Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

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These pumpkin cheesecake brownies combine a fudgy chocolate base, buttery roasted cashews and a lightly spiced pumpkin swirl. Easy to make ahead, and the kids love helping with the swirl!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Fall, Halloween

Keyword brownies from scratch, cashew brownies, cheesecake brownies, fall brownies, fall dessert, fudgy brownies, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin cheesecake brownies, pumpkin dessert, pumpkin spice brownies, pumpkin swirl brownies, Thanksgiving dessert

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3

Servings portions

Calories 313kcal

Author Marie Breton

Equipment

20 x 20 cm (8-inch) square baking pan

Ingredients

Brownie layer

180 g butter
100 g dark chocolate (70 to 80%), chopped (1 standard bar)
100 g white sugar
100 g brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 g plain flour
60 g unsweetened cocoa powder
75 g roasted cashews roughly chopped
¼ tsp salt

Pumpkin cheesecake layer

250 g cream cheese at room temperature
60 g sugar
1 egg at room temperature
250 g pumpkin purée
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or mix 1/4 tsp ginger and nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder
1 tbsp plain flour
⅓ tsp turmeric powder *optional, it's for extra colour

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line the pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang to lift the brownies out.
Toast the cashews in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let them cool, then chop them roughly.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt and chopped cashews just until combined.
Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until smooth. Whisk in both sugars and the cocoa until well combined.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and stir just until smooth.
Set aside about a quarter of the brownie batter. Spread the rest evenly in the pan.
Beat the room-temperature cream cheese, sugar, and egg, then the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and flour, just until smooth.
Spread the pumpkin cheesecake over the brownie layer. Drop spoonfuls of the reserved batter on top and swirl gently with a knife, using just a few strokes.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges are set, the centre wobbles only slightly, and a toothpick in the cheesecake part comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before lifting out and cutting into squares.

Video

Notes

Room temperature matters: cold cream cheese or eggs can make the cheesecake lumpy.
Cashews: roasted cashews add a buttery crunch. Lightly salted ones are lovely with the chocolate. Leave them out for a nut-free version.
Storage: keep in a closed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Kitchen helpers: kids love doing the swirl, just keep it to a few strokes!

Nutrition