In today’s post: Thick, rich brownies swirled with a decadent cheesecake layer are a gorgeous dessert everyone will love. They start with a boxed brownie mix so they’re SUPER easy to make!
If you need a dessert that looks impressive and tastes amazing, but is actually really easy to make, then this recipe is for you. It’s a combination of sweet homemade cheesecake and rich, fudgy brownies and it’s both delicious and beautiful!
Related: How to Make Box Brownies Better
How to Make Cheesecake Brownies
Thanks to a boxed brownie mix, these decadent brownies are super easy to make! Don’t worry, the boxed mix gets a couple changes that make it taste just as good (or better) than any complicated from-scratch brownie recipe.
Stir together the brownie batter, using melted butter instead of oil for a perfect fudgy texture. Spread about 2/3 of the brownie batter in a prepared 9×9 pan, then sprinkle half a cup of chocolate chips over the batter. I like to line the pan with parchment paper so it’s easy to remove the brownies after baking.
Then in a second bowl, you’ll beat together the softened cream cheese and sugar until well mixed and creamy. Add in a couple tablespoons of flour, then an egg and some vanilla extract. Once that’s all super creamy, you’ll spread all of the cream cheese mixture over the brownie layer. Dollop the rest of the brownie batter on top, dropping it by spoonfuls.
Finally, you’ll use a toothpick to swirl through the batters, making it look nice and pretty.
Bake it until it’s just done – you want these brownies to be fudgey! – and chill before serving. (You can stash them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to accelerate the chilling process.) Use a long, sharp chef’s knife to cut the brownies into pieces.
Remove the brownies from the pan and cut into 16 pieces. The pieces won’t be huge, just over 2 inches square, but they are tall and rich so a smaller size ends up being perfect. Of course, you’ll probably want to eat more than one. Just look at them:
Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 1 18 oz Boxed Brownie Mix family size, for a 9×13 pan
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Butter melted
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Cheesecake Batter
- 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 metal baking pan with parchment paper; lightly spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the brownie mix, eggs, melted butter, and water. Pour about 2/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Reserve the rest of the brownie batter to go over the cream cheese layer.
- In another bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sugar until well combined and creamy. Add the flour and beat until combined. Add the egg and vanilla, beating agin until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Spread the cream cheese batter over the brownie batter. Drop the remaining brownie batter on top by spoonfuls. Use a toothpick to swirl the two batters together.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-38 minutes, until the edges are set and the top is just barely cracked, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are ok). If the toothpick comes out covered in chocolate that means you've hit a chocolate chip; test again somewhere else.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely and then refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge.
Dottie says
I had to cook twenty more minutes then recommended
Anna Towers says
Not sure how long to leave in? But I did read 35-38 min. Was confused how to check for when it’s done so it was good to know about hitting a chocolate chip . It came out awesome 🤩 Thank you very much for great instructions ❤️