Pumpkin Pie Brownies

Pumpkin, being one of my favorite foods, needed a new twist in my kitchen this Fall. I always make your standard pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread and pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin pie.. frankly, I was bored with my options. What better way to spruce up my favorite food with ooey gooey chocolatey goodness?! This dessert is a layer of pumpkin chocolate brownie (which is quite good on its own) and a thin layer of pumpkin pie on top. Have fun with this one! (it's impressive and super easy to make).

Brownie Layer

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of pumpkin, or 7.5 oz pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Pumpkin Pie Layer

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a 15 oz can of pumpkin or 7.5 oz pureed pumpkin
•  2 tbsp cornstrach
• 1/2 cup vanilla or plain almond milk (or soy)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of allspice (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan (or a 8 or 9 inch square pan, or even a pie tin will work too, but be sure to line with parchement paper for easy removal later)

For the brownie layer:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. I use a medium sized pot filled about half way with water and a large metal bowl for my "double boiler." You want to make sure the water does not come in contact with the bowl, only the steam. Heat the water on med-high - do not boil. Place the chocolate chips in the metal bowl and place the bowl over the hot water. Watch carefully and be sure not to burn the chocolate. It will be done when there are no chunks of chocolate left.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix!

For the pumpkin pie layer:

Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

For the assembly:

Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread out the brownie layer. Gently pour the pumpkin pie layer over the top of the brownie batter (note: the pumpkin layer will be quite liquidy). Bake for approx. 40 minutes or until the pumpkin layer looks relatively set (jiggly is ok, runny is not). Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to the fridge and let chill for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!!