Description
These fudgy dark chocolate pumpkin brownies with a tangy cream cheese swirl are quick to make, use simple ingredients, and are perfect for fall weeknights. They’re a crowd-pleaser that balances rich chocolate with earthy pumpkin and a creamy cheesecake-like swirl.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup (85g) dark chocolate chips (60% cacao)
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar (for cream cheese swirl)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for cream cheese swirl)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
- Make the cream cheese swirl: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until combined and silky. Set aside at room temperature.
- Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts. Let cool for 1 minute.
- Whisk in both sugars until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.
- Add eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously after each. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Gently fold in pumpkin puree with a spatula until evenly incorporated.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice over the wet batter. Fold until just combined (a few streaks of flour are okay).
- Fold in dark chocolate chips.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over the batter (6 to 8 dollops).
- Swirl cream cheese into batter using a butter knife or skewer in a figure-eight pattern. Do not overswirl.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The edges should be set and slightly pulling away from the pan.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then lift out using parchment overhang and cool completely on the rack (about 1 hour) before slicing into 16 squares.
Notes
For clean slices, cool completely and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting. Use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts. Brownies taste even better the next day. For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. For dairy-free, use vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 20
- Sodium: 140
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
Keywords: dark chocolate pumpkin brownies, cream cheese swirl brownies, pumpkin brownies, fall brownies, fudgy brownies, easy brownie recipe