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Brownies · Cream Cheese Swirl

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Rich melted-chocolate brownies marbled with a sweet, tangy cheesecake layer. They look fancy, but the swirl takes about ten seconds with a butter knife.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
35 min
Total
4 hr
Serves
16 · 16 squares
Level
Medium

Ingredients

Brownie batter

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick (113 g)
  • 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (113 g)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar, 150 g
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (53 g)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (63 g)

Cheesecake swirl

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (1 block, 226 g)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar, 50 g
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides.
  2. Put the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir often until just melted and smooth, then take it off the heat.
  3. Whisk both sugars into the chocolate. Let it cool so it is warm, not hot.
  4. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and salt, until glossy.
  5. Sift the cocoa over the batter, add the flour and fold with a spatula until no streaks remain.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla with a mixer until completely smooth.
  7. Spread about three-quarters of the brownie batter in the pan.
  8. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the batter, then drop small spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter in the gaps.
  9. Drag a butter knife through both batters in a few S-shaped lines to marble them. Stop before it turns muddy.
  10. Bake until the cream cheese is set and barely tinged at the edges and a toothpick in a brownie spot comes out with moist crumbs.
  11. Cool in the pan on a rack to room temperature.
  12. Refrigerate until firm so they cut cleanly.
  13. Lift out by the parchment and cut into 16 squares, wiping the knife clean between cuts.

Tip: Soft cream cheese is the key to a lump-free swirl. Leave it out about an hour, or cut it in cubes to warm up faster.

Tip: Dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry before each cut for bakery-neat edges.

Storage: Because of the cream cheese, keep them covered in the fridge up to 4 days. They taste great cold.

Make ahead: Bake a day ahead and keep chilled. The uncut slab freezes well up to 2 months.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 220 calories · protein 3 g · carbohydrates 25 g · fiber <1 g · sugars 20 g · fat 14 g (saturated 8 g) · sodium 85 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 13 of 13 ingredients.