How To Upgrade Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread Mix Into Brownie-Like Pumpkin Bars

Every year, Trader Joe's unveils a long list of fall items ruled by the flavors of pumpkin spice and apple cider. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix is a veteran fall offering that's well-loved by consumers. Like most boxed cake mixes, Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix needs only the addition of eggs, water, and oil to rise into a perfectly moist yet fluffy loaf. However, you can transform Trader Joe's mix into brownie-like bars with a few tweaks.

The key to achieving a gooier, denser brownie texture lies in ingredient swaps and proportion adjustments. Most brownie recipes don't contain the leavening agents Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix contains. So, to offset their effects requires altering or reducing the proportion of liquid ingredients and substituting oil for butter. Adding oil instead of butter tends to result in a more tender and chewy texture, while butter achieves a fudgy texture that you'd want for pumpkin bars.

In Trader Joe's recipe for its Pumpkin Bars, you'll forgo the cup of water and half cup of oil for 2 tablespoons of water and a stick of butter. You'll also add three-fourths of a cup of sugar to really bring it into a dessert realm, as well as sour cream, bourbon vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and eggs. The good news is that the gooey, dense nature of brownies requires far less baking time than a cakey bread loaf. So, you'll also reduce baking times from the 55 minutes specified on the box to around 35 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not only do simple ingredient adjustments turn pumpkin bread into pumpkin brownie bars, but you can upgrade your pumpkin bars further with more simple additions. The pumpkin spice flavor of pumpkin bars will pair well with the nuts like pecans and walnuts. So, you can stir toasted nuts into the batter before toasting them. Dark or bittersweet chocolate chips will offer a sophisticated upgrade, complementing the spice and sweetness of the bars with a chocolatey bitterness. Dried, sweetened cranberries would bring tangy brightness and a pleasant chew to the fudgy texture of pumpkin bars.

You can use Trader Joe's proprietary products for the most convenient upgrades, including fall items like pumpkin pie spice mix and pumpkin butter. You could swirl pumpkin butter into the pumpkin batter for an extra dose of your favorite fall flavors. Spread this classic cream cheese frosting over your bars and sprinkle them with pumpkin pie spice or toasted pepitas for a little color and crunch. Dust the top of pumpkin brownies with a thick layer of brown sugar and cinnamon to bring out the spices and enhance the sweetness.