![Southern Living Cream Cheese Brownies cut to serve](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.southernliving.com/thmb/MpEyzjvtpxSP4JYuvIKGED_Lw6k=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Cream_Cheese_Swirl_Brownies_014-a855e75f6945442a82be1a5a2c20eafb.jpg)
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cream cheese brownies are a fun two-for-one dessert: On the bottom is a simplified version of homemade brownies, and on top is a tangy, rich cheesecake filling that's swirled into the brownie batter before baking. The end result is a fudgy treat that is great for potluck or picnics where a messy frosting could get in the way.
Learn how to make cream cheese brownies, and discover your new favorite way to make these chocolaty treats.
Why You'll Love Cream Cheese Brownies
Cream cheese brownies come together quickly—it's really one extra step after making brownies—and appear much more complicated than they really are. That makes them highly impressive for a potluck, school bake sale, or neighborhood picnic.
They also don't have a sticky frosting, which can make travel harder if you need to transport your dessert to a dinner or party. And if that wasn't enough, they freeze beautifully. Wrap the cooled and cut brownies in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Be sure to label them so you know what they are. Then, thaw and use them within two months.
How To Make Cream Cheese Brownies
There are four stages of making cream cheese brownies. The full recipe is outlined below, but here's a brief recap.
- Make the brownies: You'll start by making a simplified homemade brownies recipe. Melt butter and chocolate together, then add the sugars so they dissolve before adding the flour, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt. That batter is added to a 9x13 pan.
- Make the cream cheese topping: With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg, and salt. You'll want this to be really well mixed, and that starts with a softened block of cream cheese.
- Assemble: The brownie batter is in the pan, so it's time to dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie. It's better to do drops of cream cheese mixture so you can get a nice swirl. Use a knife or long skewer to do figure eights of S-shaped swirls through the cream cheese. Less is more—don't overmix or the beautiful swirls will get lost.
- Bake: These brownies need 45 minutes to bake. You'll want to make sure you let the brownies cool completely before cutting them. If they're too warm, they'll tear during cutting and won't look too much like the beautiful squares of fudgy brownies you want.
Tips for the Best Cream Cheese Brownies
Before you get started, these Test Kitchen tips will help make sure your batch of brownies is the best possible:
- Soften the cream cheese: To make mixing the cream cheese topping easier, let the block of cream cheese soften to cool room temperature.
- Use a mixer: While you could mix the cream cheese topping by hand, we recommend a hand or stand mixer so that it's smooth and creamy.
- Line the pan: If you want to remove the brownies from the pan after they're cooled for easier cutting, you can line the pan with parchment paper (then cooking spray). Once the brownies are cooled, use the extra parchment to lift the brownies out onto a cutting board.
Recipe Update
This recipe was retested and updated in April 2024. The bake time was adjusted.
Ingredients
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Baking spray
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1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
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2 cups (12.25 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
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3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
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3/4 cup, plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
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5 large eggs, divided, at room temperature
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2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
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1/2 tsp., plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided
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1/2 cup (1.6 oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/2 cup (2.12 oz.) all-purpose flour
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8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
Directions
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Prepare oven and baking pan:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a metal 9- x 13-inch baking pan with baking spray, and set aside. Gather your ingredients.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
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Melt chocolate:
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low until bubbling but not brown.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Turn off heat, add chocolate chips, and stir to coat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Stir again until the chocolate is completely melted and combined with the butter.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
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Make brownie batter:
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 tsp. vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, cocoa powder, and flour and stir together until well combined.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Spread batter evenly in prepared baking pan.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
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Make cream cheese mixture:
With a mixer, beat together cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1 egg until well combined, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Dollop over top of brownie batter.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Using a knife or small offset spatula, swirl and fold cream cheese into batter; keep tip of knife just about 1/2 inch deep into the brownie batter as much as possible.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
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Bake brownies:
Bake until set, a wooden pick inserted in center come out with very moist crumbs, and brownies have started to pull away slightly from edges, about 45 minutes, loosely covering with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning if needed. Allow to cool completely before cutting, about 2 to 3 hours.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox