Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
Chocolate Layer:
- 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix (boxed)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
Pumpkin Layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (1 brick)
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (1 can)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Crumble Topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, very soft
Assembly:
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the chocolate layer by mixing chocolate cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter until well combined. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
4. Add cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and powdered sugar to the pumpkin mixture. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the pumpkin cheesecake mixture over the chocolate layer in the pan, spreading it evenly.
6. For the crumble topping, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and very soft butter until crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over the pumpkin layer.
7. Scatter the semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks on top of the crumble.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the topping is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean.
9. Allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars.
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 60 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Kcal: 380 kcal | Servings: 16 servings
Tips:
Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother pumpkin layer and better mixing.
Chill the bars thoroughly to make slicing cleaner and neater.