national brownie day: gluten-free kabocha swirl hazelnut brownies

Happy National Brownie Day! I've decided that I will only make food on the national food days written on my Pop Pilates Calendar, just to prevent myself from overeating. So I've made Kabocha Swirl Hazelnut Brownies! I purposely left over some kabocha puree for today, and I thought I'd put into good use the raw hazelnuts from Sprouts that have so far been left untouched.

This recipe is one of the few that I'm really proud of :) I looked for gluten-free brownie recipes but in the end, chose to improvise my own. And they turned out delicious! Smooth and creamy, the kabocha swirls balance out the rich dark chocolate brownie. Pumpkin (or in this case, kabocha) and chocolate is a combination that should be recognized like peanut butter and jelly. Even though fall's nearly over, anything pumpkin flavored just evokes holiday feel and warmth.

The chewiness and decadence of these brownies make you feel pretty guilty after you've consumed one or two (or four) and gushed them down with some almond milk, but these brownies are healthier than your conventional full fat, full sugar, full flour brownies. I replaced butter with olive oil, granulated white sugar with brown sugar, and flour with the ground nut meals.


I'm glad to say I'm becoming more creative with my gluten-free baking, and with this successful recipe I'm excited to come up with even more :) I used to be afraid of making my own recipes, afraid of failing or making something that looks, smells, and tastes horrendous. And believe me when I say I've failed tons--mixing together random ingredients, wishing they would magically bake perfectly in the oven, but only having them come out looking and tasting like poop.

But as one banished prince from Avatar once said "...even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again, you have to try every time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail." (Excuse my ATLA reference, I watch way too many cartoons for my own good).

In these past few years of self-teaching and learning through baking, I've consistently gained enough experience and the confidence to begin writing my own recipes, and now it's not as daunting anymore :) Even if I fail now, I perceive it as a part of the entire learning process. I believe we must push and challenge ourselves outside of our comfort zones in order to gain something greater, and I apply that philosophy every time I cook, bake, or write recipes. Nothing is ever not worth a shot in the kitchen. Ingredients are for you to work with, to discover, befriend, and love. So for all of you out there trying to improvise recipes, if I can do it, YOU definitely can do it too!

Now go bake some brownies yourself and share them with your family, friends, neighbors, etc. etc. Have an amazing national brownie day everyone!

Gluten-Free Kabocha Swirl Hazelnut Brownies

yields about 16 squares (one 8x8-inch pan)

Ingredients:

Hazelnut Brownie:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup hazelnut meal (I ground whole hazelnuts)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used 72% dark chocolate)
1/4 cup boiling water
1 egg
2 tbs olive oil
4 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Kabocha Filling:
3/4 cup kabocha (pumpkin) puree
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger (I omitted this)
2 tbs apple sauce
splash of almond milk (soymilk, ricemilk, etc)

* You can substitute the spices in the kabocha filling with 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly grease an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray 
- Hazelnut Brownie: In a small or medium bowl, combine the ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, and salt and combine. In a double boiler, melt the chopped dark chocolate, then add in the boiling water, oil, brown sugar, and cocoa powder and mix until well combined and there are no lumps. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and ground flaxseed until the mixture is thicker. Then add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and stir until well incorporated.
- Kabocha Filling: In a small bowl, combine the puree with the spices, apple sauce, and a splash of almond milk and mix in a food processor until there are no lumps. 
- Fill the 8x8 pan first with the hazelnut brownie batter. Spread and smooth out the brownie batter, then scoop spoonfuls of the kabocha filling randomly over the bottom layer. Using a toothpick, draw circles and loops to swirl the kabocha filling with the brownie batter. 
- Bake for 30-35 minutes depending on your oven. Remove, cut into squares, and serve!