Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

I hope these don't seem weird to you but if they do, may I something stranger to make these sound good? For Halloween one year, I dressed up as a cat ballerina. Not a cat or a ballerina, but a cat ballerina.* Talk about compromise at its finest! Compromise can be a beautiful thing. Instead of having to choose between two (awesome) options, you get to have both. Like cats and ballerinas or pumpkin and chocolate. 

This pumpkin and chocolate brownie idea has been floating around for a while but there were mixed reviews for every recipe that came my way. One said that it was too gummy and the flavours did not work, the other said that the pumpkin was too watery and the brownie was too dry. Compromise time. Take my favourite brownie and jack up the pumpkin swirl and voila, we have the perfect mix.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Idea from Martha, brownie recipe from here, filling adapted from Betty Crocker

brownies

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee 

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, very finely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, browned!
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla 
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

filling

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cinnamon

a couple big pinches of allspice

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350º. Butter (or non-stick spray) a 9" x 13" baking pan then line with foil with an overhang so the brownies can be lifted from the pan. Butter or cover with non-stick spray. 

filling Beat the cream cheese, sugar, salt and spices together until combined. Beat in the egg yolk. Mix in the pumpkin until fully combined, set aside.

brownies Whisk cocoa, instant coffee and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in butter and oil. (The mix will look curdled and weird, it's hokay.) Add eggs, yolks and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and combined. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix in with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in chocolate. Spread about half of the batter into prepared pan. Grab the filling and drop big spoonfuls over the brownie batter. Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top. Run a knife through the batter a few times to marbleize it. Bake until toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours. Using foil overhang, life brownies from pan. Return to wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour. Cut and serve. Makes 18 brownies.

 

* At least when my future children want to be avocado bats and easter reindeer I will know what is up.