Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies
What's orange and brown and chocolatey all over?
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese ((at room temperature))
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pureed canned pumpkin
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously butter or spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- 2
Make the brownie batter: Melt together the butter and chocolate in a medium-sized pot over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt, then blend in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly so they don’t have a chance to cook at all before they are blended in. Blend in the flour.
- 3
Scrape about ¾ of the thick batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Set the pan and the remaining brownie batter (about 1 cup) aside.
- 4
Make the pumpkin cheesecake batter: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves and beat, scraping down the sides, until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the pumpkin, cream, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the pumpkin cheesecake batter over the brownie batter in the pan, then use a tablespoon to dollop the remaining brownie batter over the top in spots. Use a dull knife to swirl the mixtures together on top, making sure to leave it very streaky and not blend too much.
- 5
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out clean.
- 6
Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.