Berry Cheesecake Swirls Add a Yummy Twist to Classic Halloween Brownies
The Halloween element of this recipe is purely optional and entirely based on the shape of the food... But being able to play around with festive shapes is the whole point of things like Christmas sugar cookies. Why not Halloween brownies? We vote to have a little bit of fun with it either way.
This recipe can be a little messy, but embracing the mess before beginning allows you to enlist little helpers without any misconceptions about the kitchen staying clean.
Preheat the oven to 350, and line the half-sheet pan with a single sheet of parchment paper, leaving enough overlap to lift the cooked brownies out of the pan later on.
In the first mixing bowl, dump the box of brownie mix. We find it helpful to break up any clumps with a spoon before adding in wet ingredients, but if you plan to use an electric mixer, you can skip that step.
Add two eggs, a quarter cup of milk, a third of a cup of vegetable oil, and a third of a cup of unsweetened applesauce and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Be certain you're using unsweetened apple sauce and that it doesn't contain cinnamon - sweetened applesauce is far too much sugar for the already sweet brownie base, and cinnamon complicates the flavor profile.
Once your brownie batter is ready, pour it into the parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread it around - or if you're feeling extra daring, tilt the pan until the brownie batter reaches the edges.
Drop the eight ounces of mixed berry flavored cream cheese into a second mixing bowl. We put the KitchenAid to work on this step. If the cream cheese spread is still very cold and not inclined to mix, wait for it to warm a few degrees. Inch it closer to the preheating oven if you need to, but don't let it melt.
Many grocery stores helpfully sell flavored cream cheese in seven-and-a-half or eight-ounce tubs. Try to avoid the whipped cream cheese spreads. They're much easier to mix into the cheesecake layer, but they don't set up quite right.
Add the vanilla extract and the remaining single egg to the cream cheese in the mixing bowl and stir well until it's all one consistency. This can take some elbow grease, which is part of the reason we used the stand mixer. Also, the mixer has an optional cover to prevent things like flour - or the powdered sugar coming in the next step - from getting all over the kitchen... which was the deciding factor. (We just learned we really hate trying to get powdered sugar off the edges of the window sill.)
Slowly add the cup of powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Try to avoid clumps of sugar, and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you work.
Using a spoon, drop dollops of the cheesecake mixture onto your thin layer of brownie batter. As long as you're getting some to all sides of the pan, don't worry about uniformity - the messier, the better! After the cheesecake mixing bowl has been emptied, use a toothpick or skewer to marble the two batters together.
Set the pan on a middle rack in the oven for ten minutes. After the ten minutes are up, lower the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees and reset the timer for 30 more minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness before removing from the oven; the brownies may need another five minutes or so.
Remove them from the oven when done, and allow them to cool completely. The waiting is terrible, we know, but cutting into them too soon makes them fall apart.
Once you're sure they're cool, use the parchment to lift them from the pan. Use the cookie cutter to cut out your shapes, being careful to press around the edges instead of using your whole hand (the brownies may stick to your palm if given the chance).
We find it easiest to use a spatula to lift the cut brownies from the parchment to a platter, then break the discarded pieces into chunks and roll them up in the parchment to pour into a bag for storage. The broken brownie edges make fantastic ice cream toppings and milkshake mix-ins, so there's no sense in discarding them. ...If there are any left after the cutting process, at least. We find there is usually dramatically less than we thought we'd have. (The helpers are helping themselves while our backs are turned, we assume.)
We liked our little ghosts just as they turned out, but for extra fun, consider frosting them and adding themed sprinkles. You can also get creative with other shapes for any occasion—these brownies are versatile and perfect for any festivity!
Now that your kitchen is filled with the scent of fresh-baked brownies, here’s a little reminder: If you’ve noticed an appliance acting up while you were baking—whether it’s your oven, dishwasher, or anything in between—our team at Appliance Rescue Service is ready to help. From repairs to maintenance, we’ll have your home running smoothly again. Visit our website or give us a call, and we’ll be happy to assist!
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Call: (214) 599-0055
Additional Reading
Household Hauntings: The Frightening Reality of Appliance Neglect
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