Life is full of difficult choices.
Picking between the chicken or the pasta on the airplane (they're both bad). Vodka or gin in your martini (because both at once would be gross). Ordering just one dessert at the restaurant (they're all awesome). Choosing just one New Kid on the Block as your official celebrity crush (as long as it's not Joey, because your best friend called dibs on him first).
Thankfully, that's not the case with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.
These babies let you have pumpkin cheesecake and fudgey brownies, all in one delicious bite. No choosing.
If they gave out Nobel prizes for baking, I'm sure these would be right at the top of the list for giving indecisive people around the world their own dessert.
Fudgey Brownies Plus Creamy Cheesecake: A Match Made in Heaven
The brownie half is dense and fudgey and deeply chocolatey, just like a proper brownie ought to be.
And the pumpkin layer is subtly spicy and not too sweet, and a Halloween-perfect shade of bright orange.
Either one of these layers would be perfectly good on its own, but once they're swirled together, they're doubly delicious (and a whole lot prettier, to boot).
How to Make Perfect Swirled Brownies
I know the marbling makes these look really complicated, but I promise it's actually surprisingly easy to achieve.
In fact, the only trick to achieving the perfect marbling is to know when to stop.
First you start by randomly spooning on big fat dollops of the two batters into the pan. Next, you use a sharp knife to swirl them using a wide zig-zag sort of motion - first from side-to-side, then up-and-down.
And once you've completed both of those steps, you put your knife down and call it a day. Don't give in to the temptation to keep swirling your knife around, or else you'll end up with a muddled mess.
Cheesecake Swirl Brownies are All Treat, No Trick
Thankfully, there aren't really any tough choices as far as these brownies are concerned.
Well... maybe just one. You'll have to decide between making just the one batch, or using up the whole package of cream cheese and make it a double.
(I think we all know the answer to that one, though.)
A Baker's Dozen of Halloween Treats
These gorgeous brownies are just one of 13 super-spooky Halloween-themed sweets and treats created especially created for you by some of the coolest bloggers I know.
(And no, we didn't actually plan on having 13 recipes... it's just a total coincidence, which is even more spooky. OooooooOOOOooOOOooh.)
1. Butterfinger Bark from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
2. Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cut-Out Cookies from Created by Diane
3. Chocolate Crepes with Pumpkin Butter Filling and Spiced Maple Pecan Syrup from Pineapple and Coconut
4. Vampire Delight Martini from Magnolia Days
5. Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookie Cups from Chocolate Moosey
6. Rice Krispie Candy Corn from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Halloween Puppy Chow from Messy Baker
8. Homemade Sour Patch Kids from What Smells So Good
9. Reese’s PB&C Pretzel Crust Pie from Hungry Couple NYC
10. Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake from Gotta Get Baked
11. Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
12. Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from Crumb (that's me!)
13. Pumpkin Pie Fudge from Juanita’s Cocina
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
It's tough having to choose between fudgey brownies and tangy pumpkin cheesecake, which is why these bars are so awesome - it's like having both at the same time!
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup flour
Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl:
- ½ package (4 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (fresh, if possible)
Instructions
Make the Brownie Base:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil.
- In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and scrape into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, vanilla and salt, then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the flour and mix until just barely combined.
Prepare the Pumpkin Swirl Batter:
- In a second mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until combined. Stir in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and set aside.
Assemble the Brownies:
- Spread half of the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Drop alternating spoonfuls of the pumpkin filling and the remaining brownie batter onto the brownie layer. Run a sharp knife through the batter in a zig zag sort of motion to swirl the brownie batter and pumpkin filling together.
- Bake in preheated oven until the edges are set and the middle is still a little wobbly, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool in the pan about 15 minutes, then use the edges of the parchment to lift out the brownies and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut the cooled brownies into squares, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days (assuming they last that long).
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
Pat says
I want to use a brownie mix. Would that make two 8x8 or one 9x12 if I double the pumpkin recipe?
Isabelle Boucher says
That's a great question, Pat. I've never tried using brownie mix for this recipe before, so I can't say for sure... but my guess is that if the mix is meant to make an 8x8 pan, you'll either need to make a half-batch of mix, or make a double batch of the pumpkin cheesecake swirl and bake in a 9x12. Please let me know if you end up trying it out!
Charlotte says
I like all my brownies to be ghoulishly good!
janet says
I just made these with gluten free flour. They are awesome! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Lilly Sue says
Yep, totally making these! Thanks for the recipe!
Donna says
These look yummy and I plan to make some today. As I was reading the instructions I noticed that the instructions call for vanilla in the cheesecake but there is no vanilla listed in the cheesecake ingredients. So, if any, how much?
