Bewitching Brownies with Captivating Cream Cheese Swirls!

I am positively atwitter with excitement as Halloween festivities are in full swing at Casa de Crazy Foxes (or Casa de Zorros Locos si habla español). Last night, Derek and I continued the tradition of couple's costumes that don't make you want to barf as we donned creepy skeleton makeup and spooked unsuspecting piano bar patrons with our friends. I sincerely enjoy that my husband is becoming quite the costume aficionado (I mean, he let me paint his face with makeup, if that's not commitment, I don't know what is). We're looking forward to scaring small neighborhood children together on Tuesday night, and yes, we have already decided what we're going to be for Halloween next year. I enjoy this season so much not just because my macabre attitude goes along with it perfectly but also because the creative side really comes out of everyone when they construct clever costumes (read: not just slutty "insert generic costume here" or bed sheet ghost). It's fun, it's creepy, and it truly makes me happy. As a creative mad genius, I simply shine during the month of October into Dia de los Muertos. But as with all good things, they will soon come to an end. So it's only fitting I have one last ghastly dessert to help me cope:

Naturally, it's full of cocoa.

These sinfully chocolatey brownies with a heavenly cream cheese swirl are so fudgy and so delicious that you'll hardly believe their secret: they're only 150 calories a piece for a pan of 9 brownies, or to cut down calories even further, 112 calories a piece for 12 brownies. I didn't have to summon a demon and sell my soul or anything supernaturally devious to make it happen (I'm saving that for eternal youth, obviously). With Truvia Baking Blend, all things are possible. After baking that massive chocolate cake for my mom's birthday, I wanted to see how Truvia would hold up in a fudge brownie recipe alongside some other healthier swaps. Turns out, absolutely fantastic. I'm not sure how long this stuff has been around, but it is now a must-have as far as I'm concerned. It may seem counter intuitive, but you really can trust the skinny baker on this one. I'm all about having my cake and eating it, too. Except in this case, it's a brownie. And it's so low cal that I also get to top it with ice cream. I always did dream big, and by dream big, I mean dare to try to eat ice cream daily.

It's fall, the applesauce switch seemed appropriate.

I've adapted these from an old tried and true brownie recipe that makes a nice 8x8 pan of seriously fudgy brownies, so if you like dry, cake-style brownies, these are not going to be what you're looking for. If I can't taste all of the chocolate melting on my tongue when I take a bite, what's the point of having a brownie? A fudge brownie is as close to a hug in food form as it gets, so to make these spectacular (and spooky!) swirled brownies, gather up:

• 1/2 cup of Truvia Baking Blend
• 1/2 cup of All Purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (used in lieu of vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Black gel dye

Start by preheating your oven to 350 and lining an 8x8 pan with Parchment paper or foil (spray lightly with cooking spray). In a large bowl, mix the Truvia, flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder with a whisk until combined. Then, add in the eggs, unsweetened applesauce, and vanilla extract. Whisk until just combined. Batter will be very thick (and very delicious). If you're making spooky Halloween brownies, be sure to add in a little black gel dye to get things to optimum creepy level--so black Spinal Tap members would be satisfied.

Could be none more black.

Reserve 1/4 cup of brownie batter, and then smooth your brownie batter out into your prepared baking pan. Set this aside, and get ready to make cream cheese magic.

It is sweet, and it is tangy.

With the Truvia Baking Blend, this cream cheese layer is definitely more on the tangy, tart side, but it does pair nicely with how rich the brownie layer is. If you want a sweeter cream cheese layer, add more Truvia and vanilla at small increments. I used:

• 8 ounces of 1/3 less fat cream cheese at room temp
• 2 TBS of Truvia Baking Blend
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• Green gel dye

Whip the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth, then add in the Truvia, egg, vanilla, and gel dye. Mix on medium high until everything is smooth.

And greener than a neon highlighter.

 Very carefully smooth your cream cheese layer on top of your brownie layer. Then take a small spoon and drop dollops of the 1/4 cup of reserved brownie batter randomly over your cream cheese layer:

At this point, it looks like an unfortunate lab culture gone wrong.

To make the swirls, take a chopstick or butter knife and carefully draw S shapes back and forth over your batter:

I was going for a melted Wicked Witch of the West look.

 Once swirled, bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of your layers mostly clean (there will be a little build up of batter since the brownies are fudgy).

You'll know they're done when they look even greener than you thought possible.

These were so vivid and vibrant they almost hurt to look at directly. To me, this means they'd be the best addition to a Halloween dessert table because they're like a flashing neon sign of deliciousness. Let your brownies cool for an hour or two before slicing.

What, of course I have skull sprinkles.

Do you see that fudginess? It is mouth watering. We have positively chowed our way through these brownies because they are such a satisfying mix of dense chocolate and light cream cheese topping. And they're super festive. You could always go orange instead of green or split the cream cheese and dye half green, half purple, and mix in the brownie batter swirls for an impressively insane Halloween trifecta. Either way, they will get eaten, and they will get eaten fast. Be sure to keep these in the fridge (if they last that long) and reheat for 30 seconds in the microwave to get that straight-from-the-oven goodness that fudge brownies are known for...

They also make a really good ice cream plate.

When they're only 150 calories, you can make all of the ice cream happen on top of these for minimal guilt or potential gut-bomb hauntings. We like Breyer's No Sugar Added Vanilla with a (large) drizzle of sugar free chocolate syrup. Still under 300 calories for a massive amount of dessert, so those Halloween costumes will still fit like a glove. Was a little jealous of a guy I saw in a blow up Sumo Wrestler costume last night, because that would be an excellent way to hide the fact that I'd like to eat an entire pan of these brownies all at once. Either way, enjoy your Halloween, and know that I'm already coming up with ideas for next year's baking extravaganza. See you back here soon with your regularly scheduled pumpkin-filled desserts. 'Til next time, my fellow eaters.

I'm dying for some pumpkin spice...