These chocolate brownies are enhanced by a creamy pumpkin cream cheese swirl. The flavors combine here perfectly - these brownies are rich and dense and sweet and delicious - so be warned.
Ingredients
- for the pumpkin cream cheese:
- cream cheese - 3 ½ ounces (100 grams), softened
- butter - 1 tbsp, softened
- sugar - ½ cup
- egg - 1, large
- pumpkin - 1½ cup canned, or fresh, pureed smooth
- vanilla - 1 tsp
- maple syrup - 3 tbsp
- cinnamon - 1 tsp, ground
- ginger - ½ tsp, ground
- all-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
- for the brownies:
- cocoa powder - ⅓ cup, good quality
- instant espresso powder - ½ tsp
- boiling water - ½ cup plus 2 tbsp
- chocolate - 2 ounces (60 grams) unsweetened, finely chopped
- butter - 4 tbsp (115 grams), melted
- vegetable oil - ½ cup
- eggs - 2 large
- egg yolks - 2 large
- vanilla extract - 2 tsp
- sugar - 1½ cups
- all-purpose flour - 1¾ cups
- salt - 1 tsp
- bittersweet chocolate - 6 ounces (170 grams), cut into ½-inch pieces
how to
- Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
- Grease a large baking pan, line the bottom with aluminum foil - leaving about a 1 inch overhang on all sides, then grease the foil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed for about 30 seconds, until well combined, then add the sugar and beat well.
- Beat in the egg, the pumpkin puree, vanilla, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and combine, then stir in the flour and set aside.
- Whisk together the cocoa, espresso powder and boiling water until smooth.
- Add the unsweetened chocolate pieces, and whisk until melted, then whisk in the butter and the oil.
- Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla and whisk until mixture blends and comes together, then mix in the sugar.
- Stir in the flour and the salt, and fold in the chocolate pieces.
- Spread the chocolate mixture on top of the aluminum foil in the pan and spoon the cream cheese mixture in several mounds on top of the chocolate batter.
- Using a kitchen knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate batter.
- Bake for almost an hour, or until center is very set, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the brownies in their pan on a wire rack then use foil to lift uncut brownies out of pan, and slice.
