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Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Amber Flinton

There’s not much of anything that’s better than cheesecake brownies. Except for pumpkin cheesecake brownies in the fall!

These delicious treats are a festive riff on my ultimate cheesecake brownies. Pumpkin pairs up with warm autumnal spices and creamy cheesecake for the perfect fall flavored swirl. When mixed with my favorite decadent, fudgey, chocolate batter, these brownies are too delicious to resist.

Now beware that these are fancy brownies. They’re a little more effort, but believe me they are worth the extra drama. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and don’t skip the long mix on the brownie batter. There are no leavening agents in these brownies besides whipped eggs, so make sure to give them that long beating and be mindful to fold the flour in gently.

If you want to get real cutesy with your brownies, go ahead and use a fun pumpkin cookie cutter to press out little pumpkin shaped pumpkin cheesecake brownies. Or for more Halloween fun, try making a pumpkin ice cream Sunday. Layer pumpkin cheesecake brownies with homemade pumpkin, vanilla, or cinnamon ice cream and top with a luscious drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies - makes 16

Equipment:

  • Hand held electric mixer

  • 8 x 8 in metal square baking pan

Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 1/4 cup + 2TBS. sugar

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

  • 1 egg

  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

  • 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

  • 1/8 tsp. allspice

  • 1/8 tsp. cloves

Brownie Batter Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/4 cup + 2 TBS all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and line the baking pan with parchment paper, making sure to leave an overhang on all sides.

  2. Make the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Use the handheld electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it’s fluffy and no lumps remain. Add the remaining filling ingredients, and mix again until it’s smooth and all the ingredients are fully combined. Set aside.

  3. Make the brownie batter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over a medium low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until the cocoa is fully incorporated, and the mixture thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.

  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the white and browns sugars, eggs, vanilla, and kosher salt. Use the hand held electric mixer to beat the batter on high speed for about 8 minutes. Your goal is to get enough air into the batter to leaven the brownies. By the end of 8 minutes, you should have a fluffy mixture with the consistency of thick pancake batter.

  5. Add the cocoa and butter mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix with the beaters until the chocolate is fully incorporated.

  6. Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour on top of the batter. Then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the flour.

  7. Assemble the pumpkin cheesecake brownies. Spread two thirds of the brownie batter onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Top that batter with all of the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Then spoon the remaining browning batter on top of the filling. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the cheesecake and brownie batters together.

  8. Bake the brownies for 45-55 minutes or until the edges are fully set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The middle shouldn’t be very jiggly and the surface of the brownies should be completely set.

  9. Remove the pan from the oven, and whack the bottom of the pan a couple of times against the counter. This will deflate the brownies a bit for an even rise and create that signature crackly brownie top. After you whack it, allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before cutting.

TIP: To get a really clean edge on your brownies, line the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper. Make sure that each sheet is exactly the width of your pan but longer so that there will be an overhang. Place one sheet in the bottom of the pan with the overhang emerging on two sides. Then place the second sheet overlapping the first in the bottom of the pan but with its two long sides on the opposite sides of the pan. You will end up with the bottom and all four sides of your pan covered neatly with parchment.