Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
By Afton CyrusPublished on January 2, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes 16 brownies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spiceBrownie Batter
⅔ cup (3⅔ ounces/104 grams) whole-wheat flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) sugar 6 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil 2 large organic eggs 2 tablespoons organic 1 percent low-fat milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extractBefore You Begin
To accurately test the doneness of the brownies, be sure to stick the toothpick into the brownie portion, not the pumpkin layer.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
- Microwave cream cheese in bowl until soft, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk in pumpkin puree, sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl and set aside. Microwave chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla into melted chocolate until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture to combine. Measure out ⅓ cup batter and set aside. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Gently spread pumpkin filling evenly over batter.
- Microwave reserved ⅓ cup batter until warm and fluid, 15 to 30 seconds. Using spoon, dollop softened batter over pumpkin filling, 6 to 8 dollops. Using knife, swirl batter through pumpkin filling, making marbled pattern, 10 to 12 strokes, leaving ½-inch border around edges.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour.
- Using foil overhang, lift brownies out of pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.
for the pumpkin filling
for the brownie batter
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes 16 browniesIngredients
Pumpkin Filling
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Brownie Batter
⅔ cup (3⅔ ounces/104 grams) whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) sugar
6 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
2 large organic eggs
2 tablespoons organic 1 percent low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Brownie Batter
⅔ cup (3⅔ ounces/104 grams) whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) sugar
6 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
2 large organic eggs
2 tablespoons organic 1 percent low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Brownie Batter
⅔ cup (3⅔ ounces/104 grams) whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) sugar
6 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
2 large organic eggs
2 tablespoons organic 1 percent low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
As vegetables are often mixed into baked goods to provide moisture, we first tried stirring creamy, nutrient-dense pumpkin puree into our batter, but this resulted in brownies that were too light and spongy. We then considered that pumpkin and cream cheese are a delicious pairing in pumpkin cheesecake and wondered: Why not stir the pumpkin into some cream cheese and create pumpkin-cream cheese brownies, which would showcase the vitamin A-rich vegetable in an attractively swirled topping? The test worked. The cream cheese and warm spices mellowed the pumpkin's vegetal flavor and gave it a smooth, creamy texture. We also traded white flour for whole-wheat, and found that the brownies were just as dense and fudgy—and remained so when we scaled back on oil and added some low-fat milk. The result? Perfectly fudgy brownies with pumpkin cheesecake flavor in every bite.
Before You Begin
To accurately test the doneness of the brownies, be sure to stick the toothpick into the brownie portion, not the pumpkin layer.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
- Microwave cream cheese in bowl until soft, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk in pumpkin puree, sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl and set aside. Microwave chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla into melted chocolate until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture to combine. Measure out ⅓ cup batter and set aside. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Gently spread pumpkin filling evenly over batter.
- Microwave reserved ⅓ cup batter until warm and fluid, 15 to 30 seconds. Using spoon, dollop softened batter over pumpkin filling, 6 to 8 dollops. Using knife, swirl batter through pumpkin filling, making marbled pattern, 10 to 12 strokes, leaving ½-inch border around edges.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour.
- Using foil overhang, lift brownies out of pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.
for the pumpkin filling
for the brownie batter
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