Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

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These pumpkin cheesecake brownies are rich, dense, and fudgy with pumpkin spice cheesecake swirls that are shaped like pumpkins on top. There's a thick layer of pumpkin cheesecake in the center so you can get fudgy brownie and creamy pumpkin cheesecake in every single bite. These brownies are perfect to make for fall, Thanksgiving, and the cooler months. The pumpkin shaped swirls on top are quite easy to make and bake up beautifully! I even added some green vines with extra cheesecake batter to really help the pattern pop.

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🍫 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
📝 Key ingredients
👩‍🍳 How to make pumpkin brownies
Pumpkin cheesecake batter step by step
Brownie batter step by step
✔️ Expert brownie cheesecake tips
🥄 Make ahead and storage
❔ Why I use both chocolate and cocoa powder in brownies
📖 Recipe FAQs
🍪 More related recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🍫 Why you'll LOVE this recipe

Pumpkin cheesecake swirls: The top of these brownies are swirled with pumpkin cheesecake, in the shape of pumpkins! It's an easy way to make an eye catching, unique dessert.
Decadent & fudgy: The brownies are rich, decadent, and fudgy, with an intense chocolate ﬂavor. They have both semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder for the best texture and ﬂavor. My favorite kind of brownie!
Pumpkin spice: Pumpkin spice and chocolate is one of my favorite ﬂavor combinations. The warm spices work so well with rich dark chocolate!

pumpkin brownies with pumpkin shaped swirls

📝 Key ingredients

Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.

ingredients for pumpkin cheesecake brownies in bowls

All purpose ﬂour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.

Cocoa powder: Dutch processed cocoa powder gives these brownies an intense chocolate ﬂavor. You can check the ingredients list to see if the cocoa powder is Dutch processed. Dutch processed cocoa powder will have an alkaline ingredient such as sodium carbonate, whereas natural cocoa powder shouldn't have any other ingredient than cocoa powder. I don't recommend using natural cocoa powder as the ﬂavor won't be as intense since there isn't any baking soda to react with it in this recipe.

Semisweet chocolate chips: I use chocolate chips for this recipe, you can also use dark chocolate. I ﬁnd that semisweet chocolate chips work just as great and I usually have them stocked in my pantry. Good quality dark chocolate will give you a softer, even more decadent brownie.

Cream cheese: Brick style, full fat cream cheese will give these brownies the best ﬂavor and dense, creamy, cheesecake texture. You'll need one 8oz brick.

Brown sugar: I ﬁnd that dark brown sugar adds a beautiful richness in ﬂavor and moist texture in the brownie batter and the pumpkin cheesecake swirls. I recommend using dark brown sugar over granulated sugar in this recipe.

Pumpkin pie spice: This is a blend of spices most commonly used in pumpkin pie. You can purchase it premixed, or mix it yourself using spices you probably already have in your pantry. I make it myself using my pumpkin pie spice mix recipe.

Instant espresso powder: Espresso powder or even instant coffee adds a rich depth of ﬂavor in chocolate baked goods. You only add a touch so you can't taste any coffee ﬂavor, but it does deepen the ﬂavor.

👩‍🍳 How to make pumpkin brownies

Pumpkin cheesecake batter step by step

beating cream cheese and brown sugar in a pumpkin shaped bowl with electric mixer

Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese and sugar. Use an electric mixer to mix until creamy and smooth, scraping down the bowl.

scraping down the edges of the bowl of pumpkin cheesecake batter

Step 2: Add pumpkin puree, the egg, cornstarch, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice, and salt into the cheesecake batter. Mix just until smooth, scraping down the bowl to prevent lumps. Set this aside while you make the brownie batter.

Optional: Set aside about 3 tablespoons of cheesecake mixture in a separate bowl. Add green food coloring to color it green, mix, and transfer it into a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off to make a thin hole.

Brownie batter step by step

Prep: Line the bottom and sides of an 8" or 9" square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).

melted chocolate and butter in small saucepan

Step 1: Combine the butter and semisweet chocolate chips in a small saucepan. Heat on low heat, stirring constantly, until it melts smoothly. Set it aside while you mix the rest of the batter - you still want it to be warm.

whisking eggs and sugar with a wire whisk

Step 2: In a separate large bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Whisk with a wire whisk, by hand, for about 30 seconds, until the eggs are foamy on top.

