Elevate brownies to a whole new level by adding in a fun layer of cheesecake swirl. If you bake these in a heart pan or round pan, you can make heart/spiderweb swirls. I opted to keep my swirl abstract.
AHH – how is next week Valentine’s Day already? I feel underprepared and still don’t know what I’m going to make for dessert. We will likely make Hawaiian poke bowls for dinner to eat as a family. But for dessert, I have no idea.
It’s been a hot minute since we last had brownies around the house, so it was time to get baking. I wanted to make something a little bit more exciting than normal brownies, so these have a light layer of a cheesecake swirl on top. Granted, the cheesecake swirl isn’t very pronounced, so it will be more on the subtle end. Addie complained that she couldn’t taste the cheesecake, so there’s that.
You can strategically place your cheesecake layers in certain patterns so that when you draw your knife through the brownies, they form certain patterns. If you put the cheesecake swirl in a pastry bag and squeeze out little dots, you can drag your knife in one direction through the dots so they form little hearts. Or, if you pipe a loose spiral around a round pan, you can turn this into a spiderweb effect. The possibilities are endless here.
I was lazy and opted for an abstract swirl. I was still happy with the way these turned out. If you’re looking for full-fledged cheesecake brownies, check out this recipe. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a lightly swirled cheesecake brownie, this is a good recipe to try.
Husband’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Cheesecake swirled brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 4 large eggs
- 1 and ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional, but recommended
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 and ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Cheesecake swirl
- 4 ounces (½ package) cream cheese softened
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a 9"x13" baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, instant espresso powder and vanilla. You can do this by hand with a spatula, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
- In a small saucepan or in a medium sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter (on the stove or in the microwave). Add the sugar and mix well so the sugar starts to melt and the mixture gets glossy. Do not allow the sugar mixture to boil.
- Add the hot butter mixture to the large bowl with the eggs and whisk vigorously to incorporate.
- Add the flour and the chocolate chips and mix until well blended.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan.
- Mix all of the ingredients for the cheesecake swirl together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add dollops of the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie layer and use a sharp knife to swirl. You can strategically dollop the cheesecake layer in stripes, a circle, or other patterns so that when you drag your knife, you create fun patterns in your brownies.
- Bake in your preheated oven foe 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center yield some batter/crumbs. Do not over bake the brownies - start checking around the 20-22 minute mark. The brownies will continue to set as they cool.
- Allow the brownies to cool before slicing and serving.