Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Much more than cooking, I really enjoy baking. However, I don't really have much of a sweet tooth -- I'm more than content with one of something. Husband can easily eat his way through an entire batch of cookies in one day, as he lacks self control, but knowing that fact, he never wants to keep baked goods (or any junk food) in the house. And frankly, even though one cookie is more than satisfying, if they're there... then I'll find myself munching, too. This is why my lab is wonderful. It's like an automatic built-in group of consumers and taste-testers. Not only are they happy to eat whatever I bring them, but they also give me their honest opinions on what I make, because they know that even if they don't like something, I won't be insulted (it's not like I'll stop baking).

This was a new recipe that I tried out and I wasn't quite sure how it would go over. I don't really like chocolate, but I loved the pumpkin flavor (and wished there was less chocolate). Husband loves chocolate and not so much pumpkin, so he wished I had made just straight up chocolate brownies. But the neutral lab test group that likes both chocolate and pumpkin? They deemed the pumpkin swirl brownies a success.

A note on the recipe -- the densities of the chocolate batter and the pumpkin batter are completely different, which makes it difficult to swirl. If I were making these again, I would probably stop and swirl a bit between the first layers and chocolate and pumpkin batter (the recipe calls for layering chocolate/pumpkin/chocolate/pumpkin), and I think I would divide the oil, and add 1/8 cup oil to the chocolate mixture and 1/8 cup oil to the pumpkin mixture, rather than adding it all to the pumpkin. However, I haven't tested this out myself, so try at your own risk. Either way, the taste was fine, and it would really just be to get a bit more 'swirl', which isn't a necessity (and, a scientist, I'm used to repeating this dozens and dozens of times until they work perfectly, so I do the same thing in the kitchen).

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin (I used my own fresh, canned is fine)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease lining.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture until just combined (do not over mix).
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. 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.
6. With a knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect.
7. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 20 squares.