Thanks,
Donna
Isabelle Boucher says
Good catch, Donna! There should be 1/2 tsp vanilla in the cheesecake batter. I've corrected the recipe with this info.
Hope you enjoy the brownies! They were a big hit at my office. :)
Connie says
Just made these. I substituted half the brown sugar for some of this 'truvia' sweetener that contains stevia. I also added liquid 'sugar twin' instead of sugar to the cheesecake part instead of sugar. Both were a little runny, but both tasted delicious. I doubled the recipe and made two 9x12 pans (for 25 mins) which makes for pretty thin brownies so I don't recommend it. Doubled recipe will only make one 9x12. I used pumpkin that I had frozen and it didn't look as orange so I just added some food dye. I ended up dolluping the cheesecake bit on top and then swirling, seemed to work great though. First vertical figure eights across, then long sweeping horizontal strokes. They ended up too thin and not moist enough...Here's a pic: https://imgur.com/a/VL8EA
Isabelle Boucher says
Thanks for the feedback, Connie. Your marbling looks amazing, though! Much prettier than mine.
I'm thinking the pan size may be the reason they came out a little thin and dry, especially if you didn't decrease the baking time - the recipe is based on an 8x8 pan, so for a double batch, I agree a single 9x12 is perfect (or two 8x8's).
Susan says
See now I'm glad you didn't call out Joey as your New Kid because he's mine. I'm your best friend that claimed him. You can have Donnie or Jordan. So let's talk brownies, how'd you know these are the way I love mine? Dense and fudgey - love.
caro says
They look fantastic and also taste delicious. Unfortunately the dough for the cheescake was too liquid and also the brownie dough, so I couldn't get this nice marble picture. In the end I mostly had three layers but the taste was still good. Do you know what I did wrong? Thank you :)
Isabelle Boucher says
I'm so sorry you had trouble with the marbling, Caro. When I tested these at home, the brownie batter was fairly thick, so it helped to keep the marbling in place, even though the cheesecake batter was on the runnier side (the second photo is actually the unbaked batter, to give you an idea of what I mean). I'd love to troubleshoot this for you... did you make any changes or substitutions, by any chance?
I'm glad that the flavour was good, though, even if they weren't quite as pretty as you'd hoped!
caro says
I'm from Germany, but I don't think that the ingredients are that different. I try to add a little bit more flour to the brownie batter next time. Lets see if I get it like you :) But my family loved them ^^
★★★★★
Summer says
OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! Ill be making these THIS weekend. Those photos are gorge.
Summer
http://www.southernmrsfit.com
Diane {Created by Diane} says
I really NEED to make these, they look like they'd be my new best friend :)
Shanna@ pineapple and coconut says
I love how you marbled these! And totally random- is that a Shun chef's knife? I am in the market for a new chef's knife ( I have a henckles and its ok) and I spy a pretty knife in your pictures!
★★★★★
Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies says
This is EXACTLY my kind of dessert!! And the marbling is gorgeous! Brownies are just the best, what can I say?
Carla says
Phew! I'm so glad you aren't making me choose and giving me the whole pumpkin dessert package in these brownies.
Sarah says
OMG pumpkin, chocolate AND cheesecake? Yes please!
shannon @ a periodic table says
i am SO jealous: i've been wanting to work on a pumpkin cheesecake brownie such-and-such for like, forever now. never got around to it. I'm a little happy i didn't right now, because yours are beautiful, and now i don't have to do any work myself.
except for making them and eating them. so there's that, but i'm willing to sacrifice.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Oh yeeeesssss! I'm loving this chocolate/pumpkin combo, Isabelle. I love that these brownies are dense and fudgy (anything else is NOT a brownie). One should never have to choose between delicious desserts so thank you for making this!
Sheila @ Sweet Baked Life says
Chocolate brownies and pumpkin cheesecake, can't go wrong there! Looks delish!
A Canadian Foodie says
Brilliant idea! Gorgeous!
:)
V
Jen @JuanitasCocina says
Soooo, I'm gauging how long it will take me to get from Texas to Canada? Too long. Guess I'll just have to make it myself. #NotAProblem
Renee says
Those are wonderfully swirled brownies and I can only imagine they taste as good as they look. They would not last long at any party, Halloween or otherwise.
Renee says
Girl, you gotta send some of these my way. Big yum to the yummers.
Aimee @ Simple Bites says
Heck ya!!
You had me at cheesecake.
bellini says
That pumpkin languishing in the fridge is calling out for brownies. Spooky.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Not having to choose makes life so much easier. Honestly, how does one choose between chocolate, pumpkin, and cheesecake? One doesn't. Pinned!
Liz says
I need marbling lessons from you, Isabelle!!! These are just plum gorgeous...and I know they taste as magnificent as they look!