Pumpkin swirl brownies

Autumn is my favorite time of year, as I have said many times before. I feel like everyone is rushing to Christmas the past few years as soon as Halloween is over. On my drive home from work on Halloween, I saw that the local mall had hung up all their outside Christmas decor and even a couple radio stations began playing nothing but carols the day after Halloween! That is unacceptable to me. It is still fall and there's still another holiday before we get to Christmas. I enjoy Christmas, but it's still harvest time, there are still leaves on the trees, it is still pumpkin and winter squash time. I'm taking back fall! I have no desire to rush away the autumn breezes and crispy leaves. Last weekend we had our nephew overnight and one of the things we had during his stay were these pretty wonderful brownies that combine pumpkin and chocolate together in one dense and chewy treat. These tasty brownies are adapted from Martha Stewart and were a big hit. I adjusted the spices because the original recipe calls for cayenne pepper and I didn't think a 5 year old would like that (I do use it in  these Mexican brownies though) and I lowered the sugar and changed the oil. I also changed the pan size which resulted in thinner brownies (but I thought they were a nice size).

Pumpkin swirl brownies
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-1/4 cups sugar, preferably unbleached cane
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x11-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that it overhangs two sides. Butter the exposed sides of the pan well and lightly butter the parchment.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler (you can use a heat-proof bowl over a pot of shallow boiling water), stirring until smooth and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and well-combined (about 3-5 minutes in the electric mixer). Beat in the flour mixture until just combined. 

Divide the batter into two separate bowls (about 2 cups in each). Stir the chocolate mixture into one bowl until combined. In the other bowl, stir in the pumpkin, olive oil, and spices until combined. 

Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with half of the pumpkin mixture and spread evenly, repeat with the remaining chocolate batter and then remaining pumpkin batter. 

Using a butter knife, gently insert it into the pan to almost the bottom of the batter and swirl it across the pan to create the marble effect.

Bake for about 35-38 minutes, until they pull away from the edges of the pan and an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.

Let cool in the pan. These brownies are best served cool and were the best one day after baking.