Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I recently made a pumpkin cheesecake and it was so good that I decided I wasn't ready to give up the pumpkin cheesecake craving even after it was gone. So I decided to make pumpkin cheesecake brownies on my day off.  After all, cheesecake, brownies and pumpkin pie are all amazing...so why not combine them for a fall treat?!  It has been a little chilly here, which comes as a shock even though it will be snow and cold here in a few months...but that makes it the perfect time of the year for baking experiments!

I am always on a quest for the perfect brownies.  They are all good of course, but they have to be fudgy in order for me to really be in love with them.  I am not a cakey brownie person, they should be just the right amount of fudgy as well.  Not super heavy, just the right amount.  My Mom used to make pretty good brownies when I was a kid, but they were boxed...so that disqualifies them.  It is a little harder when you are going for gluten free and vegan brownies. These turned out perfect though!  I used aquafaba in place of the eggs, and olive oil in place of the butter in regular brownies and the texture was just what I was looking for.

For the cheesecake part, I ended up using cashews because that was what I had on hand at the time, and it did the trick!  They tasted like non-vegan cheesecake brownies with the pumpkin pie spices and pumpkin added of course!  These are crave worthy.  Trust me, you need to make some on a chilly fall day just so you can experience the joy that they bring to your kitchen and your taste buds!

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Makes 16

Cheesecake swirl:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup cashew butter

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Brownies:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp pumpkin puree

1 1/3 cups coconut sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp reduced aquafaba or 2 flax eggs*

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

To make the swirl, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

To make the brownies, pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees. Whisk together the sugar, olive oil and pumpkin until well combined and the sugar is starting to break down.  Add the aquafaba and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add the flour, cacao powder and sea salt and beat until smooth.  Scrape the batter into a greased 8x8 inch pan, then drop the swirl over it, and swirl it with a knife.  Place in the oven, and Bake for about 30 minutes or until set (but do not over bake).  Let cool before cutting into bars.

*The aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas.  You want it to be thick like egg whites.  If you are wanting to make flax eggs, simply mix together 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds, and 6 Tbsp filtered water and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.