BEST cheesecake brownies

Fudgy Cheesecake Brownies are the best of both worlds! A layer of rich, fudgy brownies is topped with light & creamy vanilla bean cheesecake. More brownie batter is swirled on top, and the bars are baked to creamy & fudgy perfection! My recipe ensures neither layer comes out over baked for the sake of the other layer.

this recipe

Why you’ll love these Cheesecake Brownies:

• Fudgy Brownies – A layer of rich, fudgy brownies makes the base of this dessert!
• Creamy Cheesecake – A layer of creamy cheesecake bakes atop the brownies, and is swirled with extra brownie batter on top. This is a simplified cheesecake batter, as classic New York Cheesecake would have sour cream as well, but I modified the batter so it would bake at the same rate as the brownies, and you honestly can’t tell the difference!
• The Perfect Bake – My recipe bakes up perfectly every time, so the brownies and cheesecake are both evenly baked with nothing being over baked.
• Crowd Pleasing Dessert – Everyone you share these brownies with will go wild!

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).

• Butter – I always use salted butter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
• Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
• Vanilla – Use real vanilla extract for best results.
• Salt – A little salt is key to any sweet recipe. It helps balance the sweetness and bring out the flavor.
• Espresso Powder – A pinch of espresso powder helps enhance the chocolate, without adding any coffee taste.
• All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
• Cream Cheese – Use full fat cream cheese, in the block form.

Recipe Substitutions & Variations:

• Gluten-free – I have not tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, but the cheesecake base is already gluten-free. I suspect you could use almond flour in the brownies with no other tweaks needed, but I haven’t tried it myself!
• Dairy-free – Dairy-free cheesecake is definitely not my specialty, so I’d look for a vegan version of this recipe if you absolutely can’t have dairy.
• Chocolate Chips – I recommend using chopped baking chocolate bars, since chocolate chips have stabilizers that will cause them to harden back up quicker as the bars cool, making them a bit harder to slice.

How to Make Cheesecake Brownies:

Step 1: Make the Brownie Batter. Whisk together melted butter, chopped chocolate, oil, and cocoa. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate mixture, then the flour, and chocolate chunks.

Note that the image below is from the full batch of the brownie base (I used the base from my Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies) – so this is twice as much batter as you’ll have.

Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Batter. Beat together cream cheese, granulated sugar, one egg, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

Step 3: Assemble the Batters.

Step 4: Swirl & Bake. Use a butter knife to swirl the brownie batter dollops on top of the cheesecake batter. Bake at 350 for 26-28 minutes.

Step 5: Cool. The bars will be a little puffy right out of the oven. Let them cool on the counter for about 30-45 minutes, then chill for 1-2 hours before slicing.

Serving + Storing:

Once the bars are cooled to room temperature or chilled, slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Bars can also be frozen in a freezer container for 1-2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Try my New York Style Cheesecake once you run out of Cheesecake Brownies!

Expert Baking Tips:

• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
• Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
• Neat Slices – The bars may be a bit messy to slice if you chilled the minimum amount of time. Spray your knife with nonstick spray to help with this!

FAQs:

Special Tools:

• Metal 8×8 Pan – I highly recommend using a metal pan vs a glass pan here, if possible. A glass pan doesn’t bake as evenly/conduct heat as well as metal.

More Dessert Bar Recipes:

• Best-Ever 5 Ingredient Brownies (Cocoa powder only!)
• Buckeye Brownies
• Decadent Turtle Brownies
• Fudgy Red Velvet Brownies
• Brown Butter Blondies
• Key Lime Pie Bars

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