Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

We had our first cool day this past weekend. It was the moment we had been waiting for, I eagerly grabbed my market tote, loaded everyone into the car, and hit the local Farmer’s Market.

Peppers for my Braised Pepper Bruschetta, Golden Zucchini for a delicious gratin (to come), and kettle corn for our picnic were our primary objectives. But as soon as we arrived the kids spotted all the pumpkins and gourds on display and while Eamon may have been the one sprinting off yelling “PUMPKIN”, inside, I was right there with him.

We spent a good deal of time inspecting all the varieties our local Market had to offer. Cinderellas, sugar pie, carnival, and turban pumpkins were on display as a welcome to autumn.

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Eventually, we got back to our list and on to our picnic. It was a wonderful day, the park was beautiful, and our picnic was delicious, but once pumpkins enter my imagination, I am preoccupied by the potential of pumpkin; muffins, pancakes, cheesecake and pie. It just so happens that we had a tray of Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies waiting at home.

Pumpkin spice cheesecake, sweetened with pure maple syrup and carefully swirled into a convenient boxed brownie mix, enhanced with a generous spoonful of fresh ground espresso. The hardest part of this recipe was waiting for them to set over night.

Now, thanks to our pumpkin detour, I could not wait to get home and try the result. After, finally, tucking in the kids and pouring large glasses of milk Jordan and I happily discovered we had achieved Pumpkin Brownie perfection.

coffe beans brownie mix mix brownies pumpkin mix swirled brownie on a spatula

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Print Recipe
Yield: 12-16 brownies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40-50 minutes
Total Time: 1hr
  • 1 box favorite brownie mix
  • 2 teaspoons finely ground espresso or dark roast coffee
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or light brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree, room temperature
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9×9 baking pan with non stick spray, set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the coffee into the brownie mix. Proceed with your batter as instructed on the box, set aside.

Mix the spices into the pumpkin puree until well combined, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment cream the cream cheese, maple syrup or sugar, egg, and pumpkin puree until smooth and well combined.

Spread half of the brownie batter evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spoon the pumpkin filling over the top in a checkerboard pattern. Fill in the gaps between the pumpkin filling with the remaining brownie batter.

Using a knife or skewer swirl the pumpkin mixture and brownie batter together.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until the edges are well set and the middle still has a slight jiggle. The secret to fudgy brownies is not overcooking them.

To avoid cracks in the cheesecake layer let the brownies cool for 30 minutes at room temperature before refridgerating for at least an hour. We prefer to let ours set over night so the cheesecake is nice and cool.

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