Author: Pamela, inspired by a recipe by Melissa Clark
Serves: 9-12 Bars
Ingredients
For the pumpkin batter:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more for the pan
⅓ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg*
¾ cup muscovado sugar (or brown sugar, light or dark)
½ tablespoon bourbon
½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼+1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅞ cup whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or GF oat flour (1 cup minus 2 Tbs. - use the other 2 Tbs in the chocolate batter)
¼ cup chopped pecans (omit if you have a nut allergy)
For the chocolate batter:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
1.5 ounces (about ¼ cup) semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup muscovado sugar (or brown sugar, light or dark)
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or GF oat flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter and line it with unbleached parchment paper (this is so that you can remove the whole cake from the pan easily.)
Prepare the pumpkin batter: Pour the melted butter into a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk the pumpkin puree, egg, sugar, and bourbon into the butter. Whisk in baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
Stir in the flour and pecans. Set aside.
Make the chocolate batter: Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Melt the butter and chocolate together and stir well. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk in egg and then vanilla and salt. Gently fold in the flour.
Dollop the pumpkin batter and chocolate batter in the prepared pan by alternating dollops. Start by placing a spoonful of pumpkin batter in each corner and in the center of the pan. Then add the remaining pumpkin batter in random empty spots. Fill in the pan with chocolate batter. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolate batter into the pumpkin batter.
Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until just set. Do not overbake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Notes
*If you double recipe, do not double egg in the pumpkin batter.
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/pumpkin-chocolate-swirl-bars-recipe/