Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies
Fall has definitely arrived! With all the delicious soups, chili, and baking with apples and pumpkin, it’s by far the most fun food season. These bars have popped up all over the Internet after showing up in Cara’s blog two years ago. Hubby has been asking for these bars for about two weeks now. With the shortage of canned pumpkin going on right now, I couldn’t make these until now because I just couldn’t find canned pumpkin!
I made these when we had some overnight guests and everyone loved them. We got impatient and cut them after they had cooled for about a hour. They hadn’t been chilled so they were still a bit gooey and warm. They’re delicious at this point and also after they’ve been chilled (the pumpkin flavor really shines once they’ve chilled).
I made a few adjustments to Cara’s recipe. One of the bloggers who made these said she wished there was more of the pumpkin mixture, so I upped that part of the recipe. Cara’s original recipe called for 6 oz of cream cheese and since a block of cream cheese is 8 oz, I just adjusted the other ingredients of the cheesecake portion so that it would use a full block of cream cheese. My adjustments are shown below.
I also don’t tend to think of pumpkin and chocolate together. It seems to me that white chocolate or cream cheese frosting are natural partners with pumpkin. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that dark chocolate would pair with pumpkin better than milk chocolate. So in the brownie portion of these bars, I used some dark cocoa.
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies
Yield: 16 bars
Ingredients:
For the Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
For the Cheesecake Batter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp flour
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 tsp pure vanilla
2/3 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground ginger
1/3 tsp ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.
Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.
Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.
Original Beantown Baker Recipe, inspired by Cara's Cravings
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
whoa…I think I’m speechless! I have seen S’mores Brownies before, I have even tasted them- in well known restaurants- and these look 100% better and tastier! Well done- I might be knocking on your door for a taste!!!
here is another smores recipe I just saw… if you are looking for more smores recipes!
it would help if I gave you the link…. lol enjoy!
http://www.visionsofsugarplum.com/2010/10/smores-biscotti.html
I just saw your photos and seriously almost drooled. You never cease to amaze me Jen!
vickdn – I saw that smores biscotti this morning! Looks great.
Fun and Fearless – don’t get any drool on your monitor!
I’m not surpsied everyone at your work loved these. They look amazing!
Wow! These look like a great excuse to buy a kitchen torch!
Yum! I love love love s’mores. I even make them in the winter using the gas stove, so this recipe is definitely going to make it on my list of ones to try 🙂
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to make them!
I love S’mores brownies! The combination of all the flavors, in a less messy bar form, make me smile 🙂
I love S’mores brownies! The combination of all the flavors, in a less messy bar form, make me smile 🙂
I’m making them right now..It seemed that during cooking one row of my graham crackers started to rise to the surface of the brownies…and the center is still undercooked but the edges are cooked.. I hope they turn out ok…They look awesome