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Like everyone else in North America this time of year, I’m currently having a bit of a love affair with pumpkin (shhhh, don’t tell Kale).

It all started with Almost Instant Pumpkin Porridge the other day, and reveals itself today with these vegan and gluten-free Pumpkin Caramel Swirl Brownies. Next up are some amazing homemade glu–oops, almost let it slip, there! You’ll just have to wait and see. 😉

Although we virtually never ate pumpkin when I was a kid, my sisters and I were certainly enthusiastic about Halloween. True, we didn’t have a carved pumpkin on our front porch; in fact, we didn’t even use those plastic pumpkin pails (you know, the ones with black handles, designed to collect loot while trick or treating)–we thought they were way too small for our purposes. But we did enjoy pumpkin-shaped mellowcreme candies, plus all the other goodies that were only allowed in our house on October 31st.

In fact, for my sisters and me, the entire activity of trick-or-treating was approached with a seriousness and precision of military proportions.

The evening went something like this:

Time: 1800 hours



Suss out targets and decide which ones require immediate hits. Note the key markers identifying each target: carved pumpkin with flickering candles inside indicates “good” treats available; paper pumpkins affixed to window panes indicates cheapo loot, such as bruised apples, peanuts in the shells, or pennies; AVOID. Strategy: hone in on the carved pumpkin houses while steering clear of the losers.

Time: 1900 hours

With the first run already completed, dump booty in haphazard piles on the living room floor (ensuring the protective gate has been pulled across the entryway, to avoid canine infiltration), then head out for a second round of assault. By this time, success is more likely, as the targets may be growing tired. If a target is spied blowing out the pumpkin candles and preparing to close up shop, rush to the door and solicit more treats. This may precipitate a full surrender of all Halloween candy remaining in the house–TREAT VICTORY!

Time: 20:00 hours

Under cover of darkness, rush back to base camp to unload the spoils of warlocks (and witches). Dump everything on the floor and prepare for the victory party. . .

. . . .And so it went. Once we got home, we began the sorting operation: similar items were lined up in parallel rows across the floor (chocolate bars like KitKat, Caramilk, Aero, Oh Henry, Smarties in one line; candies like SweeTarts, caramels, jaw breakers in another; less popular items such as potato chips, Halloween kisses in a third). Next, the negotiations began. We traded candies the way teenaged boys trade stories of dating conquests, feigning disinterest or refusing to look impressed so that we could ultimately get more out of our rival.

“What? You want four caramels for a measly bag of chips?” the CFO might say. “Forget it!” Or I’d counter, “I’ll give you a Caramilk and two kisses for the Oh Henry, but that’s it, NO MORE.” We’d haggle and argue until everyone had a pile of goodies that was relatively equal.

And finally, the pièce de résistance: eating. Halloween was the one night of the year that gorging ourselves was not only permitted, but somehow tacitly sanctioned. Our parents left us alone to attack the treats without so much as a word. When our bellies were finally so full that they began to resemble pumpkins themselves, we packed what was left of the candy in grocery bags to be consumed over the following few days.

Until recent years, I always thought of pumpkin as something merely decorative, the thing that you carve and then discard the next day. It wasn’t until I began to play in my own kitchen as an adult that I discovered sugar pumpkins (also called pie pumpkins) and that you could make your own pumpkin purée at home (just like canned–except more work!). I guess I’ve still not caught up with the general pumpkin-mania, as it only occurred to me recently that I have no recipe for pumpkin pie on this blog! (Yes, I must rectify that oversight asap).

In the meantime, these brownies are a stellar way to use up any extra pumpkin you may have on hand either from your Canadian Thanksgiving feast or simply because you visited the grocery store and came back with more pumpkin than you needed. They are truly fudgy and dense, with welcome ribbons of gooey, soft, pumpkiny caramel filling hither and yon. The filling is somewhat like a cross between fudge and caramel; a pumpkin ganache, if you will.

These days, I look back on my childhood Halloweens with nostalgia (and a bit of a stomach ache). As I mentioned last year, the HH and I have all but given up on participating, what with the kids being driven away from our house in droves. Besides, the HH refuses to carve another “real” pumpkin, which leaves just the option of a paper pumpkin taped to the window. . . and we all know how many kids that will attract.

Looking for Thanksgiving recipes? Here’s my mega roundup of 75+ Healthy, Whole Foods, Vegan & Gluten-Free recipes.

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This recipe is shared at Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

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