Cream Cheese Pumpkin Brownies

This time of year I start craving pumpkin. There is just something about the autumn season that causes me to stop and smell the pumpkin spice. What a wonderful spice pumpkin adds to life. I love this time of year. 

I do not recall enjoying pumpkin treats as a child. Sure there was pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but the texture of the pie was always a deterrent as a child. It was just too mushy. Pumpkin pie was never a favorite; if I had a choice, I would choose something else, like chocolate. 

But tastebuds change with time. 

I did not enjoy pumpkin flavoring as a child, but now -- it is one of my favorites! 

I remember the moment the change in my tastebuds occurred. 

It was more than 10 years ago. A friend knocked on my door, she stood with arms outstretched, with an offering of freshly baked chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I remember thinking it seemed an odd combination -- pumpkin and chocolate? 

Say what?  

Why taint chocolate in such a cruel way? For shame. 

I was a brave soul, and I did not want to waste my friend's kind efforts, so I gave it a try. Pumpkin bread and chocolate chips... Wow! I can still recall how amazing the bread tasted. In that moment, I became converted to the glories of cooking with pumpkin. (I never had to be converted to chocolate, it has alway run deeply through my veins, entwined in the fabric of my DNA.) 

The combination of pumpkin and chocolate became a new favorite of mine. Since that time, I have been seeking out new ways to use the 2 perfect companion ingredients. Just yesterday, I found a new way... 

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Brownies. 

Yeah, I know. 

Triple wow. 

So, I am sure there are a variety of ways to pull off this recipe. I chose to use a brownie mix, just for ease and convenience, as well as a can of pre-made frosting. If I were to really do it right, I should have made homemade brownies, and homemade cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin portion was from scratch, so I was not completely lazy. 

First I started by making the batter for pumpkin brownies. This is a recipe that can stand on its own, if you just want pumpkin without the chocolate. It is pretty quick and simple to make.

Pumpkin Brownie Recipe

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, I stirred the pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended. I then combined the dry ingredients, and stirred together with the pumpkin mixture.

I set the oven to 350. The brownies took about 30 minutes to cook. I used an 11x15 pan, but I think I could have used a full cookie sheet and had a good result.

Once the pumpkin brownie mixture was ready, I then whipped out another bowl, and quickly followed the directions on the chocolate brownie mix box.

Super easy, super fast.

I then poured the two mixtures into a pan lined with foil and cooking spray. I used a knife to swirl the two batters together. It was very therapeutic, like running a rake through a Zen rock garden.

 I could have used a larger pan, the brownies were a bit more like cake than brownies.

I let the cake brownies cool, and then I removed it by lifting the foil onto the counter. I then grabbed my can of cream cheese frosting and covered the top, which was also therapeutic.

I cut the brownies, and smiled as I saw the inside of my beautiful creation. Besides being a little thick, it was just what I was hoping for. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar on top, just because.

There are a few things I will do differently next time, but the attempt at Pumpkin Brownies was a lovely success. The children gobbled them up, and it was agreed that they were absolutely delicious!