We had our first cool day this past weekend. It was the moment we had been waiting for, I eagerly grabbed my market tote, loaded everyone into the car, and hit the local Farmer’s Market.
Peppers for my Braised Pepper Bruschetta, Golden Zucchini for a delicious gratin (to come), and kettle corn for our picnic were our primary objectives. But as soon as we arrived the kids spotted all the pumpkins and gourds on display and while Eamon may have been the one sprinting off yelling “PUMPKIN”, inside, I was right there with him.
We spent a good deal of time inspecting all the varieties our local Market had to offer. Cinderellas, sugar pie, carnival, and turban pumpkins were on display as a welcome to autumn.
Eventually, we got back to our list and on to our picnic. It was a wonderful day, the park was beautiful, and our picnic was delicious, but once pumpkins enter my imagination, I am preoccupied by the potential of pumpkin; muffins, pancakes, cheesecake and pie. It just so happens that we had a tray of Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies waiting at home.
Pumpkin spice cheesecake, sweetened with pure maple syrup and carefully swirled into a convenient boxed brownie mix, enhanced with a generous spoonful of fresh ground espresso. The hardest part of this recipe was waiting for them to set over night.
Now, thanks to our pumpkin detour, I could not wait to get home and try the result. After, finally, tucking in the kids and pouring large glasses of milk Jordan and I happily discovered we had achieved Pumpkin Brownie perfection.