It's that time of the year when the holiday focus is on the food. While the turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving day meal, the pumpkin pie steals the show. It is impossible for anyone to try and resist the creamy pumpkin filling, which makes the pie, or the flaky crust.
To most people the part of the pie that keeps everyone coming backs for seconds is the filling. Why not try a different pumpkin treat for the holidays that resembles the best part of the pie and is extremely easy to make? Pumpkin brownies can do just that. The brownies taste just like the pumpkin pie without the crust. The brownies melt in your mouth the same way the first bite of the pie does. The brownies have many of the same ingredients as the pie. Most of the spices you add to make the pie are the same spices you would use to make the brownies.
I found this recipe in my mom's files; she clipped it from Bon Appetit magazine. My family are big fans of pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin anything! So, when we had leftover pumpkin from a batch of muffins, I decided to make the brownies as well.
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Ali Gray's pumpkin brownies
The brownie recipe is super easy to make, so anyone can do it. One of the reasons why it is so easy is because all you have to do is mix the ingredients together in an electric mixer.
One of the changes to the brownie recipe I choose to do is leave out the half cup of chopped pecans. I have an uncle who is allergic to most types of nuts so I always choose to leave out the pecans so my uncle can eat the brownies. He'll get to do just that this Thursday.
Move over pumpkin pie, you've got some competition on the table.
Fact Box
Recipe
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
three-quarters teaspoon ground cinnamon
one-fourth teaspoon ground ginger
teaspoon (generous) ground cloves
one-quarter teaspoon salt
three-quarter cup canned solid pumpkin
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
one-fourth cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 8-inch square glass baking dish. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add brown sugar and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat to blend. Add flour, baking powder, species, and salt and beat until well mixed. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan (batter will be thick).
Mix cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolk, cream and remaining teaspoon vanilla in bowl to blend. Drop cream cheese mixture into batter. Using a small knife, gently swirl cream cheese mixture into batter, creating marbled pattern. Bake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean and top is firm, about 35 minutes.
Makes 10. (I have discovered that if you choose to double the recipe, it should be baked in two separate