Chocolate Brownies and a Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Loaf

by The Meal Makeover Moms on October 2nd, 2009

Growing up, my mom made the best brownies in the world.  With 2 sticks of butter in each decadent and delicious batch, how could they be anything but amazing? When it comes to my mom’s brownies, portion control is your only hope!

My mother graduated with a home economics degree from New York University and then went on to teach cooking classes to elementary school kids. She’s a fabulous cook who never, and I mean never, used a boxed cake or brownie mix in her life.  “I wouldn’t know anything about them,” she told me when I called to confirm that she had indeed never used one. Naturally Nora Fantastic Fudgy Brownie

Since the apple doesn’t fall from the tree, I too am more inclined to bake from scratch versus grab for a box. I do, however, make a few exceptions. I like Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Baking Mix (check out the post I did on giving it a healthy makeover) and now Naturally Nora’s new Fantastic Fudgy Brownies.

Recently, Nora herself sent me a few samples of her all-natural brownies which I immediately put to good use. I was invited to my friend Suzanne’s house for a Rosh Hashanah dinner and was asked to bring a dessert.  I made our easy apple blueberry crisp as well as a pan of Nora’s brownies. I figured that with 30-plus kids and adults, I’d get plenty of honest feedback.

Brownie Ingredients

The brownies were easy to make. All I added was water, a third cup of oil (I used canola), and 1 egg.  They tasted homemade though admittedly they were not as good as mom’s (a tall order to say the least). No one knew they were from a mix. They were fudgy, yummy, and made all the kids smile. Simon's friend enjoys a brownie

The bottom line: If you’re going to use a mix, choose one that’s all natural (no artificial colors or flavors) and always feel free to add a few of your own ingredients — things like wheat germ or canned pumpkin.

And speaking of pumpkin (a favorite Meal Makeover Mom ingredient packed with vitamin A) … Last week, I found a great fall-inspired recipe in Family Circle magazine for a crumb-topped pumpkin loaf.  I’m always on the lookout for healthy snacks for my boys so I decided to give it a try. As always, I couldn’t resist making a few nutritional tweaks to the recipe.

Canned pumpkin

Instead of using the 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour called for in the recipe, I used 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat. I used canola oil where it called for vegetable oil, and for the topping, I used 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons canola oil instead of the suggested 4 tablespoons of butter. Below is the recipe with my changes and below that are my suggestions for making even more changes next time. By the way, my kids really loved this recipe.

Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Loaf

Crumb-Topped Loaf (Adapted from Family Circle)
Makes 12 Servings

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Mix the flours, baking powder, pie spice and salt in small bowl. Whisk together the egg and sugar in large bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil and vanilla until smooth. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture. Stir just until moistened and batter comes together. Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3. Topping: Mix butter, oil, brown sugar and flour in small bowl until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle over batter.

4. Bake loaf at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes, until wooden toothpick tests clean. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar; slice.

Pumpkin Loaf

As for my additional changes …

> I felt that the loaf needed a bit more flavor. Next time, I’ll add a generous half teaspoon of salt.
> I liked the topping but about half of it fell off! Next time, I’ll nix the topping and instead, up the sugar a bit in the batter from 1/2 cup to 2/3 or 3/4.
> I liked how the powdered sugar looked and will definitely use it next time, especially if I forgo the crumb topping.

Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe or a favorite brownie that you’d like to share? Let us know!

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3 Comments | Filed Under Desserts 

3 Responses to “Chocolate Brownies and a Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Loaf”

  1. Erin on October 10th, 2009

    I just made these as mini muffins, baked for 17 minutes. The kids are very happy!

  2. Erin on October 10th, 2009

    Oh.. I meant the pumpkin loaf, not the brownies…

  3. jamie on October 18th, 2009

    Oh, don’t get me started on pumpkin. I LOVE all things pumpkin.
    Here’s a recipe that we enjoy:

    Pumpkin Banana Muffins

    1 ½ c. flour
    2 c. whole wheat flour
    2/3 c. oats
    ½ c. oat bran
    4 tsp bk powder
    2 tsp bk soda
    ½ tsp salt
    4 tsp cinnamon
    2 tsp ginger
    1 tsp nutmeg
    1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    3 ripe bananas mashed
    1 c. applesauce
    1 can pumpkin
    4 eggs lightly beaten
    1 c. sugar
    1 c. brown sugar

    Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 min.

    It makes a lot of muffins! I’ve also reduced the total amount of sugar by 1/2 c. and they are still plenty sweet for all of us.

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