Halloween Brownies Recipe with Cream Cheese Swirl

These Halloween Brownies with Cream Cheese Swirl are the perfect festive treat! Rich, fudgy brownies with a festive orange swirl of cheesecake creates a delicious, spooky, marbled effect. They're easy to make and perfect for Halloween parties or fun for the whole family to help with baking!

Halloween Brownies

We are a brownie-loving family and we're a little crazy about cream cheese and cheesecake, so these Halloween Cream Cheese Brownies are a perfect combo for us.

And if you think these look difficult to make, you'd be wrong! Halloween brownie recipes don't have to be complicated!

Because these Halloween Cheesecake Brownies start with a box mix (although you could totally use this recipe for homemade brownies), they're really easy to make and they're the perfect Halloween treat!

Why You'll Love These Spooky Halloween Brownies

• Delicious. Whether you're making them from a box or from scratch, these Halloween Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies are oh-so-good!!
• Colorful! They're festive and fun with the orange cream cheese swirl on top of the brownies.
• Easy. Made with a boxed brownie mix, these Spooky Brownies come together quickly and even kids can help make them.
• Budget-friendly. If you want to make some fun Halloween brownies for a classroom Halloween party or Fall bake sales - these brownies are inexpensive to make yet impressive and fun!
• Versatile. Don't need Halloween-themed brownies? These could also be Fall Brownies with the brown and orange. You could even sprinkle Reese's Pieces on top for some more fall color!

Tools Needed

No special equipment is needed for these Halloween Chocolate Brownies.

• 9x13 Baking Dish
• Large Mixing Bowl and Electric Mixer OR
• Stand Mixer (will have to wash between uses or have some extra mixing bowls)
• Rubber Spatula

Ingredients

These simple ingredients can all be found at your local grocery store. 

• A Box of Fudge Brownie Mix + Ingredients on the back (Water, Vegetable Oil, Eggs) - be sure to get a box/brand that makes enough for a 9x13 pan, not a square pan!
• Cream Cheese
• Sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• Orange Gel Food Coloring

Find the full recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.

Substitutions

As I mentioned above, if you don't want to use a boxed mix, you can make completely homemade Halloween brownies using this brownie recipe. It's our favorite brownie recipe when we're making them from scratch and you'll have delicious, chewy brownies with the added deliciousness of the cream cheese swirl and the pop of color.

Don't worry; if you choose to make the homemade recipe for rich brownies, the ingredients are all pantry staples. They include cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, eggs, oil, etc. And they really are the best brownies!

How to Make Halloween Brownies

These brownies, Halloween-themed with spooky swirls, are the perfect treat for any festive gathering!

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray (or you could use cake goop) and set aside. You could also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper if you like to do that!
2. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, oil, and water.
3. Use a hand mixer to mix to combine, according to the box directions.
4. Pour into the prepared pan. Set aside.
5. In another large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar, until light and fluffy.
6. Add egg, and vanilla, and mix to incorporate.
7. Add 9-10 drops of orange gel food coloring, and mix until color is evenly distributed.
8. If desired, add more food coloring, until darker orange color is reached.
9. Drop the orange cheesecake mixture by spoonfuls over the brownie mix.
10. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the brownie batter and cheesecake mixture together.
11. Bake brownies for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Allow the brownies to cool (in the pan or on a wire rack), and enjoy!

Variations

​Kids love decorating Halloween Brownies so if you have kids - let them help with some of these variations.

This Halloween Brownies recipe is so easy to level up! Here are some more easy Halloween Brownies ideas:

• Add Eyes! Want a really spooky treat? A great way to do that is sprinkle some candy eyes on top just before baking to make some Spooky Eyed Halloween Brownies. These are usually easy to find during Halloween season.
• Double the Chocolate. Stir in ½ to 1 cup of dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips for the ultimate Halloween Brownies. You could also break up your favorite candy bars on top to add some texture and richness.
• You can never go wrong with sprinkles! Halloween sprinkles can be found in most any store during spooky season and would add so much fun and color to the top of the brownies!
• Drizzle. Drizzle some melted chocolate or candy melts over the top for even more Halloween spirit. Use white to look like spider webs or black or purple for some dramatic flair. 

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm or at room temperature for a delicious Halloween dessert. Of course, brownies should always be served with coffee or a tall glass of milk.

Storage Directions

• Refrigerate: Place the brownies in an airtight container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days due to the cream cheese layer.
• Freezing: For longer storage, wrap individual brownie squares in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.