Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

I'm always on the look out for good gluten-free desserts for Mountain Man's dad.

Once you know someone who suffers from a gluten intolerance, it's amazing how much more you notice GF foods and alternatives. I swear the gluten-free section in the grocery gets larger every month and the number of restaurants with special menu choices increases as well.

When I first saw these brownies over at Noelle's An Opera Singer in the Kitchen, I knew we were going to have to try em out for Papa MM. Noelle's site is dedicated to her vegan life style, with some very healthy and yummy looking dishes to include some good GF recipes too.

I'm not going to lie, if you're not used to eating GF foods the texture for baked goods can be a little off. These brownies however, are pretty tasty even coming from someone not totally used to the texture just yet. Don't be fooled though, you can't taste the pumpkin (sigh) but the chocolate peanut butter combo is obviously fantastic.

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
Recipe found at An Opera Singer in the Kitchen
Oven: 350 Bake time: 30 minutes
Makes 9 brownies

50 grams (1.75 oz) chocolate chips
2 TBS veggie oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBS flaxseed meal (or 1 egg)
6 TBS warm water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Gluten Free AP flour (or regular flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x9 dish with cooking spray.
Using a double boiler, melt down chocolate, peanut butter, and oil.
Remove from heat and let cool.
In a separate bowl, mix flax seed meal and warm water together, whisking until egg like consistency is reached.
Add maple syrup, pumpkin and vanilla to flaxseed mixture.
In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and fold in chocolate mix, mixing until well combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Bake for 30 minutes.
*For a smooth cut, use a plastic knife and let cool for at least 5 hours.

Happy Baking!
 

In decorating news, earlier this week I got asked to make some 'Congrats on the New Baby' themed sugar cookies for a co-worker's friend that will be featured as a Traveling Sweet soon, but I wanted to share the final product with ya'll!

The lil guy's name is Teddy so how perfect are these cookies??

Every time I decorate sugar cookies I feel better and better about the final product- my hand is definitely getting steadier with all the fine details! I just hope that one day my cookies will look as good as Bridget's over at Bake at 350..still a ways to go, but maybe one day :)

"Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger"...Brownies

One of the best parts of Halloween?

The candy. 

Hands down.

Costumes are cool and all, but it's the abundance of candy that really makes me giddy.  Isle after isle filled with bags of candy... its like sweet tooth heaven!

We don't even get trick or treaters, but I still buy at least 2 large bags of candy "just in case."

For whatever reason, Butterfingers call to me around this time of year. I know, I know they're available all year long...but there's just something about that crisp-ity crunch-ity peanut buttery candy that just speaks to me every October.

We had a barbecue at work this week and I, of course, was tasked to bring dessert.  I wanted to make brownies and then I remembered the Butterfinger Cocoa Mix that I saved from Mountain Man's cabinets when we were moving him out here.  After a quick trip to the grocery for some extra Butterfingers I went to whipping up a batch of the best brownies I've ever made.

The brownie base is Jen's (from Beantown Baker) 'go to' brownie recipe. The texture and flavor of these brownies are fantastic.. I now know why she returns to this recipe every time.

Best Brownie Recipe

from Beantown Baker originally from King Arthur's Flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder* optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips* optional

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 11x13 baking pan.

In small sauce pan, melt butter. Remove from heat and add sugar. Return to heat and stir for about 2 minutes before removing again (this is what gives the brownies their shine).

Transfer butter mixture to a large bowl. Mix in cocoa, salt, baking powder, cocoa mix* and vanilla.

Whisk in eggs one at a time until smooth.

Slowly add flour and mix until just combined.

Fold in Butterfinger bits.

Pour into greased pan and transfer to oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before serving. 

If possible cool overnight. (this is something I just learned, but it actually made a big difference!)

Butterfinger variety

swap 2 cups of chocolate chips for 2 cups chopped Butterfingers (possibly 3 cups)

2 packages of Butterfinger Cocoa Mix 

I brought a majority of the brownies to the office, but I wanted to keep a few at home for a photo shoot after work. While munching on these at the end of the barbecue, I was a little disappointed with the lack of Butterfinger flavor.. the brownies were delicious, but I was really hoping for more of a peanut butter pop.

And then I read about making your own Butterfinger candy and I couldn't believe my eyes. 

Candy corn + peanut butter = Butterfinger filling

You're probably thinking the same thing I did... what?! no way!? how does that even work?

