Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies

Dishing up brownies for afternoon tea. Image by author.

This recipe came through when we craved something sweet but wanted to use my impulse-buy canned pumpkin back around Thanksgiving when I devised plans for a pumpkin pie I never made. If you love the idea of brownies but appreciate a tangy counterpoint to sweet treats, the pumpkin cream cheese filling swirled through fudgy batter will not disappoint.

People often complain that homemade brownies aren’t worth the work since box brownie mixes taste the same, but I like to avoid food preservatives when I can, and this recipe was easy enough that I didn’t feel put out by the effort.

---

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Fudge Brownies (Makes 12 bars)

Ingredients

For brownies:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 cup cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

For pumpkin swirl filling:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 large egg

• 3 tablepoons granulated cane sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper with the sides of paper higher than dish so you can use it as a sling to help with baked brownie removal later. Grease the exposed sides and corners as well. Set aside.

2. In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter on the stove over medium heat. Remove from heat, then whisk in brown and white sugars until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Then, add the cocoa powder and flour, and stir until just combined.

3. In a medium bowl, beat all filling ingredients on low speed until smooth. A stand mixer or electric hand mixer are ideal here to easily create a smooth consistency. Set aside.

4. Pour the 3/4 of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan. Pour pumpkin swirl filling evenly over brownie batter. Pour remaining brownie batter evenly over filling. Swirl through batter several times with a knife for a marbled effect.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 12 squares. Store covered in refrigerator up to 7 days. You can rewarm in the microwave for 12 seconds to get that melty texture of a freshly baked brownie.