Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies are a fall upgrade to your favorite fudgy dessert. A from-scratch treat combining a rich, chocolate brownie and creamy pumpkin cheesecake will satisfy all your seasonal cravings.

It’s been quiet on the home front this week, but the same cannot be said for the school front. My son’s principal has his hands full. First, the sheriff’s department took down two teens with a stolen gun threatening to shoot up the school. Then, an AP teacher was transferred to administrative duty after a photo of him wearing a blindfold, a dog collar and nothing else has been circulating on social media. And just when you thought the week couldn’t get any further down the toilet, somebody started stealing the toilets.

I can’t make this crap up.

I don’t condone vandalism, but this toilet thief deserves kudos for being a mastermind. Like Vincenzo Peruggia who walked out of the Louvre with the Mona Lisa, this juvenile delinquent keeps walking out of restrooms with toilets. Check that, used toilets, and somehow goes completely unnoticed. Where the hell does one hide an 88 pound piece of porcelain? It’s too big for a backpack, you can’t shove it under your shirt and you can’t show up with it in class. Yet, not one security camera has been able to catch the commode criminal in the act.

Forget high school, this kid needs to drop out and sign up for the CIA. If he can waltz down a hallway with a socket wrench, a screwdriver and a soiled toilet yet go unnoticed by 2,173 teenagers and 107 teachers, he could sneak into North Korea, kidnap Kim Jong-un and crown himself the new Supreme Leader. Personally, I’m hoping he uses he powers for good and becomes a plumber. It’s a dirty job, but the profit margins are huge–especially when you’re getting toilets for free.

The only thing I ever steal is food because once I eat all the evidence, it’s impossible to get caught. My favorite thing to pilfer this time of year is pumpkin brownies. Rich, chocolaty and topped with a creamy layer of pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin brownies are so good they’ll tempt you to commit petty theft. To stay on the right side of the law, make a batch of your own–then be sure to hide them from me.

Before sharing the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies, here are a few baking tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

For best results (and to avoid lumps), cream cheese and egg must be at room temperature before preparing cheesecake.

Preparation Tips and Tricks

Above all, always bake brownies in a shiny metal pan. I do not recommend glass or stoneware pans for brownies due to their prolonged bake times.

Remove brownies from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If the batter is still wet then continue baking and check again in one minute increments. Take care to avoid overbaking.

How to Store Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Cover brownies with plastic wrap then store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Brownies?

Brownies freeze well up to 2 months when wrapped in plastic wrap then stored in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies. Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of this blog when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you love pumpkin and chocolate together check out this Double Chocolate Pumpkin Tart recipe. Chocolate crusted on the bottom, chocolate swirled on top and chockful of pumpkin in the middle makes this the ultimate tart of fall flavors. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Heather Wolf

Your favorite fudgy dessert gets a fall upgrade with this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies. A from-scratch treat combining a rich, chocolate brownie and creamy pumpkin cheesecake will satisfy all your seasonal cravings.

5 from 18 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Chill 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Brownies and Blondies

Cuisine American

Servings 9

Equipment

• 8 x 8 metal pan

Ingredients

  

Fudge Brownies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 100% cacao
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour unbleached
• 1/4 tsp sea salt fine

Pumpkin Cheesecake

• 6 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

 

Fudge Brownies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 metal baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until combined.
• Add vanilla and eggs, whisking until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa powder, flour and salt.
• Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Note: batter will be thick.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and lump free, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Add egg, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg then beat until combined.

Assembly

• Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter and set aside. Spoon remaining brownie batter into prepared baking pan and smooth with a spatula until even.
• Pour pumpkin cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter in the baking pan.
• Dollop reserved brownie batter onto pumpkin cheesecake layer.
• Using a sharp knife, gently swirl together pumpkin cheesecake and brownie batter dollops.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Brownies are done when a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
• Remove from oven and place brownie pan on a baking rack to cool completely at room temperature, approximately 1 hour.
• Cover brownie pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until set.
• Gently remove aluminum foil then cut brownies into squares and serve.
• Store brownies covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Keyword brownies, pumpkin