Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies From 'Baked Occasions'

[Photograph: Brian Kennedy]

Brownies are hard to mess up, but the truly great ones combine a generous helping of chocolate with a dense, satisfying bite. These brownies from Baked Occasions have both, with a sweetly spiced pumpkin cheesecake swirl that makes them even more satisfying, and seasonally appropriate.

Tips: The best and smartest way to combine the chocolate and the butter for the brownie layer is to use the double-boiler method. A bowl is suspended over a saucepan of simmering water (without touching it), allowing the heat to permeate the ingredients with a gentle heat that allows them to mix together seamlessly. It's a simple enough method, but the chocolate can seize if the heat is too high (if the bowl touches the water) or if any water gets in the bowl. A wide shallow bowl set over a deep saucepan is your best bet.

Tweaks: The pumpkin cheesecake swirl is, according to the recipe, spiked with a variety of spices. Chances are, you already have cinnamon in your pantry, but perhaps no nutmeg or allspice. If that's the case, a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice will do the trick, but add some ground ginger to the mix to give it a little bite.

As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Baked Occasions to give away.