Frozen Cream Cheese Brownies

Name: Frozen Cream Cheese Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped); 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 5 large eggs; 1/2 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)

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.

Slices of frozen cream cheese brownies on a cutting board.

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Ingredients
How to make cream cheese brownies
Top tips
FAQ
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Recipe

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 butte r involved. Dark chocolate is the best, unless we're making cookie s (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

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
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.
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.

Close up of a frozen cream cheese brownie.

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

Why freeze brownies?

Chocolate tastes differently at different temperatures. Chilled brownies have their own unique, delicious flavor. When chilled, chocolate is both less sweet and less bitter.

Do these brownies need to be frozen?

No, technically these brownies do not need to be frozen. However to get the full experience of this recipe, it's best to enjoy them straight from the freezer!

While I prefer the taste and texture of these brownies straight out of the cold, you are welcome to leave them at room temperature or even warm them up slightly before eating.