Don't worry. I'm still trying to figure this out...but trust me, it works.

So after their original photo shoot, we did a little wardrobe change. While dinner was in the oven, I tried this homemade version of Butterfinger filling with the intention of spreading a layer on top of the brownies and then covering them with a final layer of milk chocolate.

I am still trying to wrap my head around how candy corn and peanut butter make this filling, but it was a wonderful addition to an already fabulous brownie.

Seriously, four brownies just weren't enough...next time I'm going to slather the entire batch with this Butterfinger topping.

Oh and in case you were wondering...

Butterfinger Filling

equal parts candy corn and peanut butter (1:1)

Melt candy corn in microwave. Stopping to stir every 20 seconds until completely melted.

Stir in peanut butter and mix until smooth. 

Happy Baking!

Mary Beth's Cuatro Chocolate Brownies

I'm sure you've gathered by now that I love baking for the amazing people in my life and when you ever-so-slightly even hint that you've been craving something sweet all you really need to do is ask, because more than likely I'll say yes and you can look start looking forward to a special package in the mail 'From the Kitchen of the Traveling Sweets.' Let's be honest, I look for any excuse to get in the kitchen and bake something good...and if it's going to make someone else happy that makes it even better!

This is exactly what my wonderful little Mary Beth did... after posting a swEEt via facebook one afternoon, I got a message from MB letting me know that she had been craving something chocolate-ly (hint hint, wink wink). So of course I bit...my brain started going a mile a minute... something chocolate? too easy. would it be cookies? cake? hmmmm.... the possibilities were endless! Then I realized [duh] what better way to satisfy a chocolate craving then with some chock-full of chocolate brownies?!

And so it was set: Mary Beth would be receiving not just triple chocolate brownies but Cuatro Chocolate Brownies (I wanted to mix it up a little so I went with spanish). What makes these 'Cuatro' you ask? Of course you've got the cocoa(1) in the actual brownie batter, but no brownie for MB would be complete without the addition of white chocolate chips (2), semi-sweet chocolate chips(3) AND chocolate syrup (4).

She said she was craving chocolate... :)

This recipe is really easy to cut in half if you want to make a smaller batch of brownies. It's actually what I did since I was sending them and didn't have a big box.

Cuatro Chocolate Brownies
Oven: 350 Bake time: 30 minutes
Fills a 7x11 pan

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

4 tbs brewed coffee

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt butter in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
In small bowl whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder till combined.
In large bowl beat sugar, melted butter and eggs.
Mix in vanilla, coffee and chocolate syrup.
Slowly add in flour/cocoa mixture and mix until smooth.
Fold in chocolate and white chocolate chips.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before cutting into small squares.

HAPPY BAKING!!

 

Guinness & Bailey's Swirl Brownies

 

Well, well, well... Guinness and Bailey's meet again in these delicious gooey brownies! Although I already had dessert taken care of with the birthday cake I made for Darren, I wasn't satisfied with just one option for my St. Patty's Day celebration dinner. While at work Friday afternoon I started thinking about all the Guinness in my fridge, the bottle of Bailey's in my liquor cabinet, and the left over cream cheese I had from the Cream Cheese Icing from Darren's Red Velvet Cake and it came to me.. Guinness and Bailey's Swirl Brownies.  Thankfully I got out of work a few hours early, rushed home and through these bad boys together right after making the Irish Soda Bread.

These brownies came out perfectly gooey with the subtle hint of Guinness, just like the cake I made a few months back. Although the Guinness Cake is equally delicious, these brownies were the perfect bite size and the Bailey's cream cheese swirl added a wonderful flavor combination to the very rich stout brownie.

Guinness Brownies
Oven: 350 degrees Bake time: 30-35 minutes

1 cup Guinness
1 stick butter
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Bailey's Cream Cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup milk
2 TBS Bailey's
1 TBS flour
1 cup powdered sugar

Brownies:
Simmer beer and butter. Once butter has melted add cocoa and mix until smooth. Remove from heat.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Beat eggs and add to beer mixture.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture.
Pour into prepared pan.

Swirl:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, Bailey's, flour and sugar until smooth.
Spoon mixture in horizontal lives over brownie batter.
Use a knife and swirl mixture into batter.

Transfer pan to oven bake for 30 minutes.

Let brownies completely cool before cutting into. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Happy Baking!