These Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Brownies combine your love of classic chocolate brownies with a chocolate chip cream cheese filling that's swirled together into a delicious marbled masterpiece! They're rich and decadent and will satisfy any serious chocolate cravings in no time!
This chocolate chip cream cheese brownies recipe is adapted from my Black Bottom Cupcakes, which have been a Beyond the Butter® reader favorite!
The recipe is made in an 8-inch square pan, giving you approximately 16 squares of decadent brownies. And I'm not joking when I say they're decadent. With just one brownie, you'll be satisfied! I love them, and I hope you do as well!
And if you love this brownie recipe, definitely check out my fudgy brownie bites with chocolate mascarpone whipped cream, pumpkin frosted brownies, double chocolate mint brownies, and the best salted pecan pie brownies from the recipe box!
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Ingredients Needed
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream Cheese. Make sure it's the brick-style cream cheese and not in a container. It's also good to have this softened to room temperature.
- Sour Cream. Use regular sour cream at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar. You can also use organic cane sugar.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Good quality chocolate chips are recommended for the filling, but use what you have on hand. Save some extra to sprinkle across the top before baking the brownies.
Chocolate Brownies
- All-Purpose Flour. You can use your favorite all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent to help give the brownies a nice moist yet slightly cake-like texture. Don't worry; these are still fudgy!
- Salt. Just a pinch.
- Eggs. 2 large-size eggs are needed and at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract to help round out the flavors.
- Granulated Sugar. Just as above, granulated sugar can be substituted for organic cane sugar.
- Dark Chocolate. A good quality bar of 60-70% dark chocolate is preferred.
- Unsalted Butter. No need to worry about this being at room temperature because it gets melted together with the dark chocolate.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. You can also use a dark chocolate cocoa powder, such as Hershey's Special Dark. This gets folded into the melted mixture.
Substitutions
Milk Chocolate Chips. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use milk chocolate chips or try another favorite, like butterscotch, salted caramel, or peanut butter.
Other Substitutions. I did not test this recipe using any egg substitutes, alternative flour, sugars, or cocoa powders.
For super fudgy chocolate chip cream cheese brownies, you can omit the baking powder.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a brief overview of how to make this chocolate chip cream cheese brownies recipe. For the full printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Step 1. Prep all of your ingredients. Measure everything out, preheat your oven, and get your 8-inch baking pan prepped. Doing all these things before starting the recipe will help move things along much faster!
Step 2. Make the cream cheese filling. I used my hand mixer and medium size mixing bowl for this part. You want the filling to be nice and creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips at the end.
Make sure to save a few to sprinkle over the top before baking them.
Step 3. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This includes all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 4. Melt the chocolate and butter. You can either do this in the microwave, double boiler, or a bain-marie. Once smooth and fully melted, stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder.
If using a double boiler or bain-marie, remove the melted mixture from the heat first before stirring in the cocoa powder.
Step 5. Whisk the wet ingredients together. This includes the eggs, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. You can use a whisk and a medium-sized mixing bowl for this part.
Step 6. Combined everything together. First, add the melted chocolate mixture to the wet ingredients with a whisk. Then, stir in the dry ingredients using a spatula. Very important step—reserve ½ cup of the brownie batter and put it into a mixing bowl. I recommend reusing the bowl you used to melt the chocolate.
Step 7. Spoon the batter and filling into the pan. With a spatula, spoon the brownie batter into the pan. The brownie batter will be on the thicker side. Then top with the cream cheese filling.
Step 8. Top with reserved batter and swirl. Make sure to heat up the ½ cup of reserved brownie batter for 30-45 seconds before dolloping it on top of the chocolate chip cream cheese filling. Use a butter knife to create the swirl pattern. Sprinkle on the extra chocolate chips.
Step 9. Bake and cool. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350ºF. Remove and let them cool completely before cutting them.
