Four Stuffed Autumn Desserts
Author: Zoe Lockhart
Photographers: Zoe Lockhart & Rhedintza Audryna
Pumpkin Cheesecake-Stuffed Brownies 
On a cool fall day, don’t you wish you could cuddle up in bed with a warm, fudgy brownie? Well, this is one better. Not only are these extremely fudgy brownies, but they have a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. The richness of the brownie is complemented by the tart and spiced pumpkin filling, making for a yummy dessert.
Ingredients:
For the brownie:
1 stick of unsalted butter
½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
½ cup of granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
2 tsp of vanilla
For the pumpkin cheesecake filling:
half of a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 8 oz packet of cream cheese (room temperature)
3 tbsp of granulated sugar
½ tsp of cinnamon
¼ tsp of nutmeg
½ tsp of ginger
Instructions:
First, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
Melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave until they are melted, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, salt, sugars, and vanilla. Slowly add the melted chocolate, and stir to combine.
Finally, add the flour and cocoa powder and stir just until the batter is completely mixed.
For the pumpkin cheesecake filling, mix together all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
To assemble the brownies, spread half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Then spread the entire pumpkin cheesecake filling on top. Spread the remaining brownie batter on top.
Bake the brownies for approximately 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool before eating.
Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef
Caramel-infused Moist Pumpkin Cake
In the middle of the delicious pumpkin cake lies a salted caramel center. A luscious cream cheese frosting finishes the cupcake off, offering a nice fall aesthetic.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
A pinch of salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
¾ of a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup of whole milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
For the frosting:
1 8 oz packet of cream cheese, softened
½ a stick of unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups of powdered sugar
¼ tsp of cinnamon
¼ tsp of nutmeg
½ tsp of vanilla
For the caramel:
1 cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of water
1 stick of butter
½ a cup of heavy cream
A pinch of salt
Instructions:
First, preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan.
For the pumpkin cake, in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, dark brown sugar, and milk.
Add the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until the batter is combined.
Pour into the pan, and bake for approximately 30 minutes.
For the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, and beat until the frosting is smooth. Set aside.
For the caramel:
In a small saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the butter, and cook the caramel until it has turned golden brown.
Immediately add the heavy cream, stirring quickly. Let cool.
To assemble
Poke nine holes all over the cake, spacing them out evenly. Add a small amount of the caramel into each hole. Frost the top of the cake. Store in the fridge.
Adapted from How Sweet Eats
Brown Sugar Spiced Salted Caramel-Stuffed Sandwich Cookies
The name speaks for itself. Not only is this a brown sugar cookie loaded with spices, but it has a salted caramel filling. This cookie is perfect for a study break, and will be devoured by all of your housemates.
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
½ a cup of light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
A pinch of salt
For the caramel:
1 cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of water
1 stick of butter
½ a cup of heavy cream
A pinch of salt
½ stick of unsalted butter
½ cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
First, preheat the oven to 350℉. Mix together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and mix.
Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and mix until the dough forms a ball.
Flour your work surface before rolling out the dough. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick, and place the dough into the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer, and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter (we used just a circular cookie cutter).
Bake the cookies for approximately 8-12 minutes, until slightly brown. Let cool.
To make the caramel:
In a small saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the butter, and cook the caramel until it has turned golden brown.
Immediately add the heavy cream, stirring quickly. Let cool overnight in the fridge.
To assemble:
Melt the remaining half stick of butter in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon.
Take each cookie and dip it in the butter, and then into the bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar.
Then, take a cookie, and spread a small amount of caramel on it. Sandwich the cookie with another cookie. Store the cookies in the fridge.
Apple Cider Muffins with Salted Caramel Apple Pie Filling
Apple cider is the best drink in fall. It’s warm, spiced, and often made from local apples. These apple cider muffins are a perfect breakfast, and contain a delicious apple pie filling. Careful, they’ll be gone quickly.
Ingredients:
For the muffin:
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of salt
⅔ cup of granulated sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of apple cider
For the crumble:
½ cup of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into cubes
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
For the apple pie filling:
1 cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of water
1 stick of unsalted butter
½ cup of heavy cream
A pinch of salt
3 apples, peeled, and chopped finely
2 tbsp of cornstarch
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
For the apple filling:
Make the salted caramel. In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar and the water, and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the butter, and cook until the mixture has turned golden.
Add the cream immediately, and stir vigorously until it is mixed in. Set aside.
Next, place the chopped apples, cinnamon, cornstarch, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar into a small saucepan and mix together. Cook for around 5 minutes, remove from stove, and add about ½ cup of the salted caramel. Stir.
To make the crumble, mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter, and work the mixture with your hands until small clumps form.
For the muffins:
To make the muffins, line a cupcake pan with liners. Preheat the oven to 325℉.
Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each time. Add the vanilla.
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir. Then add half of the apple cider. Add the remaining flour mixture, mix, and add the rest of the apple cider.
Mix until the batter comes together.
Distribute the batter into the cupcake liners, sprinkle with the crumble, and bake for about 20 minutes.
To fill the muffins, make a hole in the center of each muffin. Add the apple pie mixture into each hole. Frost with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
Adapted from Half-Baked Harvest