Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Well, we made it!  Classes are done until after Thanksgiving, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have gotten to this point.  I love being a college professor, and I absolutely love my job, but I’ll let you in on a little secret – professors are just as excited for Thanksgiving break as the students!

With a whole day off today, and the fact that I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, I figured I’d share a new recipe with you, in case you still need a dessert to celebrate tomorrow. 

These Pumpkin (or in our house, sweet potato) Cheesecake Brownies are the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread.  The base is my all time favorite dark chocolate brownie recipe, and the top is glorious {healthy for you} sweet potatoes and yummy cream cheese with delicious spices. 

I imagine cutting these into tiny bite-sized pieces and serving them as part of a dessert spread; they’ll be gone in a jiffy if you do that!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies – Adapted slightly from Kelly

Brownie Ingredients

• 3/4 C sugar
• 2/3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T butter
• 3/4 C dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

Cheesecake Ingredients

• 4 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 C Sweet Potato Puree (or canned pumpkin puree)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. (heaping) cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 T white whole wheat flour

Directions

Begin by preparing the brownies.  To do so, melt the chocolate chips and butter together over a double broiler or in the microwave.  If you do this in the microwave, stir after every 15-20 seconds. 

Mix together 3/4 C sugar, 2/3 C white whole wheat flour (if you use the WWW, go a little light on the flour), 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Set aside. 

Add the eggs (1 egg + 1 yolk – save the white!) and vanilla to the flour mixture, and add in the melted chocolate chips.  *Note: be sure to add the egg and flour around the same time so you don’t scramble the eggs with the warm chocolate.

Stir well.  *Note: Batter will be thick!

Spread the brownie batter in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish.  Set aside. 

In a metal bowl, whip together the reserved egg white, 4 oz. cream cheese and 1/4 C sugar. 

Stir in 1/2 tsp. (heaping) of cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp. of ginger & nutmeg.

Then, whip in 1 C sweet potato puree (about 1 medium sweet potato), and stir in the flour. 

Spread the cream cheese pumpkin layer over the brownies.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean when the brownies and done; be sure not to let the edges of the pumpkin cream cheese layer get too brown. 

Cool. 

Then, slice and serve. 

Enjoy!