This cheesecake chocolate brownie recipe strikes the perfect balance between fudgy chocolate and creamy cheesecake. Creamy vanilla cheesecake swirls are the curve ball and beyond easy to make.
If you love brownies as much as I do, try Buckeye Brownies and Zucchini Brownies next.
Cheesecake chocolate brownies require few simple ingredients and are very easy to prepare. I love the fudgy and moist brownie batter paired with a creamy and smooth vanilla cheesecake and the flavor is beyond delicious.
So bright and smooth with all the chocolate flavor and sticky texture, they're simply irresistible!
Ingredients for Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: My opinion is quite simple, if you prefer dark chocolate, go with semi-sweet. If you like candy bars and Hershey's and the like, go with milk chocolate. But that's just my preference! And the color will be different.
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour adds structure to the brownie. It helps hold everything together and gives balance to the fudginess so the brownies don't turn too dense or runny.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter just because different manufacturers add various amounts of salt to salted butter. But if you don't have unsalted butter, then go ahead and use salted butter! Just omit the extra salt (see next).
- Salt: I prefer to specify salt amount in my recipes to ensure precision. I use Himalayan salt.
- Eggs: Eggs act as the binder that holds the brownie batter together and help the brownies riseslightly. Use room temperature eggs for the best mixing.
- Vanilla: I used pure vanilla extract, not imitation kind.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar sweetens the brownies and helps create the classic crackled top.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt amplifies all the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature. This creates the creamy, tangy layer that contrasts beautifully with the rich brownies.
How to make cheesecake chocolate brownies
Melt chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave.
Once the chocolate is melted, add vanilla and sugar and eggs, one at a time, and stir until mixture is smooth.
Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt to the chocolate mixture and stir in just until the flour mixture is completely incorporated.
Make chocolate layer
Pour the batter into the cake pan, reserving about a ⅓ cup of batter to mix with the cheesecake layer.
Make cream cheese layer
In a medium bowl add softened cream cheese and sugar and cream together with a hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix through. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter.
Create chocolate swirls
Add a little warm water, about a teaspoon, to the reserved brownie batter to loosen it up. Drop spoonfuls of the loosened brownie batter into the cheesecake mixture.
Using a knife and trying to only stay in the layer of cream cheese, pull it through the spoonful of brownie mixture to create a swirl through the cream cheese layer.
Bake and slice
Bake the brownies for at least 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until both batters are baked.
It will take about 20 minutes to gather the ingredients and mix them together. Bake time is about 30-40 minutes. Cool time is about 30 minutes and chill time is about an hour.
Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake Layer
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8" square cake pan with a little pan spray (or butter) and then parchment paper on top with hangover pieces on two sides (see photos in the post on how it looks)
Brownie mixture
- In a large, heat safe, non-metallic bowl, add 1 ½ cups of the chocolate chips (reserve the rest) and the cubed butter and slowly melt them together in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds and stir, add time in 10-20 second increments if the chocolate needs to be heated more. Remove from the microwave.
- Add the sugar and stir through with a spatula. Add eggs, one at a time and mix each one in before adding the next. Add in the vanilla and stir until mixtures smooth.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, cocoa powder and salt and whisk together. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir in just until the flour mixture is completely incorporated.Add the remaining chocolate chips and stir in the batter. Chocolate batter is done!
- Pour the chocolate batter into the cake pan, reserving about a ⅓ cup of batter to mix with the cheesecake layer (next).
Cheesecake layer
- In a medium bowl add softened cream cheese and sugar; and cream together with a hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix through.Pour the cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter.
Create swirls
- Add a little warm water, about a teaspoon, to the reserved brownie batter to loosen it up. Drop spoonfuls of the loosened brownie batter into the cheesecake mixture.
- Using a knife and trying to only stay in the layer of cream cheese, pull it through the spoonful of brownie mixture to create a swirl through the cream cheese layer
Bake time
- Bake the brownies for about 30-40 minutes or until both batters are baked. Test with a toothpick in the middle of the brownies and if it comes out clean they are baked.
Chill time
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes. When cooled, place the brownies in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill and set.
Cutting instructions
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan that did not have parchment and lift the brownies out with the overlapped edges parchment to slice. Enjoy!!
Kitchen tools you'll need
- 8x8 inch square pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls of different sizes
- A whisk, stirring spoon and offset spatula.
- A non-metal microwave safe bowl to melt chocolate chips.
- Cooking spray - I use canola oil spray, but you can also use butter, melted or regular.
- Parchment paper - to use on top with hangover pieces on two sides.
Tips for making cheesecake chocolate brownies
- Gather ingredients ahead of time: Gather all your ingredients at once and prepare equipment ahead of time.
- Line the pan well with parchment paper for easy brownie removal.
- Room temperature ingredients: Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature unless mentioned that they should be cold or frozen.
- To make perfect swirls: Add a little warm water, about a teaspoon, to the reserved brownie batter to loosen it up - to make the swirls on top of the cheesecake layer as shown below.
- Don't overbake to avoid cakey brownies; fudgy is the goal.
- Use good quality dark chocolate for an intense, rich flavor.
How do you cut brownies cleanly?
- Straight sides - you want the sides of your cake to be straight and smooth for appearance and serving. A bench scraper is a great tool to use to get those perfectly straight sides. If you don't have a bench scraper you can use ingredient level (like for measuring flour) or the edge of an offset spatula.
- Clean Cuts: Use a sharp warm knife to cut bars. Clean off the knife between each cut to keep the cuts clean.
Storage instructions
Store your brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze the for up to 1 month, after that time they will lose their moisture.
Brownie galore
- Buckeye Brownies
- Zucchini Brownies
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies
- Raspberry Mousse Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse Brownies
Maureen says
These are my favorite brownies! The cheesecake layer is perfect
Olya says
Thank you and enjoy