Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

April 21, 2021

An easy brownie recipe with a layer of cheesecake nestled between chocolate layers

I had a comment the other day on a homemade ice cream post saying “I’m not there yet” and it occurred to me that I need some more beginner baker recipes on my website. When I was a teenager, I made a ton of different treats using brownie mix, which is a GREAT way to get into baking. So here is a nice and easy recipe that’s ridiculously delicious.

My best tip for these brownies is to use room temperature cream cheese. Do not attempt to use cold cream cheese; it won’t blend well. Take the cream cheese out of the package and let it sit on a plate on the counter for an hour before making this recipe. You can of course use regular chocolate chips if you prefer but I think the mini is a nice size if you have them on hand.

The only tricky part about this recipe is spreading the layers. Do so gently so they don’t blend together. It will help if you pour or spoon globs of the cream cheese mixture evenly around the brownie layer so you don’t have to work too hard spreading it. Be sure to leave yourself enough brownie mix to cover the cheesecake layer!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies
1 brownie mix (plus water, vegetable oil, egg that your mix calls for)
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8” pan with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, mix brownie mix according to package instructions.
In a separate large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
Pour half of brownie mix into prepared 8” pan using a spatula to spread the brownie mix to the edges.
Spoon dollops of cheesecake mixture around brownie mix, gently spreading it over the brownie layer.
Pour remaining brownie mixture over cheesecake layer, carefully spreading the brownie mix to the edges to cover the cheesecake layer. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least two hours. Store in the fridge.

Note: if you bake this in a 9” pan, the baking time will be shorter. Start checking it around 40 minutes.