Dayton Daily News

Pumpkin works in marbled brownie

Chill them overnight to deepen the flavor.

- By Kim Ode

Oh, pumpkin, we’ve done you wrong.

We took what was a straightfo­rward fall dessert — classic pumpkin pie — and blithely grafted its flavors onto cookies, breakfast cereal, dog treats, vodkas, yogurts, lattes, pasta sauces, bagels and so much more.

Still, let’s not throw the pumpkin out with the pumpkin spice latté deodorant. (Yes, it really exists.)

Here’s a bar recipe that pairs pumpkin pureé plumped with cream cheese and a chocolaty brownie. Swirled together like a marble cake, this treat also is a looker on any plate.

It’s easy to make, and the pumpkin flavor deepens with an overnight chill in the refrigerat­or, making it a perfect do-ahead treat.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE SWIRL BROWNIES

Makes 1 (9- by 13-inch pan ).

Note: Stir any remaining pumpkin purée into your oatmeal or yogurt. 1 cup chopped pecans

8 ounces cream cheese (not light or low-fat), room temperatur­e

5 tablespoon­s granulated sugar 1 cup pumpkin purée (from a

15-ounce can)

6 eggs, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract,

divided

1 ¾ cups flour, divided

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetene­d

chocolate, roughly chopped 1 ½ cups brown sugar (light or

dark)

½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt

Lightly toast pecans in a dry sauté pan until fragrant.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9- by 13-inch pan with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil, letting edges extend a few inches above the pan; you’ll later use them as handles.

For the pumpkin cheesecake batter: Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth. Beat 2 eggs with a fork and beat into cream cheese, with the pumpkin and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in ¼ cup flour, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.

For the brownie batter: Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then with a whisk, beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. With a wooden spoon, stir in 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder and salt until no floury streaks remain.

Spread half of the brownie batter into the baking pan. Drop alternatin­g spoonfuls of the pumpkin batter and the remaining brownie batter into the pan, then sprinkle the toasted pecans over all.

Run a table knife through the batter in a zigzag motion to make attractive swirls. Don’t overdo it or the colors will lose their definition.

Bake 35 to 37 minutes until the edges are firm and the middle is just set. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover well and chill overnight in the refrigerat­or.

The next day, use the“handles” of the parchment or aluminum foil to lift the bars from the pan. Peel off the paper, then slice. Nutrition informatio­n per each of 48 bars: 130 calories, 9 g fat, 40 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydra­tes, 4 g saturated fat, 6 mg total sugars, 2 g protein, 40 mg cholestero­l, 1 g dietary fiber

Exchanges per serving: 1 carb, 2 fat. SOURCE: Kim Ode

 ?? GLEN STUBBE/MINNEAPOLI­S TRIBUNe
STAR ?? Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.
GLEN STUBBE/MINNEAPOLI­S TRIBUNe STAR Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.

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