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Cream Cheese Brownies are a decadent dessert mash-up featuring a rich, chocolatey, fudgy brownie with creamy swirls of cheesecake.

Cream Cheese Brownies cut into squares.

If I had to pick a favorite dessert, it would legit be a toss up between brownies and cheesecake. They are both decadent and rich in their own way and definitely satisfy that sweet tooth craving. Marrying them together is likely the best thing I’ve ever done in my life and just short of solving world peace.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

Since you are essentially making two separate desserts, this cheesecake brownie recipe does require a few extra steps. But let me promise you they are well worth it!

  1. Start by mixing the cheesecake filling which is just cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and a little flour to bind it all together. For best results you’ll want to start with room temperature cream cheese and use a hand mixer to beat the cheesecake filling in order to get it nice and fluffy. Set it aside until you’re ready to swirl the cream cheese over the brownie batter.
  2. Make the brownie batter. First melt some chocolate and butter together in the microwave. The most important thing to remember when melting chocolate like this is to not introduce any water at all because it will immediately seize up the chocolate and you will have to start over.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla, then flour, salt and baking soda.
  4. Once the brownie batter is complete it’s time to layer your cream cheese brownies! Spread the brownie batter into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan (make sure to line it with parchment paper to make the brownies easy to remove). Then you’ll add dollops of cream cheese filling and a little more brownie batter and, using a sharp knife, make gorgeous swirls all throughout.

Cream Cheese Brownies in a pan

Cream Cheese Brownies stacked on top of each other.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CUT BROWNIES?

For ease in cutting, chill the brownies in the refrigerator first. Place the brownies on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into squares. This will give you nice, smooth cuts with minimal crumbs every time.

DO CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES HAVE TO BE REFRIGERATED?

You can keep these cream cheese brownies on the counter for a couple of days, then in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. They are delicious chilled or at room temperature. They also freeze beautifully for up to 6 months, just let them defrost on the kitchen counter for a few hours before serving.

A hand holding one Cream Cheese Brownies | Cheesecake Brownies

For more tasty brownie recipes, try these:

For more delicious cheesecake recipes, try these:


Recipe

Cream Cheese Brownies

5 from 5 votes
Cream Cheese Brownies combine our favorite desserts into one! A rich, chocolatey, fudgy brownie with creamy, decadent swirls of cheesecake. This is one dessert mash-up that everyone can get behind!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 9 brownies

Ingredients
  

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Brownie Batter

  • cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate chopped
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions
 

  • Cream Cheese Filling:
  • Whisk together softened cream cheese, sour cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Set aside.
  • Brownies:
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with the baking rack in the center of the oven. Cut parchment paper to 8” x 12”. Line an 8” square baking dish with the measured parchment paper (or foil) to act as a sling to remove the brownies. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a microwavable glass dish, microwave chocolate and butter together until melted, stirring at 20 second intervals. Set aside to cool.
  • In another medium bowl, combine sugar,  eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in melted chocolate until incorporated. Add flour mixture and stir just to combine.
  • Transfer ½ cup of the brownie batter to a bowl (like the one used to melt the chocolate) and set aside. Spread remaining brownie batter in the prepared pan. Gently spread cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter.
  • Stir reserved brownie batter (or microwave for a few seconds if needed) and spoon dollops of the batter over the cream cheese filling. Using a knife, swirl through the batter and cream cheese filling, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes in the preheated 325 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the brownie center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for one hour, then, using the parchment paper as “handles” carefully remove the brownies and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • TIP: To accurately test the doneness of the brownies, be sure to stick the toothpick into the brownie portion, not the cream cheese. Leftover brownies should be stored in the refrigerator. Let leftovers stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Keyword cream cheese brownies

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 197mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 620IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1.5mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Cream Cheese Brownies pinnable image with title text

Cream Cheese Brownies/Cheesecake Brownies collage

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. Linda says:

    I would like to make the 3X batch. What size of pan do i use?
    Thanks

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      You wouldn’t be able to triple the recipe in one pan. You can either use three8-inch square pans, or 1 square pan and one rectangles 9×13 pan. The larger pan will require a different baking time though, so cook it another 10-15 minutes then check it and gauge if it needs longer.

  2. Rekha says:

    Can we put small dollops of creamcheese in between the brownie batter in tin and then on top with batter and swirl….will it effect the baking texture of brownie…

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Just cream cheese would be a very different texture, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

  3. Toni says:

    I was wondering if you know of a dairy free substitute for sour cream?I can get dairy free cream cheese.

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      You can find dairy free sour cream, but you could also swap out dairy free plain yogurt.

  4. Rosnija Baharum says:

    Hi. Can u please give the recipe measurements in grams instead of oz?

    Thank you.

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Sorry, I don’t have the capability to do both. But you can google for calculators to help with that.

  5. Lisa says:

    What could I use if I don’t have any baking powder?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Mix 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/4 teaspoon to substitute for the baking powder.

  6. Andrie says:

    The best cheescake brownies ever. Made one batch yesterday and today I am making another one. I used 9×9 pan and a little bit over 1/2 cup sugar and baked for 25 mins.

    1. Kristin says:

      So glad you enjoyed it Andrie! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your positive experience and feedback!!

      1. Andrie says:

        Kristin, I made another cake today (third one in 3 days :)) with gluten free flour and it was delish. Thanks again.

  7. Rachel says:

    Best cheesecake brownies!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you!