Description
Gooey dark chocolate Halloween Cheesecake Brownies with a creamy orange cheesecake swirl. These rich, fudgy brownies are made with dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and a simple cheesecake layer, then baked until set and chilled before slicing. They are perfect for Halloween parties and autumn celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the cheesecake swirl: 350g full-fat cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 65g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Orange food colouring, enough to achieve a bright shade
- For the brownies: 350g dark chocolate
- 250g unsalted butter or baking spread
- 250g dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 120g plain flour
- Black food colouring, enough to achieve a dark shade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 12 x 9-inch traybake tin with greaseproof baking paper.
- Make the cheesecake swirl by mixing the full-fat cream cheese, caster sugar, egg, and vanilla extract with a hand whisk or electric hand whisk until smooth.
- Add enough orange food colouring to the cheesecake mixture to create a bright orange shade, then set it aside.
- Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a pan over low heat. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk the dark brown sugar and eggs until frothy. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Slowly pour the cooled melted chocolate and butter mixture into the egg mixture while constantly whisking.
- Add the plain flour and gently whisk it into the brownie mixture.
- Add enough black food colouring to achieve a dark shade and gently stir it through the brownie batter.
- Pour about two-thirds of the brownie mixture into the prepared traybake tin and spread it out. Add the cheesecake mixture on top in blobs.
- Spoon the remaining brownie mixture over the cheesecake layer in blobs.
- Use a butter knife to slowly swirl the brownie and cheesecake mixtures together to create a marbled pattern.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Refrigerate the brownies before removing them from the tin and cutting them into squares.
Notes
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before baking.
- The butter can be cold because it is melted, although cold butter may take slightly longer to melt.
- Unsalted butter was used for the original recipe.
- For the best colour, use a good-quality food colouring such as Sugarflair or Pro Gel.
- Dark brown sugar can be replaced with light brown sugar or caster sugar.
- Digital kitchen scales are recommended for accurate ingredient measurements.
- Use a regular butter knife and glide it slowly through the batter to create the swirls without overmixing.
- For an 8-inch or 9-inch square tin, reduce the recipe by one-third and begin checking for doneness after 20 to 25 minutes.
- For a gluten-free version, replace the plain flour with a gluten-free plain flour blend.
- For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free baking spread, dairy-free cream cheese, and dairy-free dark chocolate.
- The cheesecake swirl can be coloured green or purple instead of orange for a different Halloween look.
- Store the brownies in an airtight container or covered on a plate in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Once fully cool, the brownies can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie
- Calories: 582 kcal
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 275mg
- Fat: 41g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 132mg