Why choose between chocolate and cheesecake when you can have both?! These Marbled Cheesecake Brownies taste incredibly decadent but are very easy to make. The fudgiest homemade brownie batter is swirled with ultra-creamy cheesecake to create a pretty marbling effect on top.
“These are so decadent! I followed the recipe exactly, and they turned out perfectly.” – Kristi, So Much Food reader
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No Joke, These Are the BEST Brownies Ever
I don’t say this lightly, but this may just be the best dessert I’ve ever developed. Marbled cheesecake brownies perfectly marry fudgy brownies with creamy cheesecake — what could be better? The dark chocolate gives the brownies a deep chocolate flavor.
If you need a decadent dessert for Valentine’s Day or to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings, this recipe is it! It’s rich, delicious, and you’ll be hard-pressed to stop at just one piece.
The best part? The whole recipe comes together quickly and you don’t need anything more than a hand mixer (or a regular whisk and some arm strength!). Marbled brownies come together with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
Jenny’s Tips For Making These Brownies
Use the right chocolate. This is so important! For the portion of the chocolate in this recipe that you melt, don’t use chocolate chips. They often contain stabilizers that keep the chocolate from melting properly. I buy chocolate feves (Valrhona is my favorite brand), or I buy the bittersweet pound plus chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s.
Whip the eggs and sugar enough. This helps create body in the brownies and makes the chewy, fudgy brownies. The mixture should be super light and fluffy and pale yellow in color. This means you should whip them for 3-4 minutes.
Use room temperature ingredients. The eggs whip better when they aren’t cold. This is also especially important for the cheesecake filling. Cold cream cheese won’t turn smooth and instead will have little clumps of unmixed cream cheese.
Don’t overmix the brownies. You’ll notice that we switch from a hand mixer to a rubber spatula when mixing in the dry ingredients. This ensures that the batter doesn’t get over-mixed and that the brownies don’t turn tough. Only just mix until the streaks of flour are gone.
Tools Needed
The Main Ingredients
- Bittersweet chocolate. Don’t use chocolate chips here! They don’t melt very well, which is why I always recommend buying a nice quality chocolate bar and chopping it up. My favorite is the pound-plus chocolate from Trader Joe’s.
- Butter and oil. A combination of butter and oil makes these brownies extra fudgy without compromising that crackly top everyone loves.
- Sugar. A combo of brown and granulated sugar keeps these brownies chewy.
- Eggs. Make sure your eggs are room temperature! If you forgot to set them out, pop them into a bowl of warm (not hot!) tap water for 5ish minutes.
- Cocoa powder. You’ll want to use dutch process cocoa powder as it has the most fat and rich flavor.
- Flour. All-purpose flour is the best move here.
- Baking powder. All you need is a tiny bit just to give the brownies lift.
- Chocolate chips. Optional, but who doesn’t want more chocolate in their brownies? The semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe’s are best.
- Cream cheese. You’ll want to use full-fat brick cream cheese to make the swirled cheesecake topping.
- Sour cream. It’s my secret ingredient for making cheesecake extra creamy.
- Vanilla. Go for the good stuff here!
How to Make Cheesecake Marbled Brownies (an Overview!)
- Make the cheesecake batter. If you brought the sour cream, egg, and cream cheese to room temperature, the cheesecake mixture should whisk together very easily. I prefer using a hand mixer for this, but make sure to not whip the mixture — it just needs to be smooth and lump-free, not full of air.
- Make the brownie batter. It starts with melted chocolate, butter, and oil. I melt the chocolate in a saucepan over medium-low heat, but you can microwave it in short bursts too. Whisk in the wet ingredients, followed by the dry.
Jenny’s Tip: Here’s my big secret to perfectly fudgy, crackly-topped brownies — I whip the eggs and sugar for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy. This is what makes these cheesecake swirled brownies SO good, so just trust me on this!
- If using the chocolate chips, do so now. You’ll want to transfer about 2/3 cup of the brownie batter in a small bowl (this will be used to create the marble effect in a moment). Then, fold in the chocolate chips to the remaining (large) bowl of brownie batter.
- Marble the brownies. Turn the brownie batter into a parchment-lined 8×8 baking dish and spread into an even layer. Pour the cheesecake batter over top, then spoon dots of the reserved brownie batter on top of that. Using a butter knife or toothpick, gently swirl the dots of brownie batter into the cheesecake until you’re happy with how it looks.
- Bake until the cheesecake layer is slightly puffed. It’s hard to tell when brownies are done baking since they’re already very dark in color, but as a general rule of thumb you’re looking for the cheesecake layer to be slightly puffed and set, and for a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out mostly clean.
Jenny’s Tip: Always use a light-colored metal baking pan when baking brownies. Metal conducts heat better than glass or ceramic, which makes the edges chewier and helps the very middle cook through at the same rate. And light colored pans don’t conduct quite as much heat as dark-colored pans, so you won’t have to worry about any scorched edges.
Recipes FAQs
Are these brownies cake-y or chewy?
These cheesecake brownies are decidedly very fudgy and chewy. They’re rich and ultra-chocolatey.
Can I use a boxed brownie mix to make this recipe?
Absolutely! Make sure the brownie batter is the appropriate volume and that they should be baked in an 8×8-inch pan. My favorite brand of boxed brownies is Ghirardelli.
Can I bake these brownies in a 9×13 pan?
If you want to bake these in a 9×13-inch pan, be sure to double the recipe.
If you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Easy Brownies and Bars
- Skillet Brookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Candy Cookie Bars
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
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Cheesecake Marbled Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Brownie Mix
- 4 oz (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, diced
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8×8 metal baking pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the edges for easy removal. Spray with nonstick spray.
- Make the cheesecake filling. In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream until the filling is smooth and no lumps remain. Mix in the egg and vanilla until smooth and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, oil, and chopped bittersweet chocolate. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whip the eggs and sugar. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer to whip for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Finish the brownie mix. Whisk in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs and sugar until smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain. Set aside 2/3 cup of brownie batter in a small bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips to the larger bowl of brownie batter.
- Marble the brownies. Spread the brownie batter in an even layer in the prepared pan. Top with the cheesecake filling and spread in an even layer. Dot the reserved brownie batter over the top of the cheesecake mixture then use a knife or toothpick to create swirls.
- Bake. Transfer to the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cheesecake topping is slightly puffed. Let the cheesecake brownies cool to room temperature. Then, refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Storage Instructions
- To store: I actually like storing them in the fridge so that the cheesecake is cold, but you can also store them at room temperature. Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerated for 3-5 days.To freeze: Cheesecake brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer-safe ziplock bag and frozen for up to 3 months. The combination of plastic wrap and a ziplock bag helps prevent freezer burn. Let the brownies defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.
Rate & Review This Recipe
These are so decadent! I followed the recipe exactly, and they turned out perfectly. Thank you go sharing your delicious recipes.
Greetings! I’m going to try this recipe but I was also wondering if you recommend the brownie part of the recipe for standalone brownies or is it modified from a true brownie recipe to pair with the cheesecake part of it? TIA for your thoughts!
The brownie portion works great for standalone brownies! However, to make sure they aren’t too thin you’d need to increase the quantities of everything by about 25% to account for the missing cream cheese. Hope that helps!