Apart from lentils and stew, where else would you add bay leaf? I added it to a dessert and the result was beyond unique. Pumpkin brownie with bay leaf. A not-so-sweet dessert, perfect for those who love bitter and earthy flavors.
If you are a person who loves very sweet desserts then I urge you to press X and close this page. This recipe is not for you, you should not try it. Pretend you never saw it. If you try it, it is very likely that it will be the end of our relationship.
You will either love or hate this recipe. Those who tried it had strong feelings about it. Some had a strong aversion to this bitter and earthy taste. But others closed their eyes and traveled through the smell of bay leaf, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. I belong to the latter. Alkis among the first. And I’m not hiding from you that I’m happy about it. Because there will simply be more brownie left for me.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RECIPE
The recipe for this pumpkin brownie with bay leaf is super easy. You will only need two bowls, one to add the solid ingredients of the recipe and one for the liquid ingredients. You’ll mix the liquid ingredients with an egg beater, and add in the solids. Easy much?
I’ve been talking about this pumpkin recipe for so long but I haven’t made any mention of the pumpkin until now. Maybe because I’m one of those people who loves pumpkin and I always have batches of pumpkin puree in the freezer ready to use. But let’s go see how we can make pumpkin puree.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PURE
There are two ways we can make pumpkin puree. One way is to boil the pumpkin, and the second is to bake it in the oven. Personally, I prefer the second way, and this is because I think that boiling changes the taste somewhat. I feel like the water somehow affects the density of the flavor. So I usually bake it. Lately I won’t turn on the oven just for the pumpkin. I imagine you understand the reason and maybe even you can relate with me. So if I bake something in the air, you might find pumpkins inside the oven too.
Why to add bay leaves?
If we add bay leaves to water or broth, a flavor similar to mint develops (something between spearmint and menthol), with subtle notes of black pepper and pine. So I wanted to taste these notes in a dessert that would include herbs that scream autumn, pumpkin and cocoa.
Recipe ingredients
So far I have told enough for this recipe but I may have confused you about the ingredients. Thus here they are:
- pumpkin puree
- all-purpose flour and baking powder
- eggs
- honey
- cocoa powder
- butter
- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and bay leaves
If you want, you can replace the all-purpose flour with another keto flour such as almond flour.
Pumpkin brownie with bay leaves
Equipment
- 15*20 cm baking pan
Ingredients
- 300 gr pumpkin
- 60 gr butter
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 60 gr honey
- 2 eggs, large, room temperature
- 100 gr all purpose flour
- 45 gr cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper, flesh side up. Bake in a preheated oven, at 200°C, for about 30 minutes or until the flesh of the pumpkin softens. Using a spoon, remove the flesh of the pumpkin and puree it in the blender until it becomes puree (the puree should be around 250 g).300 gr pumpkin
- In a small pot, over medium heat, add the butter and bay leaves. Melt the butter, stirring frequently so that it is flavored with the bay leaf. Remove from the heat and add the honey. Mix and set aside.60 gr butter, 2-3 bay leaves, 60 gr honey
- In a bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.100 gr all purpose flour, 45 gr cacao powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground ginger
- In a large bowl, add melted butter after first removing the bay leaves. Add the eggs and beat vigorously. Finally add the solid ingredients and mix well with an egg beater.2 eggs, large, room temperature
- Butter and sprinkle with cocoa a 15*20cm ovenproof dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25 minutes.
So this was my recipe for a different brownie. A brownie with pumpkin puree and bay leaves. A not-so-sweet dessert, perfect for those who love bitter and earthy flavors.
I would be thrilled to hear from you. Even more, if you make my recipe and post a photo of it. Just don’t forget to share your photo under the hashtag #tetisflakes. Please do not hesitate to comment below or contact me on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
BECOME A MEMBER OF TETI’S FLAKES FAMILY
Have you subscribed to Teti’s flakes newsletter? As a subscriber, you will have access to exclusive content such as the series of the ebook “The flavors of the Seasons” and “Food photography – going from Auto to Manual“.
So if you want to become a subscriber, you may sign in here. After signing in you will receive a confirmation email. Attention, the email may end up in the Spam folder. Once you find it, all you have to do is confirm your email and that’s it!
Leave a Reply