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In the Oven: Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies

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It’s officially Fall (at least, it is in the Northern Hemisphere), so we’re going to pumpkin-ize some brownies next. Posting date is October 9!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies
 
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Yield: 24 brownies
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl
  • 1 (8-ounce/226-g) package cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (170 g) solid pack pumpkin or pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
For the Brownie Layer
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (105 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 ounces (225 g) dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 6 ounces (1½ sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, cut into
  • 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes, plus more for the pan
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy (it should almost look like frosting). Add the pumpkin, egg yolk, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger and whisk again until well blended. Cover and refrigerate while you make the brownie layer.
Make the Brownie Layer
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper with a 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang on the long sides of the pan, and butter the parchment.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt.
  3. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water (double-boiler method, see page 19), stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted, smooth, and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add both sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature. Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and gently whisk until just combined. Add the remaining egg and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and whisk until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
  4. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold them gently together until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
  5. Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Pour the pumpkin cheesecake mixture over the brownies and smooth into an even layer with the back of an offset spatula. Drop the remaining one-third of the brownie batter by heaping tablespoons here and there over the pumpkin layer. Use a knife to gently pull through the batters to create a swirl. (The brownie batter is thick, so you might need to pull several times before you start to create the swirl.)
  6. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, 30 to 40 minutes. Let the brownies cool almost completely.
  7. You can eat the brownies slightly warm or at room temperature, when they have a more pumpkin-y flavor. Or cover and refrigerate them for about 3 hours and enjoy them slightly chilled (this is our favorite). Either way, when you’re ready, release the brownies from the side of the pan with a small paring knife. Pull straight up on the parchment to remove them from the pan, place them on a cutting board, cut, and serve.
Notes
How to store: the brownies will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

In the Oven: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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Posting date for these cinnamon rolls is Oct. 19!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

For the dough
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

For the filling
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the assembly
1 ounce (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup buttermilk, well shaken
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Make the dough
Butter one 10-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugars, yeast, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom on medium speed. Add the butter and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the milk and egg and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the pumpkin puree and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The dough will look light orange in color and feel soft and sticky.

Remove the dough from the bowl, carefully form into a large ball, smooth the top with your hands, and place in a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, make the filling.

Make the filling
Stir together the sugars, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until combined.

Assemble the rolls
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle approximately 23 by 10 inches, brush the dough with melted butter, and sprinkle the filling over the butter, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges. Use the palms of your hands to press the filling lightly into the dough.

Roll up the long side of the rectangle to form a tight log and place seam side down. Slice the log into ten 2-inch rolls. Place one roll in the center of the cake pan, then fill in the rest of the pan with the other rolls. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until the rolls have almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack in the center.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are browned. In order to pour your icing over still warm rolls for the best effect, prep all of the frosting ingredients while the rolls are baking and quickly put together the frosting (this will only take about 5 minutes) immediately after the rolls come out of the oven.

Make the frosting
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and buttermilk on medium speed until the mixture is lump free. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium-low speed until a smooth, fluid mixture forms.

Serve the rolls
Invert the pan of rolls onto a serving plate or you can leave in the pan for a rustic look. Pour the frosting over the still warm rolls. It’s okay if a little bit of the frosting drips down the sides—it’s even encouraged. (Alternatively, use an offset spatula to apply the icing.) Serve immediately.

In the Oven: Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies

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Our next challenge is for Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies – just in time for Autumn.

The next posting date is Sunday, 5 October.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (page 100)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces (1 cup) dried cranberries
6 ounces (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the egg, pumpkin, and and vanilla until incorporated.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for 15 seconds.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 5 more seconds.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips.  Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a small ice cream scoop with release mechanism to scoop out dough in a2 tablespoon-size balls (or use a tablespoon measure) and place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.