These swirled cream cheese brownies taste like two desserts in one – chocolate brownies and cheesecake. Rich fudgy brownies with thick swirls of sweet and tangy cream cheese.
Cream cheese brownies! Because sometimes I want cheesecake AND brownies but I don’t want to make two separate desserts. I’m satisfying both cravings with this one decadent treat. Join me!
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Recipe overview
Brownie layer: I use a variation of my Homemade Brownies as the base for this recipe. They bake up moist and fudgy with melty bits of chocolate chips all throughout.
Cream cheese layer: A mixture of softened cream cheese, sugar, egg white, flour, and vanilla extract.
Assembly: Scoop about two thirds of the brownie batter into a prepared 8×8 pan and smooth into an even layer. Alternate dropping spoonful’s of the cream cheese mixture and remaining brownie mixture all over the top. Use the tip of a sharp knife to swirl the two batters together.
Bake: Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes, until mostly set, but still fudgy.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Flavor: Lots of rich chocolate flavor combined with thick swirls of sweetened cream cheese.
Texture: Chewy edges and fudgy centers with pockets of smooth cream cheese all throughout.
Two-for-one: The flavors of cheesecake and brownies all in one dessert.
Freezer friendly: Leftovers can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Perfectly sized: This recipe makes an 8×8 pan of brownies. You can serve anywhere from 9-12 depending on how large you cut them.
Recipe tips
- Line the pan with foil or parchment for easy removal. Once the brownies have cooled, you can lift the whole batch right out of the pan using the foil.
- Adding chocolate chips into the brownie batter guarantees a fudgy texture.
- Cream cheese should be softened to cool room temperature so that it combines easily.
- When swirling the cream cheese into the brownie batter, less is more. Thicker, more noticeable swirls come from less swirling. Drag a sharp knife through in a figure-8 or s-shaped motion.
- Do not overbake. I can’t stress this enough! If you insert a toothpick into the center it should have moist fudgy crumbs on it, but no thin raw batter.
Serving and storage
Serving: You can serve these brownies slightly warm, room temperature, or chilled. They are best served within 2 days of being made.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
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Recipe
Cream Cheese Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie batter:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, still warm/hot
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, see note
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Cream cheese mixture:
- 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Brownie batter:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8×8* pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides (this will allow you to lift the whole tray of brownies out of the pan for easy removal). Grease the foil/parchment.
- Combine granulated sugar and hot butter in a large bowl. Stir it briefly then allow it to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The heat from the butter will begin to dissolve the sugar (this helps make a shiny/crackly crust), the sugar will not fully dissolve. After 5 minutes, whisk the butter and sugar vigorously for 30 seconds. Add eggs, water, and vanilla extract, whisking again for about 30 seconds. Tap all the excess batter off the whisk and remove the whisk from the bowl.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder, flour, and salt over the wet ingredients. Use a rubber/silicone spatula to stir the mixture until it is glossy and well combined.
- Scoop out about one third of the brownie mixture and set it aside for the swirl layer. Stir the chocolate chips into the remaining brownie batter. Add the batter to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Prepare the cream cheese mixture.
Cream cheese mixture:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, followed by flour, egg white, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Be careful not to overbeat.
- Using two tablespoons, alternate dropping portions of cream cheese and portions of the reserved brownie batter all over the top of the batter that is in the pan. Use the tip of a sharp knife to swirl the batter together. The brownie batter will be thicker than the cream cheese batter, just take your time moving in a figure 8 or back and forth motion and they will swirl together. Don’t swirl too deep; you are mostly just making visible swirls in the top layer of brownie and cream cheese.
- Bake for 32-37 minutes until it is mostly set but there is still a slight jiggle in the cheesecake areas. You can check doneness with a toothpick; moist fudgy crumbs and melted chocolate are OK. Be careful not to over bake. If you notice your cheesecake swirls darkening you can loosely cover the baking dish with foil for the last 5 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely (this will take several hours).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Kathy Moore
The batter was too thick, it couldn’t be spread and the cream cheese couldn’t be mixed in. Not sure why, we followed the recipe to a ‘t’.
Ashley
I agree- I had the same thing happen today! The brownie batter was too thick and the cream cheese too thin. Couldn’t spread at all. Maybe the recipe needs adjusted.
Allison
Sorry to hear that. Did you remember to add the 2 tablespoons of water to the batter?
Rachelle
I’ve made these twice now and the brownie batter is super thick. I made sure to put in a little less than a cup of flour this time, thinking that was my mistake last time, but batter is still very thick. If I decide to try again I will add less flour and a little more water. As far as the cheesecake batter, it was perfect the first time and a bit more runny this time. I don’t think I beat it long enough the second time to thickin it up.
Allison
Hi, Rachelle. I just updated the recipe with a more precise measurement for the flour. I changed the flour from 1 scant cup to ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon. This creates a more consistent result since “1 scant cup” can be measured differently. I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Allison
Hi, Kathy. I just updated the recipe with a more precise measurement for the flour. I changed the flour from 1 scant cup to ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon. This creates a more consistent result since “1 scant cup” can be measured differently. I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Kayla
Can you make these a day ahead?
Allison
Yes, that would be fine.
Dette
I hate wasting items like the egg yolk from the whites in the cream cheese mixture. Can I instead add the yolk to the Batter mixture?
Allison
That should be fine. Enjoy!
Starr Lester
Tried these brownies out. The batter was very, very thick. Used 3/4 c flour. I have to always sub out the granulated sugar for Splenda. Maybe that did it.
AUDREY HUDSON
Using Splenda changes the consistency and baked texture. Try a recipe specifically formulated for sugar free baking. Also a Keto recipe avoids wheat flour which lightens it up as well. In my commercial experience, brownies need sugar.
Gloria
So good!!! Will be a handed down recipe for sure!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
T
Can we just use brownie cake mixture store bought?
Allison
I’ve only made the recipe as written but you’re welcome to try adding the cream cheese portion to boxed brownies.
Tracy
I just made them with boxes brownie mix and worked perfectly
Sarah
Just made this desert today! It is a wonderful recipe and will keep it in my recipe box! I only added 1 tbsp of water to the batter, should’ve added 2, but I was able to make it work and got the batter and cream cheese mixture to spread and bake evenly. Thank you.
Allison
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Mary Anne Broers
Did not turn out well. The thick brownie and loose cream cheese mixtures were not easily swirled together. I baked for 32 min, and the bottom layer was dry. I will not be making these again.
Allison
So sorry to hear that. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Emily Runge
I made this recipe today (with the updated changes from December 2022), and I thought it was perfect!! The brownie part was rich and fudge-like, easy to swirl, and perfectly balanced by the delicious cream cheese layer. The clear directions gave me a great swirl–which I have usually failed at in the past. I will be making this again soon. Thanks for a great recipe!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