Halloween Swirl Cream Cheese Brownies have a layer of rich, dark chocolate brownie topped with a layer of orange cheesecake then swirled together for a spooky treat. These are sure to be a perfect dessert treat for everyone at your Halloween party!
Halloween Brownies
It’s the second week of October so it’s appropriate that I’m sharing a Halloween recipe, right? When I pull up my Pinterest feed or step into any store, I’m already seeing all things Christmas. I feel behind and it’s not even November!
Halloween Swirl Cream Cheese Brownies
Confession Time:
To be honest, I did make these cream cheese brownies a couple months ago, but other things came up so I’m just now getting around to posting them. The problem with that is, I don’t know where I wrote down my notes for the recipe.
If I’m too prepared, I mess myself up.
Anyway, I found the recipe so you’re in luck and will have a chance to enjoy these Halloween themed cream cheese brownies for the spooky day!
Halloween Brownies Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Sugar – Granulated sugar.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Cocoa Powder – I use Hershey’s Special Dark because you want it to be really dark/black.
- Salt – Helps enhance flavor.
- Baking Powder – For rise.
- Eggs – Large eggs.
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract – A good quality vanilla extract, even though it’s pricey!
- Cream Cheese – A brick (8oz) at room temperature.
- Orange Food Coloring – This kit lets you easily make custom colors.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper to make it easy to remove after baking
- Use a skewer instead of a spatula for more intricate swirls in your cream cheese brownies
- Use this same recipe for multiple holidays, simply change out the food coloring to match the holiday (like these Christmas Brownies)!
I like that the swirls in these cream cheese brownies have a creepy, spidery effect. You could leave out the food coloring and just make these “regular” and they’d still be really pretty.
Helpful Tools when making Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
- Food Coloring Kit – this is the food coloring I use. I didn’t tell you exactly how much orange to use because it will depend on which kit you’re using. If you’re using the Wilton Color Right Performance Food Coloring Set I link here, it comes with a color formula chart that shows you exactly how many drops you need of each color to make bright colors, pastels, etc. It’s a really good kit. I have fun with it.
- 8 x 8 baking dish – love that this has a lid for easy storing.
- Brownie spatula – because you have to get them out of the pan!
FAQs
How to store them
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, they should freeze well. I’d wrap them individually, then put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Can I double the recipe?
If you’d like more than the 8×8 pan, you can double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan.
Can I use a brownie mix?
Yes. If you’re in a pinch & want to use a mix instead of making the brownies from scratch, you can, just make sure you pick up a smaller pouch/box of brownie mix instead of the “family size” since this recipe is for an 8×8 pan.
Need more Halloween baking ideas? Try these:
- THIRTY Halloween Desserts – I compiled a great bunch of recipes in this list!
- Halloween Chocolate Tunnel Cake – the colors on this one are so fun!
- Brownie Bottom Halloween Cupcakes – brownie + cake = a whole lotta delicious.
- Black Cat Pudding Cups – these require no cooking and would be fun to send in as a class treat
- Jack-O-Lantern Brownie Bite – the kids will like to help decorate these.
- Best Halloween Party Food Ideas – not just baked goods, all kinds of ideas for your Halloween party.
This Halloween, have fun making our favorite Cream Cheese Brownies for a fun and spooky treat that everyone loves. This grown up dessert is a perfect treat everyone will love on the Halloween party buffet table this year!
Halloween Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Video
Ingredients
For the Brownie Layer:
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup all purpose white flour
- ½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temp
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange food coloring
Instructions
- 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.
For the Brownie Layer
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.1 cup granulated white sugar, ½ cup all purpose white flour, ½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- In a small bowl, add the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix with a fork until well combined.2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the batter for the swirls then pour the remaining batter into the prepared baking dish.
For the Cream Cheese Layer
- In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, egg, & vanilla. Blend until smooth.8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated white sugar, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the orange food coloring and stir to combine.orange food coloring
- Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter.
- Drop tablespoons of the remaining brownie batter on top and gently swirl with a knife or skewer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Remove and let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To double the recipe, use a 9×13 pan.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
These look so lovely, am going to make them for the party this week. What adjustments will be needed if I were to put them in cupcake molds instead?
Hi Dave – I haven’t tested these in cupcake molds, but these might interest you 🙂 https://www.persnicketyplates.com/brownie-bottom-halloween-cupcakes/
Thank you! I really like yours, so will try them out as cup cakes!
Do these need to be refrigerated?
Yes, you should store them in the fridge when you’re not serving.
Can you use any oil besides vegtible oil?
Canola or coconut should work.
These dark chocolate brownies are delicious! And the cheesecake is really creamy. The brownie can be a little bit tricky to swirl but if you spoon little bits on top and then swirl it works perfectly.
Thank you, Sam!
do these freeze well?
I have actually never tried, but they should. Wrap tightly in foil, place in a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Move them to the fridge when you’re ready to thaw them.
My tastebuds said YES!
Not only do they look good for my hallowen party everyone loved them!
We ran out @ one point!😂
(Im not
Yay, thank you!!
Sorry last time I think I forgot to give it a 5 star rateing!
Hi!
I’m going to try to make these later this week and I was wondering if the baking temperature/time would change because I’m using a metal baking pan instead of glass?
Thanks much!!
Janis
Hi 🙂 (thanks for saying hi!) Metal will likely need about 10 minutes longer than glass, but check on it.
Quick question… is there really more sugar than flour? 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour? Just double checking!
Yep
Hi,
Can I double the recipe for a 9X13 pan?
Thanks!
Yes, it should work fine but you might need to give them 5-10 mins longer in the oven.
So yummy! Better after being chilled over night but good enough right away that we couldn’t resist each eating one…or two! lol Seriously better the next day though! A great festive, make ahead holiday recipe!
Thank you for reporting back! I agree, they’re best chilled 🙂
hi, I have to make some brownies for my jobs Halloween party and these would be perfect- but I’m debating on buying box brownies. Would this work the same or do you recommend making from scratch?
Hi – I like scratch but box will work just fine. The recipe as written makes an 8×8 pan. Most box mix brownies make 9 x 13 so if you go that route, I would double the cream cheese mixture. Let me know how they turn out!
How long after taking it out of the oven should you refrigerate?
You want to let it cool for about an hour before moving to the fridge. If you put it in too soon, it can shrink & crack.
These were delicious and so pretty! I loved how dark the brownie portion was and I managed to mix yellow and red food coloring to make the cheesecake orange! I doubled the recipe in a 13 x 9 inch pan. The brownies and cheesecake portions tasted really yummy!
Hello Melissa. Made these yesterday and they were delicious. My daughter-in-law has celiac disease so I used gluten free flour. They were a big hit. Thank you.
Thank you for reporting back – I’ve never tested with gluten free flour so that is helpful for others!
These were so delicious and easy to make! I have made them twice. I made them for Halloween but definitely intend to make again with different food coloring for another holiday. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you! I’m so glad you like them. I have a Christmas version, too =)
My 5-year-old son loves to help me make these. He requests them all the time! We love making the cheesecake part different colors for different occasions. We’ve used this recipe countless times now. It is my go-to brownie recipe! Thank you for such a fun and delicious recipe! The cheesecake part is so moist and creamy, which is decadent with the dark chocolate brownie.
I’m so happy to hear that – thank you for reporting back! I have a Christmas version on the site, too =)
I am asked to bring the dessert to all events since the first time I made these. I just change the color now to match the event. They go so fast!
I love that so much. Thanks for letting me know!
Can I use a box of brownie mix instead?
Sure, but “family size” will be too big as this makes a small pan, so make sure you take that into account.