Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Every now and then you need a relatively simple dessert. You need something that comes together quickly, without any fancy ingredients and that everyone will love. And if you need this recipe in the fall…you obviously need it to be pumpkin.

While my pumpkin spice latte obsession has (mostly) subsided, I still love any excuse for pumpkin desserts. The classic pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, but I got to thinking: what else could I add pumpkin to?

For #Chocotoberfest last year, I made cream cheese swirl brownies. Why not make them pumpkin?! After all, who doesn’t love pumpkin and chocolate!

Even though the brownie base is from scratch and there is a fancy swirl on top, I promise these are still easy. Melt the chocolate, butter and sugar, mix in the dry ingredients and there is your brownie batter. Whip together the pumpkin and cream cheese and you have your pumpkin layer. Layer those with a few dollops of chocolate on top, swirl a knife around, and voila! Pumpkin swirl brownies!

Remember I said sometimes you need an easy dessert? Well I needed these for book club. We ate almost an entire batch while we watched Practical Magic (first we read the prequel). Now if that doesn’t sound like a perfect fall evening, I don’t know what does!

There is one day left to enter the #chocotoberfest giveway and it is worth over $400! Good luck winning the prize and happy fall baking!

~Stephanie

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 3 eggs (2 for brownie layer, 1 for cream cheese layer)
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In small sauce pan, melt butter, granulated sugar and chocolate chips over medium low heat. Stir frequently.
3. Once melted, transfer from sauce pan into mixer and beat in 2 eggs and vanilla.
4. In separate small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder.
5. Slowly add flour and baking powder mixture into chocolate and beat until combined. Set aside.
6. In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with hand mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, pumpkin, remaining egg and spices. Beat thoroughly.
7. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture in a microwave safe bowl. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
8. Gently spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate.
9. Heat the 1/2 cup of chocolate mixture about 20-30 seconds in microwave until smooth and pourable. Dollop chocolate over the cream cheese. Use a knife to swirl the chocolate batter through the cream cheese.
10. Bake 30-35 minutes, until edges are set and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.