Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

1. Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
   Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
   
   
   Pumpkin Swirl:
   
   
   4 ounces cream cheese, softened and room temperature
2. 1 tablespoon butter, softened
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 11/2 cups canned pumpkin
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
7. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

   1/4 teaspoon allspice

   
   

   Brownies:
9. 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
10. 11/4 cups all-purpose flour

    3/4 teaspoon baking powder
11. 1/2 teaspoon salt
12. 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
13. 3/4 cup butter, cut up
14. 21/4 cups sugar
15. 4 eggs
16.                    1/4 cup milk
17. 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

    1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

    
    

    OR

    Use one Box Ghirardelli Brownie Mix for 13 x 9 Pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 13x9  baking pan with foil, extend foil over the edges of the pan. Grease the foil or spray with cooking spray then set pan aside.

In a medium mixing bowl beat room temperature cream cheese and the 1 tablespoon butter with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Add  sugar. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 egg, the pumpkin, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and all of the spices, until combined. Stir in the 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.

Prepared Box Mix:

If using  Ghirardelli brownie mix or your favorite brand then prepare according to directions on the back of the box and pour mixture into greased and foiled pan. Add cream cheese pumpkin mixture in spoon fulls to the top of the brownie batter, swirl with a knife.  Bake 1 hour.

Directions for Brownies from Scratch:

In a small bowl stir together the 1-1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a saucepan combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar, beating with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk and the vanilla bean paste. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until combined DO NOT OVER MIX! Spread chocolate mixture evenly in the prepared pan.

***Spoon cream cheese mixture in several dollops on top of the chocolate batter. Using a knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate batter. 

Bake about 60 minutes or until center is just set when pan is gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then life brownies out of pan with foil, cut into squares and serve. 

See the little chunks of cream cheese?

I made these brownies recently and I have to tell you they are my favorite  brownie ever! They are that good! Now, if you do not like pumpkin or cheesecake, than you will not like these brownies. 

That said, the recipe is easy and if you want you can even use a prepared mix and just add the pumpkin swirl on top. I have made them both ways and they are good whichever way you make them. But,  I prefer them made with the Ghirardelli box mix, maybe it was the addition of the chocolate chunks or the fact that I was hungry, I do not know.

Do make sure that your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature, as you can see in the photos I did not, that is why there are little white chunks of cream cheese, they do not detract from the taste but they look a little funny.

I hope you enjoy these brownies! Have a great day!

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Mexican Hot Chocolate

Good morning! I hope your weekend was wonderful. Did you enjoy the beautiful Fall weather? Perhaps take a few walks, see the changing leaves? Or is it already pretty chilly in your area?

My mom actually took advantage this weekend of the weather to finish her winter garden preparations and to dress her window boxes for Christmas.

If you read this blog or my other blog, Pine Cones and Acorns than you know I LOVE hot chocolate. This weekend I thought I would change things up and have some Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Are you familiar with it? This chocolate is infused with one of the main spices of the season, cinnamon. I think it  taste delicious and this recipe serves four so you can share with some friends.


Mexican Hot Chocolate

3 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream
1/4 vanilla bean split or 1/4 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
2 cinnamon sticks
3 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chopped

Heat milk, cinnamon and vanilla bean(if using extract or paste wait until you mix in the chocolate) over low heat until the mixture is hot, do not boil. You will see little bubbles around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep, like a tea for at least 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean pod. If you are using vanilla bean paste or extract add it now, along with the chopped chocolate. Return to a low heat and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is slightly frothy. Pour into cups, serve and enjoy.

I hope you like it! Enjoy and have a great day!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Hello! I hope your weekend it getting off to a great start. I have a big date this weekend, with my kitchen! 

I love to bake in the Fall and this weekend is going to be dreary so I will be making a few things I found and have pinned on my Pinterest pages.

As it is Fall I have been trying to bake with seasonal ingredients, and pumpkin is one of my favorites. 

After searching for a few recipes which would incorporate both chocolate and pumpkin I found this recipe at Martha Stewart for Chocolate pumpkin cheesecake bars.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

•  Crust:

  
  
  • 12 Oreos
  • 12/ cup of graham cracker crumbs 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 
    
  •  Filling
• • 2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned  pumpkin puree
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • dash of nutmeg
  • OR instead of the spices above 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender blend cookies and graham cracker crumbs with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until  slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Place cream cheese in mixer; blend until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt;  mix  until combined about 1 minute. Set aside
5. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
6. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.
7. Cool in pan. Then cover and chill  at least 2 hours.  Using overhang, transfer  to work surface. Cut and serve. 

These bars are delicious, the texture is similar to pumpkin pie, and they taste like your favorite holiday pie with a burst of chocolate. They are moist, creamy and have a nice crunchy chocolate crust. 

I love pumpkin pie spice and so I I always add a little more than most people would, I think this mixture is just right. If you like less spice that add less. 

What are your plans for the weekend? Will you be making anything? If you try this come back and let me know, I want to know what you think.

Enjoy!

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