Pumpkin Brownies (or Bread)

Happy Halloween, friends!

If you’ve ever lived in/visited New York City during Halloween you know it’s a treat. From the Village Halloween Parade to endless parties, this is when New Yorkers truly play. Brenda even dressed up every year! One would think that Brenda’s fashion design bachelors degree, and experience working in the University’s costume department would mean her Halloween costumes were always incredible. The reality? Every year she dressed up as a witch (a costume she purchased at a Halloween store) because all of her time went into making delicious Halloween treats for parities.

Pumpkin Brownies (or Bread)

In a small mixing bowl, sift together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

Set aside.

To a medium mixing bowl, add:

3 eggs

3/4 cups oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

Beat together until smooth, then stir in:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée 

Fold in:

Dry ingredient mixture 

Stir together until smooth.

Pour into greased 13”x9” baking dish. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until tests done with a toothpick. Cool. Frost. Serve.

Recommended Frosting: Cream Cheese Frosting

---

Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: 12-24 slices

• If you live more than 3k above sea level, review Brenda’s High Elevation Adjustment chart to adjust for altitude impacts.

• Brenda uses this recipe for pumpkin bread - makes two 12”x4” loaves. And obviously add chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes.

• Technically this can be made in one bowl, but Brenda prefers the two-bowl method.

Cream Cheese Frosting

BOOKMARK THIS. You’ll thank me later. This fluffy, creamy goodness is what Brenda uses on a few of her Fan Favorite recipes:

• Pumpkin Brownies

• Cinnamon Rolls

• Carrot Cake

---

Cream Cheese Frosting

Add to bowl or stand mixer:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 

1 cube (4 oz) butter, softened 

Mix until combined, then add:

1 tsp vanilla 

1 lb powdered sugar

Stir until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl sides. Whip until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Use immediately.

---

Brenda’s Tips:

Serving Size: one batch will frost: 

• one 3 tier cake 

• 24-36 cupcakes

• 12-24 cinnamon rolls 

• 3-4 dozen cookies

If possible, Brenda allows cream cheese and butter to naturally reach room temperature for the very smoothest, fluffiest frosting.

Brenda Brownies

I remember at the height of our endurance marathon training (2015) Brenda would bake these brownies at least once per month. She’d eat the whole pan. NO LIE.

I’m still trying to perfect these brownies. The true test is to see if the brownies taste better over time, just like Brenda’s. She swears that day 4 is the best day to consume these brownies. I just can’t figure out how to keep these brownies around for that long…

---

Brenda Brownies

To your favorite mixing bowl add:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

Stir well, then cream in:

1 cup butter, softened

Next add:

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp salt 

4 eggs, mixing well after each

Finally, stirring until just incorporated, add:

2 cups flour 

Set oven to 350F. Spoon about half the batter into a greased 13x9 pan, sprinkle with:

3/4 cup miniature marshmallows

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Spoon and smooth the remaining batter evenly over the top.

Bake for 22-27 minutes. Serve cooled. 

---

Brenda’s Tips:

• Stirring the cocoa into the sugar allows the granules to eliminate any lumps of cocoa, enhancing the texture of the finished brownies

• If baking at sea level, reduce the flour to 1 1/2 cups

• Recommended to use a metal pan. Using glass will cause the brownies to cook differently

• These brownies are Brenda’s favorite dessert that she makes

---

Window to B’s Kitchen…

Brenda Cookies

Meet the pinnacle of all Brenda Food:

THE BRENDA COOKIE.

Taking America’s Test Kitchen and New York Time’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes and making her own version, the Brenda Cookie was born. After 2 years of perfecting the recipe, she shared it with the world.

These cookies have brought so much JOY to thousands of people from coast to coast. Like, when I heard Marie Kondo talk about items that “spark joy” I thought of these cookies.

The smell. The taste. The layers of chocolate. The gooey centers. The crunchy edges. Mama mia!

Read the full Brenda Cookie Story, or make a half-batch!

---

The Brenda Cookie

Cream together, mixing for approximately 5 minutes:

1 cup (9 oz) brown sugar

1 cup (8 oz) sugar

1 1/4 cup (10 oz) butter, softened 

Then add, stirring until smooth:

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

Sift dry ingredients together and fold into the above mixture:

3 1/2 cups (17 oz) flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp coarse salt

Just before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add:

1 pkg (10 oz) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chips

Do not overmix!

Portion by scooping equal sized dough balls onto a greased 13x9. Cover and refrigerate 24-72 hours.

Bake at 370F for 8-10 minutes, adding 5 minutes for extra-large cookies. 

---

Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: Brenda’s 1/2 cup cookie scoop makes 18 or 19 balls of dough per batch

• Brenda uses a stand mixer to make the cookies. She starts the butter and sugar creaming and then measures out all the other ingredients while waiting for the sugars and butter to whip. 

• Resting the dough allows the flavors to fully meld and the textures to develop. This cookie has a chewy bite with just the right combination of intense dark chocolate and caramelized butter. It will taste good immediately, but if you can be patient it will be even better.

• Brenda seldom recommends a brand, but you’ll notice that Ghirardeli 60% Cacao are listed. These chips will create the flat layers of intense chocolate that indicates a true Brenda Cookie.

• At high elevations, add more flour. At the farm (2600 ft), Brenda uses 17.5 oz of flour and at home (6200 ft) Brenda uses 18.5 oz

• Let the cookies rest 3-6 hours before serving or packaging. A properly prepared Brenda Cookie will stay soft internally without being stored in an airtight container.

• Don’t want to make a full batch? Here’s the half-batch recipe.

---

Window to B’s Kitchen…

Creaming butter + sugar:

Incorporating flour:

Mixing in the chocolate chips:

Scooping the dough: