I just want to give a big shout out to my cheesecake lovers! Hello! Hope you are doing well today! My latest recipe is something that comes straight from my heart. It embraces the spices of autumn in a fun twist that will leave your mouth watering. That’s right, I’m talking about pumpkin cheesecake brownies! The warm spices of pumpkin pie mixing with the fudgy chocolate of the brownies is an absolute heaven-sent combination, and I think you need to go bake these RIGHT now. The whole sha-bang can be mixed up in under 15 minutes, and baked within 40. That’s right, these babies will take less than 1 hour of your time. Can you believe it?! I can!
So, you may be wondering, do chocolate and pumpkin spice really go together? Pumpkin cheesecake brownies may seem to be contradictory flavors, but I can guarantee you that they are not! The spices bring a nice warmth to the chocolate brownies, similar to that of Mexican hot cocoa, but milder! I really love how these flavors work together, and I think you will too. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator. I think they taste best that way, but try it out for yourself and let me know what you like best!
How do I get the perfect swirl?
The perfect swirl, though it may seem easy, is not the simplest task to pull off. My recommendation is to reserve 1/2 of a cup of the brownie batter for the top. So, when you’re layering the brownies, pour the brownie batter into the pan (but be sure to reserve 1/2 of a cup for the top). Then pour all of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture on top of that. Finally, drop spoonfuls of the brownie batter from the remaining 1/2 cup over the pumpkin cheesecake layer. Then take a knife and drag it through to create beautiful swirls. I will admit, these brownies are a bit harder to get the swirl with because of the viscosity difference of the cheesecake and brownie batters, but if you are patient, you should be okay!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownie Batter:
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 ounces Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (Packed)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter:
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- ⅔ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Large Egg
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
For the Brownie Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray one 9×13 inch OR two 8×8 inch pans with non-stick spray.
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, double boiler, or microwave, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together until just melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, add the melted butter and chocolate, and whisk until combined.
- Add the sugars and vanilla and whisk vigorously until all of the sugar is combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to make sure the whole egg is evenly incorporated before adding the next.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the mixture using a sift or a fine mesh sieve. (You can skip sifting it, however it helps to relieve your brownies of cocoa clumps which are very unpleasant to bite into.
- In a separate, medium sized bowl, add the flour and the salt. Mix them thoroughly.
- Add the flour to the rest of the ingredients. The mixture will be very thick and you might have to switch from a whisk to a spatula to finish incorporating the flour.
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter:
- In a medium-sized bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and mix until homogeneous. Add the egg, sugar, and spices. Beat for 3-4 minutes until light and fully mixed. Now you are ready to assemble your brownies!
- Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter and set it to the side. Pour the remaining brownie batter into prepared pan. Pour the pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter. Using a spoon dollop the reserved ½ cup of brownie batter on top of the pumpkin cheesecake layer in little blobs. When you have used it all, take a knife and swirl the batters together to give it the cool look. Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes.
- Once cooked, allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting and eating. I like to keep mine in the fridge, they're so good cold!
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