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Into one of the bowls, we gingerly stirred in a decadent melted duo of bittersweet chocolate and butter. I know, one whole, buttery stick... but these are brownies - resist trying to lighten with applesauce! With that pale batter transformed to a dark, delicious pool, the other bowl was given a shock of color with mashed pumpkin, along with a smidge of canola oil. With all that pumpkin added, this one needed a couple spices to accentuate the sweetness - cinnamon and a few fresh grates from one of the whole nutmegs we have in the pantry did the trick. Add a half cup of chopped, toasted nuts if you like, but we left them out of this batch.
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While I wouldn't classify them as cake-style brownies myself, I don't think they quite fit into the fudgy mold either. When I think of describing them, dense, rich and moist come to mind, along with a nice chew that rounds out the texture. We also noted a slight tingle coming up our throats after a couple bites... remember that special ingredient I was holding back? It's cayenne pepper! Not much, a puny quarter teaspoon, which one probably couldn't point out as it doesn't scream its existence. However, we liked the complexity it added to these brownies. I wondered how prevalent the pumpkin would come across - it was definitely there, highlighted by those warm spices, but it played with the chocolate well enough to come across as a complete package without one competing with the other.
I have to bring dessert at a Halloween party, that would be a great treat. Thanks Joe.
ReplyDeleteI love the addition of cayenne! I make the ole' shortbread cookies often...we are finishing up a batch now.
ReplyDeletethese look good! wonder how sweet potatoes would work instead of pumpkin?
ReplyDeleteHelene - Sounds like a good plan to me!
ReplyDeleteCLS - Surprisingly, no one really mentioned the heat! I was surprised because I definitely noticed it.
Ava - I would imagine they would work fine!