Cream Cheese Nut Brownies
Submitted by ray
Cream cheese marbled brownies with chopped nuts. A sweet chocolate batter swirled with tangy cheesecake filling, topped with more brownie batter, and zigzagged into marble. Old-fashioned bakery classic.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
35 minREADY
60 minCream cheese brownies are a study in contrast. The chocolate batter is dense, fudgy, and almost cake-like; the cream cheese filling is tangy, light, and barely sweet; together, marbled in the same pan, they give you two desserts in one bite.
The technique here is a four-step assembly. Spread half the chocolate batter in the pan, blanket it with the cream cheese filling, dollop the rest of the chocolate batter on top, then drag a spatula through everything in a zigzag to create the marble pattern. Done right, you can see swirls of pale cream cheese running through dark fudgy chocolate all the way through.
A half cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts all work) folded into the chocolate side adds buttery crunch in every square.
Pro Tips
- Soften the cream cheese fully before mixing. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the filling and won’t blend smoothly with the egg and sugar.
- Cool the melted chocolate slightly before mixing into the eggs. Hot chocolate scrambles eggs the same way it scrambles a custard.
- Use a thin, narrow spatula or butter knife for marbling. Big strokes blur the chocolate and cream cheese into a muddy single color; tight zigzags keep the contrast sharp.
- Test for doneness with a gentle press in the center, not a toothpick (the recipe specifies it). The top should spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool fully in the pan before cutting. Warm brownies tear instead of slicing cleanly.
Variations
- Stir 1 teaspoon of espresso powder into the melted chocolate to deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Add 1 cup of fresh raspberries scattered over the cream cheese layer before topping with the chocolate batter.
- Replace nuts with chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate for a triple-chocolate version.
Ingredients
Directions
- Melt the chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave or over very low heat, in a saucepan 2. Blend remaining butter with cheese until softened.
- Gradually add ¼ cup of the sugar, beating well.
- Blend in one egg, 1 tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
- Beat remaining 2 eggs until creamy and thick and light in color. 6 Gradually beat in remaining ¾ cup sugar, beating until thickend.
- Add baking powder, salt and ½ cup flour.
- Blend in cooled chocolate mixture, nuts and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Spread half of the chocolate batter in greased 8 or 9 inch pan.
- Add cheese mixture, spread out evenly.
- Top with tablespoon full of remaining chocolate batter.
- Zigzag a spatula through batter to marble it.
- Bake in 350℉ (180℃) oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly pressed in center.
- Cool, cut into squares.
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