinced you yet, I would just say, don’t knock it till you try it. 

Perfect for fall baking, this Martha Stewart recipe is predictably flawless. The only thing I changed was to skip the nuts on top that the recipe calls for—I just personally don’t like the texture in baked goods. But if you’re a fan, well, go “nuts.” You can also check out our own highly-rated Pumpkin Brownies Recipe to see what all the fuss is about. Happy baking!