Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies


Well, I did it. I finally got around to making these pumpkin swirl brownies that I've seen on so many blogs. What can I say? All of you who made this finally convinced me.

I can't say that it was the easiest recipe I've ever put together. For one thing, it requires you to mix up two different batters in addition to making the pumpkin and chocolate mixtures that go into them. Consequently, my sink was full of used bowls that now needed to be washed.

I also wish that I had read the reviews of other people before making these brownies. If I had, I would have known about the problem that occurs in baking these up. Here's the thing, this recipe makes a LOT of batter but directs you to pour it all into a small 9-inch pan. I did so and found that the entire middle section of the pan was still incredibly gooey even after baking it for the specified 45 minutes. No, not good gooey, completely batter gooey. So, I ended up baking it for half an hour longer which helped the center bake up but also made the edges way too dry instead of moist and chewy. I realized afterward that a 7x11 pan would have been a much better idea.




But, you ask, was it still worth it? Oh YES. The chocolate brownie part was fudgy, rich, and delicious. The pumpkin portion was chewy and dense and I think it could stand alone and be an excellent pumpkin blondie. Together, the pumpkin and chocolate worked really well together and the swirled look was just really pretty.









The only thing that disappointed me was that I couldn't taste the cayenne pepper in these brownies and I had been looking forward to that nice spicy kick. So, the next time I make these, I'll probably add 1/4 teaspoon more of cayenne pepper to the brownie batter. But, other than that, this was definitely a keeper.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Orglamix Organic Mineral Makeup

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
(original recipe by Martha Stewart can be found by clicking on the link)

1 stick margarine
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger powder (I added this)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish (I'd recommend using a 7x11 rectangular pan). Line bottom of pan with parchment paper, butter lining.

Melt chocolate and margarine in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3-5 min. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 1 1/2 c. per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. Stir the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger into the other bowl. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan, smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Bake until set, 40-45 min. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

This recipe is linked to:
Meatless Mondays
Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays
Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesdays
A Beautiful Mess Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesday Twister
Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays

44 comments:

  1. Despite the difficult recipe these sure turned out beautifully! I bet they tasted good too!

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  2. Yum! Your brownies look delicious. I'm a complete brownie fanatic, and I love all-things-pumpkin, so I can imagine these would be just perfect. Thanks for the tips on adjusting the baking pan size, too :)

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  3. Your brownies look perfect to me! Glad you went for the extra effort because I bet they were absolutely delicious!

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  4. I am not sure if I'd like the pumpkin/chocolate combo, but I think this post has me convinced that it's worth a shot! Yours turned out beautiful!

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  5. Your photos of these look 5 star! If they were sitting in a bakery I wouldn't hesitate to snatch these up. Looking forward to trying these sometime. How delicious!

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  6. Sounds like a bit of a battle but they look wonderful. ;)

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  7. Never even heard of a pumpkin brownie! They look great!

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  8. These look delicious! I am going to add the recipe to my holiday baking list!

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  9. Lisa I love your pumpkin brownies, look beautiful! huggs,
    thans by invite me to your giveaway is nice!
    gloria

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  10. oh my goodness! the color of these is insane!\

    they look delicious!

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  11. I want one:)) Those look fantastic. I love pumpkin and Chocolate combo!

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  12. These look AMAZING!! Two amazing flavors swirled together into a brownie..there's so much to love here!

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  13. Glad I read this review of the recipe. I hate when I find that other reviewers gave great tips and I didn't take the time to read them! But the overall recipe does sound worth making.

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  14. Oh my gosh! These sound heavenly. And this from a gal who doesn't really like pumpkin! =o)

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  15. This is a delicious looking set of brownies! Sorry to hear you had a bit of trouble and I agree, I would like a bit more kick from the cayenne. If you try it again with more and it works out, let us know!

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  16. Pumpkin and chocolate is one of the most delicious combos! These are heavenly!

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  17. This is a match made in heaven.... in my version of heaven.

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  18. These are so pretty, with the swirled batter! Cayenne is an interesting spice in these- sounds delicous! I have a couple of pumpkins that need to be used. :)

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  19. Lisa these look perfect and the recipe is totally doable. Can you believe I still have a pumpkin left over for Halloween?

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  20. Hi lisa :),looks delicious, although i am not a big fan of pumpkin

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  21. I've never thought about marrying choc and pumpkin together before! YUMMM and they look beautiful!
    Have bookmarked this :D

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  22. Hi Lisa, I have to really Thank You for dropping by at my blog and inviting me for the great give away! I shall be checking out the site soon as the link is pretty slow now.

    Thanks a ton!

    Brownies look super yummy! :D

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  23. Looks really good! Love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate. I must say that the addition of the cayenne pepper is really interesting! Would love to try this someday! This is another pumpkin recipes "to-do-list"!

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  24. These sound fab-ulous! As you know, I love pumpkin :) They sound like they are worth the effort. I think I am going to make these and try and squeeze them into my 12 treats of Christmas series. I will probably leave the Cayenne out though- for some reason I just don't love the Cayenne and Chocolate trend. Great blog- thanks for finding mine too! :)

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  25. Wow it sounds like you worked those brownies! Thanks for linking up with me.

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  26. Yum, these look amazing! Of course I love anything with pumpkin. ;-)

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  27. Always looking for a good dessert recipe! Thanks Lisa!

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  28. Lisa this looks great!I want one!

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  29. Oooh, pumpkin & chocolate sound divine, Lisa, and they look marvelous.

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  30. pumpkin and chocolates swirled? YUMM! i bet it is worth all that dirty dishes in the sink !

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  31. These sound delicious! I love brownies.
    Ps- I added you to my blogroll. Hope that is ok.

    Katie

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  32. you and I need to always add double the cayenne pepper I think. :)

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  33. Wow! I have not seen these before. Pumpkin and chocolate sounds like a wonderful combo. Thanks for the tip about the pan and the cayenne pepper. I like the sound of adding a little more too:)

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  34. Lisa, these Brownies look so yummy! Thanks for visiting my blog!!!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Hug´s,
    Verena

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  35. Mmmmmm... All of your treats have me watering at the mouth!!


    What would you do with a $75 gift card?  I have a  giveaway on my blog right now for just that!  

    Come on over and enter!  Good luck!

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  36. Pumpkin and chocolate is the most delicious combination. I bet these brownies are positively decadent!
    *kisses* HH

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  37. Glad you stuck it through and ended it up with these delicious bars. I really love pumpkin and of course who can resist brownies of any form?

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  38. WOW! How perfect these must be, I'll have to make some for my Christmas company :). Have a great day! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

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  39. I think I'd love these! Maybe even add a hot fudge swirl in them too, like I do with my normal brownies. Mmm... Or a caramel swirl. Yummmm

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  40. I love pumpkin in anything... the combination of pumpkin and chocolate is so delicious. Great brownies!

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  41. Aloha ahiahi from Honolulu! I've just signed up on your blog because I love the recipes that I'm seeing - this one caught my eye. Saw the comment about the pan size, and thought about a similar issue I had with a recipe. Have you tried making the same recipe into those cute little 'baby' bundt pans or the little loaf pans with cute holiday designs? A larger flat pan may not solve the gooey center issue [didn't help my creation, anyway.]

    I hate the mess of using lots of bowls too, so whenever I need to, I utilize large baggies to let the doughs 'rest' while I'm making some other portion of a recipe. If the recipe calls for 'coursely' mixing the ingredients-all the better, just toss and/or massage them in the bag!
    A hui hou!

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