After endlessly debating whether to whip up brownies or a cheesecake, we ended up baking Cheesecake Brownies to satisfy two cravings at one go. Whether you want to surprise your dessert loving family or make something to treat yourself on a cheat day, whether cooking for guests or for special days, our cheesecake brownie recipe is the best you can bake.
To make these kid-friendly chocolate cheesecake brownies we make two batters – a cheesecake batter and a brownie batter, using ingredients such as eggs, cooking chocolate (preferably bitter-sweet), sugar, vanilla essence or extract, chocolate chunks, cocoa powder, all-purpose flour (maida), cream cheese et al. While you may find many of these ingredients for these cream cheese brownies stocked in your pantry, you could easily buy the others from your regular supermarket or order them online.
These two-layered cheesecake brownies have gooey and fudgy brownie as the bottom layer, with an equally delicious cheesecake layer on top. When you indulge in this this cream cheese brownie recipe you get the goodness of both your favourite desserts – the best fudgy brownies and the best cheesecake rolled into one toothsome bite.
To ensure that these cheesecake brownies are a hit, you need to precisely measure the ingredients. The chocolate and butter should be completely melted before you go on to add powdered sugar, lightly beaten eggs, cocoa powder, and all-purpose flour (maida). While mixing the last four ingredients for the brownie batter, ensure each of them gets incorporated into the batter well before adding the next ingredient. After adding the vanilla extract, fold in the chocolate chips or chunks, depending on what is available to you easily. We prefer chocolate chunks that are roughly broken with a mallet, hammer, or a heavy ladle (do this while the chocolate is still sealed in the packet) – it makes for a much more interesting brownie with each bite carrying a varying amount of chocolate.
We often get asked - is it okay to eat raw brownie batter? Kids do like licking cake batter bowls clean, but we won’t advise this as this batter contains raw eggs.
Fun fact: Brownies were first made in the United States towards the end of the 19th century.
Brownies are usually eaten warm with ice-cream and kids like them with a glass of cold milk. They are popularly served in cafes in many variations and pair well with coffee too.
Legend has it that a Chicago socialite called Bertha Palmer ordered her pastry chef to make a dessert for the ladies. She requested them to be cake-like but in smaller pieces which could be packed in lunch boxes. This resulted in the creation of what is known as Palmer House Brownie and contains walnuts and a delectable apricot glaze. Till date, the new Palmer House Hotel serves Palmer House Brownies made with the same old recipe.
To make the cheesecake batter right, the cream cheese, eggs, and powdered sugar need to be combined well using a whisk, or you could use your stand mixer at a low to medium speed. Ensure that the batter doesn’t get over-mixed if using a stand mixer. Add vanilla extract and proceed with the cheesecake brownies recipe. You could also watch our guided video for the brownies with cheese recipe which will take you through each of the steps.
After you are done making the best brownies of your life, you may want to experiment a little the next time you make them. If you have made them using choco chips, use chocolate chunks the next time round. If you have strawberry jam or plum jam, swirl in 1 tablespoon of either of them into the cheesecake batter for colourful and more flavourful brownies which the kids will love. If you are madly devoted to chocolate, add a few chocolate chips to the cheesecake batter. The creative process can stretch as far as your imagination but don’t deviate too far from our recipe as ingredient measurements matter while making these cheesecake brownies at home.
Brownies can be fudgy or cakey and this depends on your fat to flour ratio. More butter means more fudgy brownies but if you add more flour and baking powder your brownies will turn cakey. How to make brownies well? You can simply use the brownie batter recipe from our homemade cheesecake brownie recipe to make fudgy chocolate brownies if you so desire.
These cheesecake brownies can be eaten at any time of the day. You could serve them with coffee or tea. Though they don’t require any garnish but if you wish you could garnish them with chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, or both.
While our cheesecake brownies taste delicious when eaten right away, you could opt to store them by freezing them. To freeze the brownies wrap them individually in plastic cling wrap. For a mid-week treat pull one cheesecake brownie out of the freezer and warm it after removing the cling wrap. When stored this way the brownies can last up to 20 days.
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