Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

After I saw these featured on Today, I immediately wanted to make them for a Thanksgiving dessert.  They weren't as hard to make as I thought and they're worth the effort.  They taste like pumpkin pie but instead of crust, it has chocolate goodness!

Brownie crust:
5 ounces chocolate, unsweetened {I melted 4 oz in the beginning and 1 oz later on for drizzling}
2 ounces chocolate, bittersweet
4 ounces butter {1 stick}
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Pumpkin topping:
8 ounces cream cheese
15 ounces pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
6 eggs
1 ounce melted chocolate, for drizzling

 Grease (shortening and flour) a 9x13 pan

 Line pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, so there is enough over hang to help remove the bars when they're baked.

 In a double boiler, melt 2 oz. dark chocolate, milk chocolate and butter

Off the heat, stir in cocoa and sugar

Whisk in eggs. Add salt; stir, then add flour.  Combine well.

 Pour evenly into lined-pan

For pumpkin mixture, combine cream cheese and pumpkin

  Add sugar, salt and spices.  Stir well. Add eggs one at a time.  Continue to stir until smooth.

 Pour over the chocolate crust

Drizzle melted chocolate on top with a spoon or piping bag.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes {it took about 1 hour to bake for me} or until puffy in the middle.  Allow to cool.

Remove and cut into bars when chilled.

Source: Jansen Chan. "Chocolate Pumpkin Bars." Today.  2011.