This cream cheese brownies recipe brings together the perfect pairing of moist, fudgy brownies and rich and creamy cheesecake!
These elegant black and white swirled brownies look like they came from a bakery but are oh, so easy to make at home!
Bake up enough for the freezer, so you’ll have them ready to eat when those chocolate cravings hit!
Best Ever Cream Cheese Brownies
- This classic brownie recipe has been up-leveled with a super simple 4 ingredient cream cheese marbled top!
- Brownies with cream cheese are moist and thick and full of sweet and tart cheesecake flavor.
- Make them up to a day ahead and they’ll set up perfectly and taste even better!
- This recipe is suitable for a 9×9 inch, or a larger 7×11 inch pan – either one will work, they’ll just be different thicknesses.
- Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of homemade caramel syrup!
Ingredients and Variations
Brownie Batter: For the deepest chocolate flavor, go for quality chocolate like Ghirardelli and find Dutch pressed cocoa which has a far more intense chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder. Gluten-free flour can be switched out without any change to the texture or flavor, but keep the sugar as is since many sugar substitutes aren’t made for baking. Duncan Hines has good boxes of brownie mix to use in a pinch!
Cream Cheese Filling: Low-fat cream cheese can be used without affecting the end result if that’s what’s on hand. No need to buy the Philadelphia brand, but do use the block style and not the cream cheese in a tub. That style has been whipped with air and won’t have that extra rich and creamy flavor of cheesecake.
Variations: Swirl in some peanut butter, strawberry, cherry, or blackberry jam with the cream cheese mixture or sprinkle brownies with a handful of toasted walnuts or flaked coconut before baking.
How to Make Cream Cheese Brownies
- Melt butter and chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Stir in cocoa powder and then both sugars.
- Stir eggs in one at a time, and then vanilla and salt. Stir until well mixed.
- Spread brownie batter into a prepared pan, reserving ¼ cup.
- Make cream cheese mixture per the recipe directions below and pour over the brownies.
- Top with reserved brownie mixture. Use a knife to make swirls on the top.
- Bake until the center is set, and cool completely before slicing.
Tips & Tricks
- Eggs, butter, and cream cheese should be at room temperature for faster blending. It’s recommended to use an electric mixer over a hand mixer.
- Cocoa powder will blend best when it’s whisked to break up any lumps.
- Use a wooden skewer or a chopstick instead of a knife for finer, smaller swirls, if desired.
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easier cutting! Simply lift the entire brownie out and cut as desired (plus, easy peasy cleanup)!
- Refrigerate brownies until they are completely cooled before cutting. A knife dipped in warm water will produce cleaner edges on the brownies when you cut them. Wipe the knife in between cuts, and be warned – you will be tempted to lick the knife each time!
Storing Cream Cheese Brownies
- For best results, keep cream cheese brownies in a covered container in the refrigerator since they are super moist and fudgy. This will help them keep their shape.
- Cream cheese brownies can be frozen! Place an entire pan or individual pieces in plastic wrap and then wrap them in foil. Label the date on the outside and they should last about a month in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Other Delectable Desserts!
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Cream Cheese Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownies
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 7×11 inch pan with baking spray. Line with parchment paper if desired.
- Add butter and chocolate chips to a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds then stir. If not melted, microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring in between each until just melted.
- Stir in cocoa powder. Then add sugars, stir until well combined.
- Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Then add flour and stir until well mixed.
- Set aside ¼ cup of the batter, and spread remaining batter into prepared pan.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- Add cream cheese and sugar to a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer, for 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
- Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined.
Assembly
- Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in the pan. With a spoon, drop or drizzle reserved ¼ cup brownie batter over the cream cheese mixture.
- Swirl brownie batter into the cream cheese mixture, using a knife.
- Bake for 27-35 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few fudgy crumbs.
- Cool COMPLETELY before cutting and serving.
Notes
- This brownie is very fudgy brownie, not cakey. So it is highly recommended to line pan with parchment so that you can remove the entire brownies for easy cutting.
- Refrigerate brownie for the cleanest cuts and use a warm knife. Clean the knife in between cuts.
- Add foil to the top of pan to avoid over-browning if preferred.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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