Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

 Everyone gets into this fall pumpkin everything baking theme... I love my pumpkin pie and a pumpkin muffin but not everything pumpkin, all of the time. BUT when I saw these I knew I had to give them a try now! I'll admit I was worried how they'd turn out...no flour, all that honey...I was worried they'd taste like honey and have no structure like brownies do. I went with it. Well I was happy to see them puff up as they were baking so that gave me hope of the texture thing. Then I could smell the honey baking and I got a little iffy. I went with it. They were done after about 40 minutes and I let them cool, then I put them in the fridge to help set up so I could slice and photograph...and taste. WOW, these are amazing!!! If you love pumpkin pie like I do, you'll love these! The moist pumpkin parts in these are deeelicious! They also held up holding to eat too.  Oh and the honey taste...you can't tell! I'm sorry I ever doubted these, I will make them again!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
adapted from fast Paleo

16 oz of walnuts (I used some walnuts & some pecans)
1 large egg
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 TBL vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 oz chocolate chips, divided

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease/parchment paper line a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine walnuts in a food processor and blend until it has the texture of almond butter. In a large bowl combine all ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) and mix until smooth, then stir in 3/4 of the chocolate chips. Set aside.

Pumpkin Mix: 
1 can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup honey
1 TBL cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/4 cup almond flour
-Combine all and set aside.

Pour in the 3/4 of the brownie mixture into the pan and spread evenly (this is a very thin layer). Set aside the other 1/4. Take heaping spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture and place on top of the brownie mixture in the pan until all pumpkin mix is used. Then add the rest of the brownie mix on top of the pumpkin and run a knife through the top layers making the chocolate and the pumpkin swirl, toss on the rest of the chocolate chips and bake for 40 minutes.

enjoy,

Flourless Caramel Almond Brownies {Gluten Free}

Mmm, almonds and chocolate are my favorite. When I saw this in my magazine, I quickly tore it out and gathered the ingredients to make. Being gluten free now, I don't eat many sweets so this was perfect for my craving. These came out great, however, once the topping sets, it's not all gooey like their photo was. But it still tasted great. So if you want gooey, I suggest eating them soon after you pour the caramel almond topping on. Oh and yes, they say to cut them into 1" servings, because these are RICH. =)


Flourless Caramel Almond Brownies
from Good Housekeeping
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 percent to 70 percent cacao), chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons butter, no substitutions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups roasted, salted chopped almonds
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8x8-inch baking pan. Line with foil; grease foil.

In 4-quart saucepan, combine chocolates, 4 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Melt on medium-low 4 minutes or until smooth, stirring. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended.

Into same pan, sift cornstarch and cocoa; fold to incorporate. Stir batter vigorously for at least 1 minute or until batter thickens slightly and begins to pull away from sides of pan. Fold in 1 cup chopped nuts. Spread evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

While brownie cools, in 4-quart saucepan, stir remaining 3/4 cup sugar, water, corn syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook on medium-high 9 to 12 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture is amber, swirling occasionally to get even color. Working quickly, remove from heat and add cream. Once bubbling begins to subside, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until incorporated. Stir in remaining chopped nuts.
Pour caramel over cooled brownie, tilting pan to spread evenly. Let stand at least 2 hours or until caramel has set. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store brownies in airtight container, layered with waxed paper, at room temperature up to 2 days.

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enjoy,

Frosted Zucchini Brownies

The gooey frosting photo sold me on these! But really, these were a hit, zucchini and all! At first I didn't tell them and no one knew, but when my oldest saw me talk about them on Facebook, the secret was out. lol. We all liked these, and I will be making them again!

*I wanted to add that when you make the batter for this, it will be dry and crumbly. Just pat it into the pan and once baked, it'll be gorgeous brownies!

*I am now making the frosting first and setting it in the fridge to chill and set up more while the brownies back and cool. The frosting will be runnier frosting, don't expect a butter cream texture.

*1/2014: I have made these successfully gluten free, see recipe.

Frosted Zucchini Brownies
from blogchef

Chocolate Frosting-

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
½ cup milk (could use 1/4 c.)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup canola oil
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour ( I used 2 C. of my gluten free flour blend)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh zucchini (shredded)
½ cup chopped walnuts,optional

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the frosting- In a small saucepan over low heat melt together the cocoa powder and margarine. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, with a mixer, blend confectioner’s sugar, milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir in the margarine/cocoa mixture, allow to mix for a couple of minutes. Set in fridge to chill and set up more. Spread over cooled brownies, allow to set up (I placed mine in the fridge for a couple hours) then cut into squares. The longer these brownies sit, the thicker the frosting will become.

Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish. (I lined with parchment)

In a large bowl mix together oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well blended. In another bowl combine the flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. A little at a time stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. The batter will be dry and crumbly, don't worry. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish, lightly press.

Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before frosting.

UPDATE:

1/21/2014, I made a gluten free version, swapping the flour. It came out just as wonderful!

For the frosting today, I used 2 TBL less milk and added a little bit more powdered sugar. It's still runnier, but works. I just sliced the brownies and added some frosting before serving. 

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enjoy,