These peanut butter cheesecake brownies combine the best of three worlds with rich chocolate, cheesecake, AND peanut butter. You won’t be able to have just one!
Let’s discuss your new brownie addiction! It involves chocolate, peanut butter, and cheesecake, so some would say we’re absolutely winning today.
Yes, we’re combining all that into one glorious pan of brownies that you will undoubtedly find yourself eating way too many of.
I mean…with those beautiful swirls how could you say no??
We’re using my tried-and-true brownie base recipe for these little gems today and then taking things up a level with a luscious peanut butter cheesecake swirl.
They’re also scary-easy to make, yet look like they came out of a fancy bakery.
These Brownies feature…
- A rich and fudgy texture
- Swirls of creamy peanut butter cheesecake
- Minutes to make and the best of both brownie and cheesecake worlds
Making the Brownies
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted butter
- Bittersweet chocolate chips
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salt
- Cream cheese
- Peanut butter
- 2% or skim milk
Tips for Perfect Brownies
- Melt butter and chocolate together – you can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring occasionally.
- Allow chocolate to cool before adding eggs – letting the chocolate mixture cool first will prevent the eggs from potentially scrambling.
- Gently fold batter – overmixing will lead to dry and tough brownies so use a gentle hand when folding batter.
- Layer brownie batter and cheesecake filling – this will help the cheesecake filling get evenly dispersed throughout the brownies.
- Use a toothpick to swirl – we found a toothpick is the perfect size for getting small beautiful swirls.
- Don’t overbake brownies – bake brownies until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs sticking to it.
- Allow brownies to cool and chill before slicing – this will make for neat cuts.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these brownies.
- Skip the peanut butter – feel free to try other flavors in the cheesecake filling such as a fruit jam, maple syrup, or caramel sauce.
- Add chocolate chips – for an extra chocolate-y kick, top brownies with 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips before baking.
- Add nuts – fold in 1/2 cup toasted and chopped peanuts, pecans or walnuts for an extra nutty addition to brownies.
Storing and Freezing Brownies
Due to the fact that these brownies have a cream cheese swirl, we recommend storing in the refrigerator. Store brownies in an air-tight container in refrigerator up to 6 days.
These brownies also freeze very well up to 2 months. Thaw brownies completely in refrigerator, then slice and serve.
The fudgy brownie texture combined with the rich peanut butter cheesecake swirls is a thing of absolute insanity in these brownies! Suffice to say, you won’t just be having one.
Enjoy your new brownie addiction!
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More brownies to dig into next!
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
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Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Brownie Batter
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and chocolate until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (alternatively, melt in the microwave 1-2 minutes)
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Whisk in melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Gently fold in flour, cocoa, and salt until batter is just combined. Set batter aside.
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl
- In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Scrape half of brownie batter into prepared pan. Spoon dollops of half of cheesecake mixture on top. Use a toothpick to swirl into into the brownie batter. Repeat layers with remaining brownie batter and cheesecake mixture.
- Bake brownies at 350F 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs sticking to it. Cool brownies completely in pan on a wire cooling rack then chill completely before slicing into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 8/31/23.
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