Frozen Cream Cheese Brownies

Frozen cream cheese brownies swirled with cream cheese are a rich, crowd pleasing dessert! Best enjoyed straight from the freezer, these brownies are chewy, chocolatey, and perfect for summer.

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I’m not usually a high maintenance person. When it comes to chocolate though? All bets are off. You see, I have some opinions about how I want to enjoy my chocolate.

Milk chocolate is only acceptable if there is peanut butter involved. Dark chocolate is the best, unless we’re making cookies (then it has to be semisweet).

If I’m making brownies, bittersweet chocolate is where it’s at. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and pairs perfectly with rich cream cheese in this decadent frozen brownie recipe.

These brownies are also a great make-ahead dessert because you can make them and then freeze them until you’re ready to serve! Or simply keep a batch in your freezer at all times to snack on when a chocolate craving strikes.

Ingredients

• Bittersweet chocolate
• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Coarse kosher salt
• Cream cheese

How to make cream cheese brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. Melt the chocolate, butter, and brown sugar in a large sauce pan over low heat.
3. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and eggs and combine.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until smooth.
5. Gently fold in spoonfuls of the cream cheese, allowing it to marble the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Allow the brownies to cool before slicing into bars. Place bars in a sturdy zip top bag and store in the freezer. Allow to freeze at least two hours before enjoying.

Top tips

Slice before you freeze

The brownies might be difficult to cut straight out of the freezer, so I recommend slicing them into bars before putting them in the freezer. If you forget to slice before freezing, try taking them out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to make them easier to slice.

Don’t overmix

Dry, dense brownies can be the result of overmixing your batter. You’ll want to mix your eggs in well, but once you add the flour use a gentle hand to fold it in.

It’s important to just stir the batter enough that the flour is incorporated. I usually leave a little flour visible before adding the cream cheese, then finish the gentle mixing to give the batter a marbled effect.

How to know when brownies are done

Remove the brownies from the oven when they’re just set. If you wait too long, the edges will be hard and the brownies will be dry.

Check your brownies for doneness first by jiggling the pan. If the center still moves a lot, they’ll need a few more minutes.

You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or thin knife into the center of the brownies. If it comes out with moist crumbs attached, they’re done. 

Completely wet means you will need more cooking time, and completely clean means you may have let them bake for too long.

How to store brownies

Like the recipe title suggests, store these brownies in the freezer! Let them cool completely, then slice into bars and store them in a freezer safe zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tips for customizing cream cheese brownies

• Add any mixture of favorite chips such as white chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet
• Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon with the dry ingredients
• Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour to make this recipe gluten-free
• Add a dash of instant coffee to the brownies with the sugar
• Fold chopped walnuts into the batter

FAQ

More brownie recipes

• Refrigerator Bakery Brownies
• Single Serve Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cookie
• Vegan Mug Brownie
• Sweet Potato Brownies
• Vegan Single Serving Brownie
• Vegan Zucchini Brownies
• Cream Cheese Ice Box Brownies
• Grandma’s Brownies

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Frozen Cream Cheese Brownies

Deeply chocolate brownies, taken to the next level with cream cheese and a trip to the freezer!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

Calories: 598kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

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Ingredients

• ▢ 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 5 large eggs
• ▢ ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and whipped with a little heavy cream if desired

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter an 8×8 inch baking pan.
• Melt the chocolate, butter, and brown sugar in a large sauce pan over low heat.
• Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and eggs and combine.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until smooth.
• Gently fold in spoonfuls of the cream cheese, allowing it to marble the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging.
• Allow the brownies to cool before slicing into bars. Place bars in a sturdy zip top bag and store in the freezer. Allow to freeze at least two hours before enjoying straight from the cold.

Notes

Adapted from Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook

 

Nutrition

Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 3.5mg

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