I love pumpkin and I love chocolate, but I had never tried mixing the two together. To be honest, it didn’t sound too appetizing, so when I saw Atkins’ recipe for Pumpkin Swirl Brownies, I was doubtful, but they looked delicious in the photo and I decided to give them a try. They were delicious, really. Of course, I didn’t make them exactly the way their recipe said. For one thing, the recipe made almost three dozen of them and that was way too many for just the two of us. So, I adjusted the recipe down and also added some pecans to the top. Some of my ingredients may have changed a little, too. To check out Atkins original recipe, go to this link.

Pumpkin Spice Brownies – Small Batch

1 oz. Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup unsalted Butter
1/2 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup powdered Erythritol (like Ideal sugar substitute)
2 large Eggs
1 large Egg White (or 1/4 cup liquid egg whites)
1 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (optional)
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
4 Ounces Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup granular Sugar Substitute (sucralose)
1 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup chopped Pecans

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease a 6×6-inch pan with cooking spray..

Put the chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl, then microwave for about 20 seconds and check to see if completely melted. Run another 10 seconds if it is not . Add 10 seconds at a time until completely melted. Blend the chocolate and butter together then add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar substitute and continue to blend until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg, egg whites, salt, protein powder (if using) and the coconut flour. Whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

Using a hand blender cream the cream cheese with the sucralose or other sugar substitute in a small bowl. Add the egg, pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice blend, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until smooth.

Spread 2/3 of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan. Then pour the cream cheese mixture over the top. Drop the remaining 1/3 of the brownie batter by spoonfuls over the cream cheese mixture and then take a knife and gently swirl the layers together. Sprinkle pecan chips on top of the brownies. Bake for 30 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into 16 pieces. (4×4 = 16 – 1 1/2″ square pieces)

Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 1 week if they last that long.

Note: The original recipe called for Baking soda, but it doesn’t add anything to the recipe. It doesn’t work on coconut flour, so I omitted it and added an extra egg white, which does give an extra lift to the brownie.

If you want to use almond flour or Carbquick instead of coconut flour, then increase the amount to 1/2 cup. Coconut flour expands 2 to 3 times its volume with liquid absorption. Add the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda when using Carbquick.

Nutrition Info per brownie:
Calories: 78 Fat: 7 g Net Carbs: 1.3 g Protein: 2.5 g
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/22/2013