Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Pumpkin, chocolate and pecans come together for the ultimate dessert combo in these decadent pumpkin swirl cheesecake brownies.

Long-time readers will probably remember that I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin-y treats. You can keep your PSLs and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, thank you very much. I prefer to keep my coffee and cookies uncontaminated.

That being said, I have found a few exceptions. And these brownies are just that exception! A little bit of cinnamon-spiced pumpkin cheesecake swirled together with fudgy brownies is the kind of fall dessert I can really get behind.

And I know you’re going to love ’em too! So let’s get baking shall we?

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Butter
• Dark or bittersweet chocolate
• Canned pumpkin purée
• Cream cheese
• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Eggs
• Ground cinnamon
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Chopped pecans (optional)

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

You will dirty a few dishes preparing these brownies, but the recipe is really quite simple! And worth it, too.

1. Prepare the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Mix in eggs, followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla, and finally the flour, cinnamon and salt.
2. Prepare the brownie batter. Melt butter and chocolate together on the stove. Remove from heat and add sugar, and then the eggs. Stir in flour, cinnamon, salt and pecans (if using).
3. Layer together in pan. Spread half of brownie batter into a very thin layer in a 9×13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Dollop cheesecake filling over the brownie batter, then dollop the rest of the brownie batter on top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to gently swirl the two together. Sprinkle with more pecans and chocolate chips.
4. Bake. Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes until cheesecake filling is set and brownie batter swirls appear dry.
5. Cool. Let these bars cool completely before serving, in the fridge for an hour or more.
6. Slice and serve. Use a clean knife to slice brownies. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

• Have all cheesecake ingredients at room temperature so your filling won’t be lumpy. Pull cream cheese and eggs out of the fridge 30-60 minutes ahead of time. See also my tips for bringing cream cheese to room temperature quickly.
• Don’t skip the parchment paper! It acts as a sling to lift the cooled bars out of the pan so you can easily slice the brownies. Plus it ensures your brownies don’t stick to the pan.
• Use a cookie scoop to easily dollop the cheesecake and brownie batters.
• The brownie and cheesecake batters can be tricky to swirl together since they aren’t the same consistency. Don’t fret about it though, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and it’ll bake up beautifully no matter what.
• Make sure the brownies are cooled completely before you slice them, to give the cheesecake layer a chance to set up completely.
• For the prettiest slices, use a sharp knife, wiping it clean in between each slice.

More Brownie Recipes to Love

All of these delicious brownie recipes come with a fun twist!

• Nutella Brownies with Hazelnuts
• Pecan Pie Brownies
• Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
• Caramel Popcorn Fudge Brownies

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Recipe originally published October 2013. Slight improvements to the recipe have been made.

4 from 1 review

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Servings: 24 brownies

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Chill Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Pumpkin, chocolate and pecans come together for the ultimate dessert combo in these decadent pumpkin swirl cheesecake brownies.

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Ingredients

For the pumpkin cheesecake layer:

• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese (226 grams), at room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30 grams)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅔ cup pumpkin puree (88 grams)

For the brownie layer:

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams), cut into cubes
• ▢ 6 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate (170 grams), chopped or use chips
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (145 grams)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ cup chopped pecans , divided (50 grams), optional
• ▢ ¼ cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips (42 grams), optional

Instructions

 

To make the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a bowl and hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth and creamy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Mix in the flour and cinnamon, then mix in the pumpkin puree.

To make the brownies:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over medium low heat, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in the sugar.
• Stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
• Stir in the flour, salt and cinnamon and mix until just combined. Stir in most of the chopped pecans if using, reserving a few for the top of the brownies.
• Spread about half of the chocolate brownie batter into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. This layer will be very thin, barely covering the whole pan.
• Dollop spoonfuls of the pumpkin filling on top of the brownie batter, then dollop the remaining brownie batter on top.
• Take a knife and run it through the batter, swirling the brownie batter and pumpkin filling together. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and reserved chopped pecans.
• Bake until for about 35 minutes, or until cheesecake filling is set and brownie batter swirls appear dry.
• Let brownies cool completely before slicing. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Store brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week and tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 79mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 1413IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Author: Annalise

Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.