Celebrate the start of fall with these delicious Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Brownies. Swirled with creamy, decadent ribbons of pumpkin flavored cheesecake filling, these brownies have the perfect texture of cakey and fudgy. Warm seasonal spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spices make these brownies a MUST try!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
The star of these brownies is the creamy, decadent cheesecake filling. Perfectly blended with pumpkin puree, the harmony of pumpkin and cheesecake works so well with the base of a chocolate brownie. To amp up the seasonal flare of the pumpkin, I incorporated the iconic fall spices with (of course) a special ingredient for that Nata Knows Best signature taste.
Ingredients
In addition to the obvious ingredient of high-quality cream cheese, my pumpkin cheesecake filling is flavored with the classic warm spices of:
- Nutmeg
- Clove
- All Spice
- and Saigon Cinnamon (This is KEY to to making my brownies a standout from the rest of recipes out there.)
I swear by Saigon Cinnamon! I use it in many of my dessert recipes to really make the house smell incredibly aromatic and oh, so sweet.
Decadent Chocolate Brownie
Now that we established how to make the creamy, delicious pumpkin-spiced cheesecake filling, let’s discuss the brownie portion. To create a well balanced dessert of rich proportions, the chocolate brownie must be epic and complementary to the pumpkin flavor.
It starts will a combination of deep, rich chocolate ingredients like:
- Unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
- Premium vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
The combination of dark and semi-sweet chocolate provides a smooth balance of chocolate flavors without overpowering the ribbons of pumpkin cheesecake filling. It’s the perfect harmony.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If fall is your favorite season and pumpkin-spiced anything is your weakness, check out these delicious pumpkin dessert recipes:
Achieving the Pumpkin Swirl
My favorite part of these Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Brownies is seeing the beautiful ribbons of rich chocolate brown mix with the light orange color of the pumpkin cheesecake filling in every bite. These ribbons and swirls are the visual eye candy of this recipe and (believe it or not) are so easy to do!
Start by laying a smooth layer of the chocolate brownie batter in your glass baking dish. Next, dollop generous amounts of the pumpkin cheesecake filling in random spots of the brownie mix.
This step has no strict rules. Just have fun creating a contrast of colors, flavors, and textures.
To ensure each piece/bite of the brownie has the perfect balance of chocolate and pumpkin, I opt to smooth another layer of brownie mix over the dollops of pumpkin cheesecake filling. Not to worry – the final layer of this beautiful blended brownie is topped with more dollops of pumpkin.
Now, the fun part. Creating the ribbons of brown and orange. Grab a tooth pick and begin dragging it through the batter, instinctively swirling both flavors of the chocolate brownie and the pumpkin cheesecake together. The more you swirl, the more balanced and delicious is the brownie.
Once you’re all swirled out, just bake it and let it rest. The resting period guarantees the brownie’s cakey and fudgy texture. Cut and dust with powdered sugar for that extra flare, and enjoy!
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree
- 4 oz of cream cheese
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of saigon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of all spice or clove optional
- 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
Chocolate Brownie Batter
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and begin making your Pumpkin Cheesecake filling.
- Add soften cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin puree in a bowl and slowly incorporate. Add 1 egg and pumpkin spices.
- To thicken your batter add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix until smooth. Place aside to rest.
- In another bowl, cream the sugar and melted butter with a mixer to create the base for your chocolate brownies. Slowly add in 2 eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine and sift flour, unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder and salt.
- Now, slowly combine your wet and dry brownie ingredients. Once the chocolate brownie batter is smooth, add semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- In a greased pan add a thin layer of brownies batter, followed by dollops of pumpkin cheesecake filling. Repeat the process until all batter is used. Using a skewer or tooth pick, drag across the combined batters to make swirls of pumpkin and brownie.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Once baked, rest for 20 minutes to ensure the brownie texture remains cakey and fudgy.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional)
Sally says
I made this recipe along with your pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving and both were so good. thank you kindly