Can I Just Say There Are NO Tricks To This Treat

I remember my mom baking pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and decorating each one with Jack-O-Lantern faces. It was a huge labor of love. Sure they were awesome but sometimes I just don’t have the time or the patience to pull off a special treat like that. These bars however look perfect for a fall festival or Halloween party. And the best part is they are super easy to make and delicious!

The bobbing for apples thing? Yeah, I’ll let the kids do that for fun. No matter how old you are brownies are still a favorite treat.

Halloween Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

 

Ingredients:

For the brownie layer

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Layer

  • 1 brick (8oz) cream cheese, at room temp
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • orange food coloring

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. For the brownie layer
  3. In a medium bowl, add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
  4. In a small bowl, add the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix with a fork until well combined.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined.
  6. Reserve ¼ cup of the batter for the swirls then pour the remaining batter into the prepared baking dish.

 

For the cream cheese layer

  1. In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, egg, & vanilla. Blend until smooth.
  2. Add in the orange food coloring and stir to combine.
  3. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter.
  4. Drop tablespoons of the remaining brownie batter on top and gently swirl with a knife or skewer.

 

Quick Tip: Because this is super good and going to be gone so quickly you might want to go ahead and make a double batch.

 

Recipe and image courtesy of Melissa of Persnickety Plates
Recipe adapted from Baked Perfection

 

 

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