under-Rated...

I often forget about a lot of lovely things that show up this time of year. Like fall leaves, pumpkin beer, the click of boot heels, and the sight of your breath on a cool morning.  I know I've already declared that I am a fall girl, but every year, it's like I am rediscovering fall for the first time.  And while I mostly associate my fall time in the kitchen with pies, pies, and more pies, there are certain occasions when people just want cake. Some how, cake has weaseled it's way into being the dessert choice for birthdays the world over, and while I am officially, and forever on team pie, I have discovered another highly under-rated tasty, not entirely un-cake like, treat....

Brownies.

 I don't want to knock cake's place as a birthday staple, but these pumpkin chocolate brownies are pretty tasty. Yes, pumpkin and chocolate...talk about homage to fall and to birthdays.

And as far as I know there aren't any idiomatic proverbs surrounding one's ability to eat and simultaneously savour brownies, so I think it's safe to say,  eat up!

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Brownies
adapted from Martha Stewart Living 
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) plus more for pan
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups A.P flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups pumpkin
1/4 vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 inch brownie pan.
Melt chocolate and butter on stove in heat proof bowl, stir to combine.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside
Beat sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
In separate bowl combine pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and spices together.
Separate batter evenly into two bowls. Add chocolate mixture to one and pumpkin to the other. Rotating between the bowls, pour and swirl batter into greased pan. Work quickly to prevent setting.
With a rubber spatula stir the two batters together to get a marbled effect.
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

And hey, when it's your first day off in too long, feel free to enjoy one or two drinks. Just make sure you read the recipe first.  Bottoms up fall....