Cheesecake Brownies Recipe

Name: Cheesecake Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz package cream cheese, softened; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1/4 tsp vanilla; 1/2 cup butter; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 eggs; 3/4 cup all purpose flour; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

July 30, 2018 by Kara Cook 46 Comments

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Cheesecake Brownies . . . thick and fudgy with chocolate chips and a marbled cream cheese layer, these brownies are rich and delicious!

I always love a good plain brownie (preferably with nuts), but sometimes I like to branch out and take my brownies up a notch. Reese’s peanut butter swirl brownies and Ooey Gooey S’more Brownies are two more over the top decadent brownie recipes worth trying!

I love homemade brownies. I love cheesecake. Combine the two together and I am pretty much in dessert heaven! I enjoyed every bite of these decadent brownies, and so did the rest of my family.

I used my favorite brownie recipe as a starting point, then added some chocolate chips to the batter. And of course there’s that creamy cheesecake layer that takes the brownies to the next level. The tangy cream cheese is a perfect compliment to the rich chocolate brownies.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

(To skip all my tips and detailed instructions, you can scroll to the bottom of the post to see the recipe card.)

Ingredients needed for filling:

cream cheese (Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so you don’t have any lumps. I don’t recommend light cream cheese for this recipe, it doesn’t set up as well.)
granulated sugar (regular table sugar)
egg (helps the cream cheese layer set up)
vanilla extract

Ingredients needed for brownies

butter (I use regular salted butter in all of my baking.)
granulated sugar
unsweetened cocoa powder (I use regular Hershey’s cocoa powder most of the time.)
vanilla extract
eggs (I use large eggs in all of my baking.)
all purpose flour (I use unbleached, but that’s a matter of preference.)
salt
semi sweet chocolate chips (makes the brownies extra decadent)

Although these brownies look fancy, they are actually super simple to make.

Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl, and mix the brownie batter in a large bowl. After that, it’s time to prepare them for baking.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BROWNIE SWIRL

I think the key to perfect marbled cheesecake brownies is to reserve a little of the batter to dollop on top of the filling.

It works much better than just trying to swirl the batter up from the bottom.

After you add the spoonfuls of brownie batter to the top, use a butter knife or spoon handle to lightly swirl the brownie batter and cheesecake filling together. So pretty, right?

You can serve these cheesecake brownies at room temperature, but my favorite was when they were chilled. Maybe it’s because the weather has been so hot, but I thought they were fantastic straight out of the fridge. I also loved that when they were cold the chocolate chips added a nice crunch.

How to store leftover brownies?

-If you have any brownies left over, they will keep at room temperature for a day or two if stored in an airtight container. However, if you need to store them longer than that, because of the cream cheese filling, they need to be stored in the refrigerator. You can keep them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

VARIATIONS:

I like using semi sweet chocolate chips, but you can substitute milk or white chocolate chips.
Stir a couple teaspoons of orange zest into the cream cheese mixture. It adds a fresh citrus flavor.
For an even more decadent brownie recipe, drizzle melted chocolate or chocolate ganache on top of the brownies after they cool.

Whether you are a cheesecake or a chocolate fan, these brownies are sure to please!

Handy supplies for making cheesecake brownies:

Serving spatula – I have several versions of these, and I love them for everything from brownies to lasagna!
Whisk – a good whisk is a must for making the brownie batter.
Hand Mixer – Using a hand mixer is a great way to make sure your cream cheese mixture is totally smooth.

CHEESECAKE BROWNIES ARE PERFECT FOR CHEESECAKE DAY

Today is National Cheesecake Day, so if you are a fan of cheesecake like I am, you are in luck! I’m teaming up with the Celebrating Food Holidays bloggers to bring you over a dozen mouthwatering cheesecake recipes. I’m drooling over here. What about you?

13 Brand New Cheesecake Recipes:

Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake from Savory Experiments
Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles from Crumb
Chocolate Almond Cheesecake in Jars from Premeditated Leftovers
No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse from The Baker Upstairs
Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes from Pretty Providence
Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Squares from Real Mom Kitchen
Cheesecake Brownies (right here)
Dairy Free Cheesecake from Namely Marly
No Bake Berry Cheesecake Parfait from An Italian in My Kitchen
Lemon Meringue Pie Cheesecake from Ashlee Marie
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake from Super Golden Bakes
Cappuccino Cheesecake from Simply Stacie (not pictured)

A few more of my favorite cheesecake recipes: