These Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies are rich, moist, totally yummy and full of fall flavors! Perfect for Thanksgiving and all around fall treat!
Brownies
Yes, it’s pumpkin season and I could not let the season pass without at least one pumpkin recipe, but more will come. I love pumpkin season because I simply love pumpkin! I already have more pumpkin recipes planned so stay tuned – the reward will be worth the wait!
But for now I give you Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies. I know I recently posted my brownie recipe, but I have to say that these brownies are even better. Just look at that color! These brownies are so fudgy, rich, and if you’re a cheesecake lover like me, these brownies are for you!
These pumpkin brownies consist of two layers. A brownie layer and a pumpkin cheesecake layer. The brownie layer is a pretty basic brownie recipe and the cheesecake layer is made with cream cheese, pumpkin and pumpkin spices.
Pumpkin meets cheesecake meets brownie, have you guys ever even heard of such a wild combination? If you think about it it makes perfect sense. The cheesecake is rich and moist, just like the decadent brownie layer, and it all goes so picture perfectly with bright and festive pumpkin pie spices.
Ingredients
Brownie batter
- Wet ingredients – Melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Dry ingredients – All purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Cheesecake batter
- Cream cheese – I like to use regular full fat cream cheese for this batter.
- Pumpkin – Regular old canned pumpkin will do just fine, if you’d like to use fresh I’ll be sure to include a section below detailing how to do just that.
- Sugar – I used plain old granulated white sugar for a clean taste that focuses on the pumpkin more than anything else.
- Spices – Cinnamon and pumpkin spice are what we’re using for the flavor profile of this cheesecake element, hey it’s crucial to the whole brownie!
- Wet ingredients – Vanilla extract and eggs.
- Flour – Again all purpose is what we need.
How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Preheat your oven: To 350 F degrees. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking oil then line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In the bowl of your mixer add melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and mix well until well combined. Add in the eggs and continue beating until light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the brownie batter, then gradually add them into the butter mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Form the cheesecake batter:In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter ingredients and and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Assemble the brownies: Spread about 2/3 of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Spread the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter. Add remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter by spoonfuls. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife or a skewer back and forth through the pan.
- Bake the dessert: Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (mine took 50 min), or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.
What’s The Best Cream Cheese To Use For Cheesecake
I prefer using Philadelphia cream cheese because it always makes a super silky cheesecake. However, if you can’t find the Philadelphia brand, use a cream cheese that is full fat for best results.
What Can I Serve My Brownies With?
Let’s say you’re making this dessert for a festive party and I mean it would do perfectly for this time of year! Those swirls of brownie with the bright shocking orange, here’s some perfect accompaniments:
How To Achieve Perfect Swirls
If you want two perfect layers as seen in the photos, when you’re swirling with a skewer, make sure you mostly only swirl the top two layers and don’t touch the bottom brownie layer.
Want To Use Fresh Pumpkin?
Well then you’re ambitious I’ll give you that, but it’s totally possible to use fresh pumpkin and to achieve that 100% homemade flavor.
- First halve the pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds.
- Heat an inch of water in a sauce pan till boiling, in the mean time slice the pumpkin into chunks. Boil these pieces of pumpkin briefly before reducing the heat, covering and allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Drain and cool before removing the pumpkin from the peel. Mash it all up and you’re good to go!
Patience Is A Virtue
Baking these brownies takes a little while longer than a regular brownie and that’s because of the cheesecake layer. I strongly recommend waiting for these to cool completely on a rack if you have the patience. However, I prefer to leave mine a bit warm, so that when I serve them with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream, the ice cream starts to melt all over the brownies.
What Can I Top My Brownies With?
These brownies may seem like they already have enough going on, but perfection can be improved upon – at least in my world!
