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.

Graveyard Cupcakes

I have a bit of a confession. Actually, more like an obsession. When I like something, I love it. Case and point: The Town. Have you seen this movie? No? Go now! Possibly one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I plan on setting up a campaign for Ben Affleck to win the oscar for best director and actor. He was nothing short of perfect. He is very close to my heart, literally:

People always ask what is in my locket so I finally put something in. After scouring through my EW (entertainment weekly, great magazine), I came across these little gems, and by little I mean perfect size. So came the locket of Damen Salvator and Ben Affleck.

Right, forgot about Halloween. Point is, I love it. Christmas is my number one but Halloween is definitely second. The cookies, candy, cupcakes, costumes, and various of the C's, it is great. The perfect reason to bake away. And I did.  

Instead of using my usual chocolate cupcakes, the Barefoot Contessa chocolate cake and the one used in my birthday cake stepped in. It works just as well as cupcakes and is just as delicious. So perfect! I think its the coffee. You can't taste it but coffee makes everything better. Fact.


Graveyard Cupcakes
Cake from Barefoot Contessa

cupcakes

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee 

cream cheese frosting

8 ounces of cream cheese, one block

1/2 cup butter

4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

sugar cookies recipe and instructions here

cupcakes Preheat the oven to 325º. Line 24 cupcake pans with liners. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry until just combined. Add the coffee and stir just to combine. The batter will be quite thin, don't worry! Divide the batter amongst the twenty four cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, alternating halfway through. Using a cake tester, poke the middle to make sure it is cooked through. Let them cool in the pan for ten minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

*If making this ahead of time, put the cupcakes in a container so they don't dry out.

frosting Using a mixer, save your arms, and beat together all of the ingredients until smooth. Add your desired food colouring. This makes a bit more then necessary for the cupcakes. Spread on as much as desired and decorate!

Halloween Sugar Cookies

Lately, I can not tell you how happy I have been (minus my rumbles with the weather). Since I signed up for the twelve weeks of Christmas cookies, responses have actually came in. Ever since this blog was born, there has been little feedback. Not that I mind, it is what I love. Baking is one thing that I always enjoy, even when it doesn't work out. All I'm trying to say is that every comment matters to me and every time it is truly amazing. 

So I have a line up of cute little treats to eat. I'm sure everyone has already made or planned what they may make but they are still nice to look at! Granted this is my cookie choice for the twelve weeks of Christmas cookies but this could easily be made Christmasy with the right cookie cutters and decorations. This is my favourite sugar cookie recipe and I use it for every occasion, including the big C. 

Sugar cookie recipe and icing recipe can be found over here.