Fudgy brownies, topped with a cheesecake frosting and fresh strawberries makes these cheesecake brownies absolute perfection!
Cheesecake Brownies
Brownies come in all varieties, and believe me, I am HERE FOR IT! 🙂 A good brownie any shape or flavor is EVERYTHING! My Smores Brownies and Caramel Brownies are a dream. But these cheesecake brownies are as good as it gets!
Don’t get scared off by the layers here, this brownie is super simple! The secret is the no bake cheesecake frosting!
So even if you are in a hurry and need to use a brownie mix for the base, it is a breeze to turn them into something extra special by adding this delicious cheesecake frosting and strawberry halves to make this dessert complete.
What is in the Homemade Brownie?
A perfect homemade brownie is made up of pantry staples. Plain old ingredients put together in just the right way to make the ultimate fudgy brownie.
- Butter- I use salted butter when I make this recipe, mostly because that is what I have on hand.
- Sugars- You will use both granulated and brown sugar in this recipe. The brown sugar helps keep the brownies moist and give a great texture!
- Eggs
- Vanilla- Sometimes it seems strange to use vanilla in a chocolate recipe, but vanilla really enhances the chocolate flavor!
- Flour- All purpose flour is great! Nothing fancy needed for this recipe.
- Cocoa Powder- This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. This is for a sweeter, more milk chocolatey brownie. If you want your brownie a little darker, add a little extra cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Chocolate Chips- The recipe calls for milk chocolate chips, because that is what I prefer. But use whatever chocolate chips you like.
What is in the Cheesecake Frosting?
The star of the cheesecake frosting is definitely the cream cheese! A hint of vanilla and the right amount of powdered sugar make this frosting taste exactly like a delicious bite of cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese- Just a regular brick of cream cheese, none of that fancy whipped stuff! But you will want the cream cheese to be at room temperature and soft.
- Butter
- Vanilla- The vanilla gives the frosting that perfect cheesecake flavor.
- Powdered Sugar- This is definitely a must have when it comes to homemade frosting. If you don’t have any on hand, you will need to run to the store, or bribe a neighbor with a delicious brownie.
- Salt
How to make Homemade Brownies
In either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. When your mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Finally, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Once you add the flour to the eggs you DO NOT want to overmix. Overmixing will make your brownies more cakey, we are looking for a fudgy brownie. Fold in your chocolate chips.
Pour your brownie mixture into parchment lined 9×9 pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. The brownies will still be slightly jiggly in the center when they come out of the oven but they will pass the clean toothpick test. Overbaking will result in dry crumbly brownies, which we do not want!
Allow the brownies to sit in the pan until completely cool. This will take a few hours. I know it is tough but it is important to be patient in this process. You don’t want to rush it and have all that delicious cheesecake frosting melt.
How to make Cheesecake Frosting
The frosting is as simple as it gets. Once your brownies have cooled just add all the frosting ingredients together and mix at a medium high speed until smooth and creamy.
You can frost the entire pan and then cut, or you can frost each individual brownie. Either way is great. Finally, top the cut brownie with a sliced strawberry and serve!
How to store Brownies
Store these brownies in the fridge for up to 4 days. This will keep your brownies fudgy and your frosting nice and cheesecakey!
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More Amazing Brownie Recipes
Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Cheesecake Frosting
Other Ingredients
- 8 strawberries cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter for 20-30 seconds, until the butter is mostly melted. Add both sugars to the bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, mix thoroughly.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add all dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt) to the bowl and mix until just coombined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread until equally distributed.B
- ake at 350° for 25-30 mintues. The center will still by slighlty giggly, that is okay! Allow the brownies to cool complelety in the pan.
- Once the brownies are completley cool, add all of the frosting ingredients to a bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Frost the brownies and top with strawberry halves. Cut and serve.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Richard Tunner says
Awesome, it looks so beautiful and delicious. I will try to make rely on your recipe. Thanks for sharing it!