- A good drizzle of chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce, either homemade or store bought
- Dulce de leche
- Candied nuts
- Ice cream – my favorite is vanilla
How To Store Leftovers
Store your leftover brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer
Cooked cheesecake brownies freeze really well, just place the cakes fully cooled and uncovered on a pan in the freezer and allow to freeze entirely. Remove them and wrap fully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil till ready to eat. This method should ensure the brownies lasts 3 months.
Craving More Brownies? Try These:
- Brownie Recipe
- Halloween Candy Brownies
- Mile High Guinness Brownies with Guinness Buttercream Frosting
- Butterscotch Brownies
- Triple Bypass Brownies
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 3/4 cup butter unsalted, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Cheesecake Batter
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking oil then line it with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your mixer add melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and mix well until well combined. Add in the eggs and continue beating until light and fluffy.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the brownie batter, then gradually add them into the butter mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
- In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter ingredients and and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Spread about 2/3 of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Spread the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter. Add remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter by spoonfuls. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife or a skewer back and forth through the pan.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (mine took 50 min), or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.
Video
Recipe Notes
- If you want two perfect layers as seen in the photos, when you’re swirling with a skewer, make sure you mostly only swirl the top two layers and don’t touch the bottom brownie layer.
- Store your leftover brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Cooked cheesecake brownies freeze really well, just place the cakes fully cooled and uncovered on a pan in the freezer and allow to freeze entirely. Remove them and wrap fully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil till ready to eat. This method should ensure the brownies lasts 3 months.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
hi.
i found it confusing that there is no clear distinction between the brownie and pumpkin batter.
you initially say wet and dry.. then specify brownie and i dont know which is which
Hi there! In the body of the post we have a basic outline of ingredients and instructions. The recipe card has much more detail for you. You can click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page to avoid scrolling if you’d like.
I have made this recipe several times for fall events and they are always a hit! I followed the recipe exactly as it is written: They also freeze wonderfully. In the past I have allowed them to come to room temperature, frozen them until solid with no covering, then vacuum sealed them Or placed them in a zip lock. Defrost them overnight in the refrigerator and cut them while cold for cleaner cuts.
So glad you like them!
These look delicious! I cannot wait to make them this weekend! Could you use boxed brownies for the brownie portion of this recipe?
You can give it a shot. Keep in mind the batter for boxed brownies tends to be runnier so layering might be a bit trickier.
I tried this recipe using my own brownie recipe, but the rest was all yours. What a keeper! So rich and moist. A lovely “Hello” to fall! Thanks for posting, this one is going into the “special” recipe box.
Are you able to use a whipped cream cheese for these? Being lactose and tolerant, I am limited in the choice of cream cheese options but there is one that is very soft to begin and was wondering if this would work. Thanks.
The texture may come out a bit different but you can definitely give it a try.
For that amount of brownie batter isn’t 1 tablespoon of vanilla a little much? I haven’t made this yet, but wanted to clarify that before I do.
It’s supposed to be 1 tsp, but feel free to use as much as you want.
Hi, I’m in New Zealand. What is pumpkin spice? Cheers
Hi Katie,
Pumpkin spice is an American spice mix that is usually used in pumpkin pie. The ingredients in it are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. Hope this helps!
I made these tonight for tomorrow, as they ave to chill. This might have proved to be a mistake, as I want to devour the whole thing NOW. Can’t wait to bite into one. 🙂
Well good luck I hope you find your willpower! 🙂
P.S.
It would be helpful if you mentioned in your recipe that only the top two layers are to be swirled. I didn’t understand why mine wasn’t a pretty orange like yours. I realized when I looked back at the picture the mistake I made. I know it seems like common sense, but when you’re rushing to make a new recipe and dinner it can go unnoticed.
Actually Susi I don’t think I swirled just the two layers on purpose, I think it just happened that way. LOL 🙂
is there not supposed to be sugar in the pumpkin part?
Yes there is, thanks for catching that. 🙂
Seriously those look so amazing! The combo of pumpkin and chocolate sounds so intriguing.