cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Pumpkin Fudge Brownies (Gluten Free)

This weekend, I felt a bit restless.  Alex is traveling for a conference (in Vegas, of course), so I had a pretty quiet weekend to myself with the kitties.  It was filled with a decent bit of baking to start with, and then it slowly turned into a weekend of tv shows and books.  I went from a book about Merlin, to a show based in World War II, to finally landing on a show about a wizard private investigator.  I couldn’t content myself with any one thing, and that’s probably just because I don’t know quite what to do with myself without someone to talk to every now and then (other than the kitties, of course).

I will say this about having a weekend to myself – meals are quite simple to throw together, and I can easily sneak an extra brownie or two without anybody being any the wiser.  And with these brownies, trust me, you’re going to want more than one!
I’ve been seeing pumpkin swirl brownies, or pumpkin cheesecake brownies, all over the place since fall started and every blogger decided that every recipe had to contain pumpkin from here on out.  Now that it’s November, I’m okay with sharing a pumpkin recipe, but I still don’t want it to have too many Christmas spice flavors going on, so I kept it to just a tiny hint of cinnamon to round out the chocolate.  I’m no good at swirling, so I just stirred the pumpkin into a bit of the chocolate batter on top so that I’d have a nice chocolate-pumpkin layer on top.  I definitely liked this much better than any swirl.
These brownies are dense and fudgy, with a subtle fall flavor going on with pumpkin and cinnamon.  Pumpkin and chocolate are not the most common of combinations, but I think it strays perfectly from the normal pumpkin spice desserts which are the norm at this time of year.  I always miss chocolate in the fall, when apples and pumpkin take the stage, and these definitely fixed that!
I like to keep these brownies in the fridge, where they get a rich fudge-like texture, and I eat them cold with a hot cup of tea.  Perfect in every way.  Room temperature or warm is fantastic, too!  Any which way you like them, these brownies are great for any get together.

 

Do you like pumpkin and chocolate together?  Have you ever tried it?
 
 
 
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Pumpkin Fudge Brownies (Gluten Free)

yields makes about 16 brownies (one 8×8 inch pan)

Pumpkin Fudge Brownies (Gluten Free)

  • 1 cup almond meal (I use Trader Joe’s)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (dutch process preferred)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 oz. dark chocolate (I used 72%)
  • 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp liquid stevia (or 1/4 cup more sugar)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir the almond meal, cocoa powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the coconut sugar, mixing until dissolved. Add the liquid stevia, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Add the dry mixture to the melted chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing with a spatula.

In a medium bowl, stir the pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, and cinnamon together. Spread it evenly on top of the brownie batter in the pan, and stir to combine slightly with the chocolate on the top layer (or swirl). Bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan completely before cutting. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the fridge for a fudge-like consistency).

https://cookingalamel.com/2013/11/pumpkin-fudge-brownies-gluten-free.html