Chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting are the perfect combination! This recipe features the best brownie cream cheese frosting on brownies that are perfectly fudgy and delicious. If you love cheesecake brownies, these cream cheese frosting brownies are even better!
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And if you like these brownies with cream cheese topping, you'll love my S'mores Brownies, my Chocolate Beignets, and my Chocolate Olive Oil Cake!
Cream Cheese Frosting Brownies Recipe
These brownies are the best of both worlds. They are so fudgy and chocolatey, and incredibly easy to make. And the best part is that luscious cream cheese browie frosting on top! It's so simple, and it adds the perfect tangy creaminess.
These brownies are based on my Triple Chocolate Brownies, which is my go-to basic brownie recipe that's perfect for any chocolate cravings. But adding in the cream cheese frosting from my Chocolate Spice Cake takes it to another level!
Jump to:
- Cream Cheese Frosting Brownies Recipe
- Are brownies better with or without frosting?
- Best Cream Cheese Icing for Brownies
- Cream Cheese Frosted Brownies Ingredients
- Equipment
- Instructions
- Boxed Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting for Brownies
- Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Top Tip
- Related
- Pairing
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Are brownies better with or without frosting?
I'm a big fan of the crackly top you get when you bake fudgy brownies like my Dairy Free Brownies, but sometimes you just want a little something extra on top. And since cream cheese frosting is my favorite, I'm a huge fan of these chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting!
Adding cream cheese frosting on brownies adds a luxurious layer of goodness on top of a treat that's already amazing on its own!
Best Cream Cheese Icing for Brownies
When I made this frosting for my Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, I knew it would be the best cream cheese frosting for brownies! It's a quick recipe, witth salted butter and cream cheese, and of course some pure vanilla extract for amazing flavor!
If you love cream cheese frosting as much as I do, you'll also want to check out my Confetti Cheesecake Bar Recipe or my Spiced Banana Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting!
Cream Cheese Frosted Brownies Ingredients
These brownies with cream cheese topping are simple to make! Scroll down to the recipe card to see the full measurements and instructions, but here's everything you'll need:
- melted butter - in this recipe, we'll use unsalted butter. Your butter should be melted, but cooled slightly so that it's not too warm when you add it to your batter. If you only have salted butter, that's fine - just decrease the salt to ½ teaspoon.
- eggs - make sure your eggs are room temperature before adding them in.
- vanilla extract - be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- granulated sugar & brown sugar - this combination of sugar gives this brownie recipe the perfect sweetness and chewy texture.
- unsweetened cocoa powder - adds a delicious chocolatey flavor and fudgy texture!
- all-purpose flour - be sure to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale or with the spoon-and-level method.
- espresso powder - this is the secret to bringing out that deep chocolate flavor! If you don't have espresso powder, you can add in a bit of strong brewed coffee.
- salt - offsets all the sweetness in this brownie recipe so well.
- chocolate chips -- I used dark chocolate chips, but semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips are great too in these chocolatey brownies!
And now for the star of the show: that amazing cream cheese frosting!
- cream cheese - make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for your cream cheese frosting -- it shouldn't be so soft as to be mushy or melty, but soft enough to easily be indented with a finger.
- salted butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter, but if you use unsalted butter you can just add in ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- pure vanilla extract - I love the richness of vanilla in this cream cheese frosting!
- powdered sugar - we'll use sifted powdered sugar to add sweetness and texture to our cream cheese frosting!
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
This is one of the easiest mini egg recipes, so it doesn't require and special tools! You'll need a 9x9 baking pan for the brownie recipe, plus a mixing bowl and whisk to whip up the batter. I also like to measure flour with a kitchen scale to ensure accuracy.
For your cream cheese frosting, you'll need either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, and a fine-mesh sieve to sift in your powdered sugar.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions for making this cake, as well as full ingredient measurements and a recipe video! But here's a quick look at how you'll make this recipe!
Add sugars and melted butter to a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
Add eggs and whisk until smooth and fluffy.
Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and fold mixture to combine until smooth.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Spread brownie batter evenly in your prepared 9x9 pan, and bake!
Once brownies are cooled, mix together cream cheese frosting ingredients in a large bowl.
Smooth frosting over cooled brownies, cut, and serve!
Hint: For best results, be sure to let these decadent brownies cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer! This prevents your frosting from melting off!
Boxed Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you're on a time crunch, I totally get it! This cream cheese icing for brownies recipe works with a box brownie mix too! Just make your box mix according to package directions, prepare the frosting recipe, and spread it over your cooled brownies! So easy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting for Brownies
You can definitely turn this frosting recipe into chocolate cream cheese frosting for brownies! Just replace ½ cup of the powdered sugar in the frosting with cocoa powder for even more rich chocolate flavor!
Storage
You can store these cream cheese frosted brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Because of the cream cheese frosting on the brownies, it's not safe to store leftover brownies at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you'd like to freeze these fudgy chocolate brownies with cream cheese topping, you definitely can! Just place them in an airtight container and wrap well with plastic wrap or foil. These delicious brownies will stay fresh in the freezer for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they do! Cream cheese is only safe to be stored at room temperature for a few hours at a time. If you're not planning on serving your brownies in the next couple of hours, be sure to store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Be sure to let these rich chocolate brownies come up to room temperature before serving.
Besides adding this sweet cream cheese frosting for brownies, there are a few ways you can make boxed brownies taste even better!
You can add a little pure vanilla extract to give them a little more flavor, or you can add in a couple of tablespoons of extra cocoa powder to give a little boost of even more chocolatey goodness. And if all else fails, cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch!
If you have leftovers after you frost this cream cheese frosted brownies recipe, you can use your extra cream cheese frosting as a topping for my Apple Mug Cake, or my Mini Vanilla Cake! You can even use it to make my Valentine's Day Cake Pops! Otherwise, it's great for dipping fruit, soft pretzels, or graham crackers!
If you're using frosting for brownies, your brownies should be completely cooled before you add the frosting on top, otherwise the frosting can melt and lose its shape. Even a little warmth at the bottom of the pan can be too much, so I would recommend letting your brownies cool at least a few hours on a wire rack.
Top Tip
These homemade brownies taste best at room temperature. So if you're serving them after refrigerating them, be sure to take your pan of brownies out at least a half hour early.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this cream cheese frosting on brownies? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter - melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar - packed
- ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour - measured by weight with a kitchen scale or with the spoon-and-level method
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) espresso powder - optional; alternatively, you can add a tablespoon of strong coffee
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1 cup (243 g) chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (227 g) full-fat cream cheese - room temperature
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter - 1 stick; room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon (7 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 cups (360 g) powdered sugar - sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9" baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.1 cup unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
- Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.3 large eggs, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sift cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder, and salt into the bowl and fold with rubber spatula until just combined.¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon espresso powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Fold in chocolate chips.1 cup chocolate chips
- Add batter to pan and smooth to the edges. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is set. OR, if you like your brownies extra gooey, check them at 25 minutes and remove from the oven when the center is just barely set.
- Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat softened butter and softened cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix well.8 oz full-fat cream cheese, ½ cup salted butter, 1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Gradually add powdered sugar while mixing on low until combined, starting with 3 cups and adding up to 4 cups total if needed for desired consistency. Turn speed to high and mix another 2 minutes.3-4 cups powdered sugar
- Spread frosting on top of cooled brownies, cut into bars, and serve!
Video
Notes
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting for Brownies - replace ½ cup of the powdered sugar in the frosting with cocoa powder for even more rich chocolate flavor!
Nutrition
Iris says
We LOVE cream cheese frosting. I can't believe this was my first time putting it on brownies 😩 so good!
Chenée Lewis says
Hopefully not the last!
Chenee Lewis says
These brownies are always a big hit in our house! That cream cheese frosting is just perfect.