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!
K
These were absolutely delicious. Fudgy and rich and wonderful.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Lydia
This is absolutely delicious! I am OBSESSED with cream cheese and this was one of the best brownie AND cream cheese recipe!! Even my brother who hates brownies ate some.
Allison
Yay! I’m so glad. 🙂
Brice Watson
I tried these and they turned out amazing! I wish I could post a picture!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂 Feel free to tag me in a photo on Instagram.
Melinda
Is the egg white necessary for the cream cheese mixture or can I omit it? Thanks in advance!
Allison
It helps to thicken the cream cheese mixture. If you’re going to omit it I would recommend doubling the flour in the cream cheese mixture. I haven’t tried it that way, but I assume it would work. Enjoy!
Sherry Lebeouf
I came across this recipe while searching for something to do with a leftover package of cream cheese. These looked delicious and WOW I’m so glad I chose this recipe. These brownies are amazingly good. They’re moist and super fudgy. Then you get the creaminess and tiny bit of tart from the cream cheese. They’re the perfect balance of flavors and the textures are perfection.
Allison
Hi, Sherry! Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Agnes
I used this recipe for my left over cream cheese, and oh boy, i feel I won a jackpot that everything turn out right, the sweetness is balancing the taste of cocoa. . Thank you for posting this recipe.
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Alice
I had a hard time making the last steps work. The batter was very thick. I did t understand the “2tablespoons”. Part. Next time, I will do better. Looks delicious. Wasnt done after 30. Will see
Emery
Loved these brownies when I made them this spring! Amazing. Now I’m wanting to make them on a trip for a big group… any tips for high elevation?
Allison
Hi! I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking. This might help: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Leana
Made these for the first time tonight and let me tell you……they are BOMB. Thank you for the recipe.
Allison
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Chris
These are awesome!
Janet
This was great! I added 1/2 t. Baking powder to make a little cake like and some all spice
WeaGirl
Spectacular taste. Appreciated the specific directions too. Close to perfection as you are going to get.
Allison
Thanks for the kind review. 🙂