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There are a few things in life that I procrastinate on. One thing I tend to procrastinate on is spending money on something that I really don’t want to spend money on and feel that the money could be spent on something else aka things I actually want. What I’m talking about is, I have been procrastinating buying a new pair of work shoes for a really long time. I think I needed a new pair over a year ago but I seriously cannot justify spending $50 on a pair of work shoes. Call me cheap or selfish, but I’d rather put $50 into a pair of shoes I can wear on any other day but work days. I have a different outlook on work attire than others. People I know love dressing up for work. They say it’s the only time they can dress up and show off cute new outfits. Um, hello. Not true. You can make time & go on cute dates with your husband and dress up. Anyway.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I hate dressing up for work. Maybe that’s my nerdy IT developer mindset because I know some people see clients on a day to day basis so that’s why they probably need to dress up, but me? I come to work, sit in front of a computer all day, attend maybe one or two meetings a week, and that’s it. I just don’t have this urge to dress up so that’s why I hate buying stuff for work. When I deem something that’s “for work,” I do not wear any of it outside of work because it just gives me a weird vibe. I don’t want to feel like I’m at work outside of work, you know? Or you don’t? I’m just weird, huh?
SOOO YEAH. Long story short (or not really): I need a new pair of work shoes and I refuse to spend over $50 for them and I have been procrastinating like a kid who doesn’t want to clean up their playroom. It’s gotten to the point where the shoes I’m wearing are destroyed (like the heel is dunzo) so I’m forced to look for a new pair of work shoes.
Any ideas where I can go to look for cute work flats? DSW? Target? I haven’t had much luck with both those in a while…thoughts??
I love pumpkin, I love cheesecake, and I love brownies. The trifecta that are in these pumpkin cheesecake swirl brownies is pretty dang awesome. The brownies are SUPER moist on the inside (as you can see from that picture above) and the pumpkin cheesecake on top is just fantastic. I loved smelling this while it was baking in the oven. I think this would be the perfect dessert to bring to a friendsgiving party or to have on your Thanksgiving menu. :)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- ⅓ cup (29 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso, optional
- ½ cup (118 ml) plus 2 tbsp. boiling water
- 2 ounces (57 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (118 ml) plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
For the pumpkin cheesecake topping:
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (82 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle position and preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Line a 9×9" baking pan with parchment paper and leave a one-inch over-hang on either side. Spray with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- Whisk cocoa, espresso, and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk in butter and vegetable oil. The mixture might look a little funky, but it’s ok. Add eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and continue to whisk until mixture is smooth and everything is combined.
- Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated then whisk in flour and salt. Fold in the bittersweet chocolate pieces.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and set aside while you make the pumpkin cheesecake topping.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat until mixture is smooth and incorporated.
- Taking a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of pumpkin cream cheese batter onto the top of the brownie batter in no particular pattern. Take a toothpick or knife and drag it throughout the batter, swirling the pumpkin and brownie batters together.
- Bake the brownies for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly. You don’t want to over-bake these otherwise they’ll be cakey!
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for 20 minutes then lift the brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper, and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prior to cutting, place brownies into refrigerator for 30 minutes then use a sharp knife to cut them into squares. Clean off the knife every now and then if it gets too gummy.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Hi! This recipe looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it, except I will be using coconut oil instead.
Oh! Have you thought about checking out your local thrift shops or online shopping on Poshmark (for new or gently worn shoes)? I bet you’ll like it, considering your stance on spending and shopping for work attire. Best wishes!
P.S. You have the best taste in recipes!!!
Thank you!
I also HATE spending money on clothes, shoes you name it. BUT I’m in a wedding this winter which has forced me to look for cute, dressy, closed toed flats-and I won’t spend more than $20. I found a pair for $25 that I almost bought at Charming Charlie, but they had some of the same type marked down to $15-gonna wait to see if the color I want gets marked down, but I highly recommend!
I actually want to dress up for work and look professional! LOL. But, that`s only because I just started working. I might not feel this way in a month…. :P
These are a trifecta, indeed! Sounds and look amazing!!
Oh, Julie…I am SO with you on the work wardrobe budget thing! I like to wear nice clothes, but for work I don’t want to spend too much and would rather invest in nicer attire, like for dates with hubby as you mentioned. (These days I work from home, so no problem.) I always buy good shoes from Nordstrom as they started in shoes and carry the very best brands. So, for the discounts, visit your local Nordstrom Rack. These brownies ROCK! Love that you used the Cook’s Illustrated’s brownie recipe and your own pumpkin cheese cake swirl. Thanks for sharing! Pinning!
Can you also use box brownie mix or do you need to do homemade for it to turn out?
You sure can use brownie mix, Hilary! The homemade brownie is just chewier and more moist so that’s why I made it that way. If you’re going to do this with boxed brownie mix, I’d read the instructions on the box on how long to bake it to ensure it’s cooked all the way through!
These brownies look freaking awesome. I love pumpkin and chocolate together. The color always pops!
Get a pair of Danskos! This may be a New England Crunchy Granola mom look though, not sure if they are “in.” But I live in mine. You can dress them up for work and they are also a life saver while working in the kitchen. I have back issues so I swear by them. They are more than you want to spend ($120ish) BUT they will last years. Mine are going on 5 years old and still look fine.
Do you ever shop @ ruelala.com? I always get cute shoes from there. It’s a sample sale situation; rotating deals daily.
P.S. I want to eat these. NOW.
I hate buying clothes for work – and I would rather be cute on dates with my husband, too! I work in construction, I mean this is no place to be all fance. And I will need new work clothes regardless – because dude, these have my heart in pieces!! YUM
Great-looking brownies, Julie!