Pretzel Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

First, prepare the pretzel crust. Preheat oven to 350ºF and liberally grease the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish with softened butter or shortening. Put the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor and run it until they become a fine crumb. Combine the pretzel crumbs with the butter, dark brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Stir them together thoroughly until it resembles wet sand. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press it down firmly into an even bottom crust. Bake it for 15 minutes to set, then take it out and let it cool.

While the crust bakes and cools, prepare the brownie batter first. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl to aerate them. Set it aside. Get a small pot filled halfway with water on the stove and heat it to a gentle boil. Set a heat proof bowl over the pot and combine the butter and chocolate in it to melt them. Stir them together with a heat proof rubber spatula until it is a smooth and shiny ganache. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the sugar in to dissolve it. Then whisk in the vanilla and eggs. Lastly, fold in the dry ingredients just until they disappear. Set the brownie batter aside.

Next, prepare the pumpkin cheesecake batter. Combine the cream cheese and pumpkin puree a bowl and beat them together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice next and let them get mixed in. Then add the bourbon, vanilla, and each egg one at a time. Once they are thoroughly mixed in, add the flour last just until it disappears. Set the cheesecake batter aside.

Take the baking dish with the cooled crust and liberally grease the sides. Spread the brownie batter on top of the crust, leaving about 3 tablespoons behind for swirling on top. Smooth it out with an offset spatula. Pour the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter and make sure it is even. Spoon the remaining brownie batter in with the cheesecake batter and use a butter knife to gently swirl it together.

Bake the cheesecake brownies for 40–45 minutes, until set and completely baked through. The cheesecake should be fairly brown around the edges. Let it cool, then cover it and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Then cut the brownies into 16 equal squares by quartering the pan, then cutting each quarter into quarters. Serve immediately and enjoy!