Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Do I realize that this is the third pumpkin spice recipe I have posted, in a row, in the last two weeks? Yes. Do I regret this decision? Absolutely not.

I was working on homework one day last week, thinking in the back of my mind what kind of coffee I wanted to get the next morning before heading to class (tall skinny mocha with 2 shots of pumpkin spice), when I suddenly had an idea. I could use my favorite brownie recipe and change up my cheesecake swirl recipe to be a pumpkin spice cheesecake swirl. I was so proud of my completely original idea that I wrote it down on the "Notes" section of my dry erase calendar. (Side note: the next day, I saw a very similar recipe on Pinterest and was so disappointed that my completely original idea was not so original.)

Despite the disheartening realization that my idea wasn't unheard of, I decided to give it a go with my own recipe anyway. And let me tell you... these are fabulous. It could be that I simply haven't had chocolate in a while so any chocolate I can get my hands on is like ambrosia. I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that I will be saving this recipe to use and reuse again in the future.

Ingredients:
Brownies
1 stick of butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup unsweet cocoa powder
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening/oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup self-rising flour
Swirl
12 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
about 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice (I did not measure this, I just dashed a bit in until it tasted yummy)
about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (same with this, no real measuring, just taste-testing)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with wax paper or parchment paper. This will make it so much easier to take out of the pan. There is nothing more disappointing to me than half of my brownie sticking to the bottom of a pan.

Next, melt the butter, shortening/oil, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat, stirring continuously. Remove the pan from heat once everything has melted, and whisk in the sugar, then the remaining ingredients, until smooth. Spread the brownie batter into the pan.

Then, using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg, pumpkin, and spices in a bowl until completely smooth. Taste-test your mixture to make sure you like the amount of spices you have added. Some people don't like the pumpkin spice seasoning at all, some can't get enough of it. I'm one of the latter. I kept adding and adding and adding because I wanted that spicy fall flavor to really stick out with the richness of the brownie.

Once you've got your cheesecake swirl prepared, pour it on top of the brownie mixture. Then, using a butter knife or an icing spatula, swirl it around with the brownie batter so that the top of the mixture has a marbled look.

Bake for about 35 minutes or more, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center, then let them cool, cut them up, and enjoy!