Storage
Any leftover chocolate chip cream cheese brownies should be refrigerated and kept in a well-sealed food container for up to 3 days. To freeze the brownies, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then keep them in a well-sealed container for up to 1 month.
Top Tips
Add a parchment paper sleeve. This an easy way to remove your chocolate chip cream cheese brownies for cutting and also protect your baking pan. You can overlap two sheets of paper or use just one.
Spray your pan first with some flour-based baking spray, then add the parchment paper sleeve(s).
Make the chocolate chip cream cheese filling first. You don't want your brownie batter to sit around after you've made it, so having your cream cheese filling done first is key. This way, you can immediately add the batter to the baking pan, followed by the filling, dollop the reserved brownie batter over the top, swirl, then bake!
Don't over-mix your brownie batter. The more you mix, the more air you'll incorporate into the batter, which can lead to brownies that are more like a dry cake. For the best brownies, mix until the whisked dry mixture has just blended in with the rest of the brownie batter.
Warm up the reserved brownie batter. To make it easier to swirl, heat the reserved brownie batter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Use a butter knife. Use a butter knife to swirl the reserved brownie batter into the chocolate chip cream cheese filling.
Add some extra chocolate chips. Save some of your semi-sweet chocolate chips to sprinkle over the top of your cream cheese brownies before baking.
Check your oven temperature. It's an inexpensive tool that can save you a lot of heartaches when baking or cooking by making sure your oven has calibrated to the correct temperature.
Let them cool. The hardest part, especially when these smell so good after baking, is letting the black-bottom brownies cool completely (about 1 hour).
FAQs
No, this brownie recipe is baked immediately after you've made them.
In place of the unsweetened cocoa powder, you can use the same amount of dark chocolate cocoa powder instead.
This makes it easier to dollop and swirl over the top of the chocolate chip cream cheese filling layer.
Yes. You should still be able to spread it out in the baking pan though.
More Desserts to Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Brownies
Author:Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
- ½ cup Sour Cream (room temperature)
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Brownies
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 oz Dark Chocolate (melted)
- 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (melted)
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with a flour-based baking spray. Line with parchment paper sling, if desired then lightly respray.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add in the sour cream and granulated sugar, mixing until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Set to the side.4 oz Cream Cheese, ½ cup Sour Cream, ¼ cup Granulated Sugar, 4 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Microwave the dark chocolate and unsalted butter together in 45 second to 1 minute increments at 50% power, stirring each time, until smooth and melted. Stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder. Set to the side.4 oz Dark Chocolate, 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and granulated sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if needed.2 Large Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- Using a whisk, add in the melted chocolate mixture. Then fold in the whisked dry mixture with a spatula stirring until just combined.
- Reserve ½ cup of the brownie batter for topping.
- To the prepared 8 inch square baking pan, add the brownie batter (minus the reserved ½ cup) and spread out with a spatula.
- Top with the chocolate chip cream cheese filling.
- Microwave the reserved brownie batter for 15-30 seconds then, with a spoon, add dollops of the warm batter over the top of the chocolate chip cream cheese filling. With a butter knife, swirl through the brownie batter and cream cheese filling to create a marbled pattern. Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick (the brownie parts only) comes out with only brownie crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for about an hour before cutting them.
- Keep leftover brownies in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Brownies can be kept in the freezer by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap then storing them in a well sealed container for up to 1 month.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Anu says
hi, this looks delicious. I would like to make this but my pan is rectangular cake pan 9" * 13" *2". what modifications do I need to make. can I use the same amount of batter? what temperature and howuch time it needs to be baked for. looking fwd to your response. thanks much!
Jennifer says
For a 9 x 13 pan size, you would double the recipe. You wouldn't need to adjust the oven temp or time, but I would begin to check on them at the first recommended bake time noted in the recipe card.
Kat says
hi, can I half this recipe to make 8 brownies? asking because I only have 2 ounces of cream cheese laying around 😋
Jennifer says
Hi! Sure, if you have a pan that will work for that amount of brownies.