Add salt, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and whisk.

folding melted chocolate into brownie batter with a whisk

Step 3: Pour the warm chocolate and butter mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

pumpkin brownie batter falling off a wire whisk into a bowl

Step 4: Sift the ﬂour and cocoa powder into the chocolate brownie mixture. Use the wire whisk to carefully fold the batter together.

spreading brownie batter into parchment lined baking pan with spatula

Step 5: Transfer half of the brownie batter into the parchment lined baking pan. Level the top.

layer of pumpkin cheesecake batter in brownie pan

Step 6: Transfer most of the pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter and spread it out evenly to the edges. Leave a few tablespoons for making the pumpkins on top.

carefully layering brownie batter onto cheesecake batter in baking pan

Step 7: Use a spatula to transfer the rest of the brownie batter on top of the cheesecake batter. Use the spatula to carefully transfer the batter in a thin layer on top of the cheesecake batter.

spooning orange cheesecake batter over brownie batter

Step 8: Spoon the remaining pumpkin cheesecake batter into round pumpkin shapes on top of the brownie batter. Use a toothpick to spread out the edges into a pumpkin shape.

using a toothpick to swirl brownie and pumpkin cheesecake batter into pumpkin shapes

Step 9: Drag a toothpick through the bottom middle of the pumpkin to the top of the pumpkin - do this twice to create three pumpkin "lobes" on each pumpkin. If it becomes difﬁcult to swirl the brownie batter, then place the pan into the preheated oven for one minute to heat the brownie batter a touch without cooking it.

Pipe green vines and stems on the pumpkins with the green colored pumpkin cheesecake batter.

piping green vines onto pumpkin cheesecake swirl brownies with a piping bag

Step 10: Bake the pumpkin cheesecake brownies in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. The center will be puffed. Remove the baking pan from the oven and let the brownie cool inside the pan completely.

I recommend refrigerating the brownie for a few hours to set the cheesecake before cutting it into 9 squares and enjoying!

✔️ Expert brownie cheesecake tips

Don't overbake the brownies: Overbaking will create a less fudgy brownie and a curdled cheesecake ﬁlling. But also don't under bake it because then the cheesecake won't set! Once the middle is slightly puffed you want to pull them out of the oven.
Swirl the pumpkins while the brownie batter is still warm: Once the brownie batter cools down it becomes very difﬁcult to swirl it because it becomes hard. If it's hard and stiff, you can pop it into the preheated oven for one minute to warm up and become more ﬂuid again.

🥄 Make ahead and storage

These pumpkin cheesecake brownies are great to make ahead because I ﬁnd that they're best served chilled because of the cheesecake ﬁlling. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

❔ Why I use both chocolate and cocoa powder in brownies

I find that adding melted chocolate into brownies gives it a richer, fudgier texture while cocoa powder gives it that intense chocolate flavor while cutting the sweetness. I prefer to use both chocolate and cocoa powder in my brownie recipes because it's really the best of both worlds! It gives these pumpkin cheesecake brownies a rich, fudgy, and strong chocolate flavor.

If you have a microwave, you can microwave the butter and chocolate until it melts, stirring every so often. I do this on my stove in a saucepan but a microwave will also work really well.

three pumpkin cheesecake layered brownies stacked on top of eachother

📖 Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between natural and Dutch processed cocoa powder and how do I tell the difference?

Natural cocoa powder is lighter in color and ﬂavor, and isn't alkaline processed. If you check the ingredients list, natural cocoa powder should only have one ingredient - cocoa powder. On the other hand, Dutch processed cocoa powder has been alkaline processed which brings out the intense chocolate ﬂavor and makes it darker in color.

When is it appropriate to use Dutch processed or natural cocoa powder?

I use natural cocoa powder in recipes like chocolate cake where the acidic cocoa powder will react with alkaline baking soda, creating a ﬂuffy cake texture as it bakes. This process brings out that intense chocolate ﬂavor.
I use Dutch processed cocoa powder in recipes that don't have baking soda and where you don't want a ﬂuffy cake-like texture - like brownies, dusted on top of tiramisu, and usually cookies.

How do I know my brownies are baked?

You'll know that your brownies are baked when the top looks shiny and the middle is puffed up. The toothpick test usually doesn't work too well with brownies because unlike a cake, a brownie texture is dense and fudgy.

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