My Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect end to any meal. Rich, fudgy squares are peppered with pockets of melty milk chocolate and topped with a lusciously smooth and tangy buttercream for an outrageously delicious treat.
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I might be a professionally trained pastry chef, but my love for baking began long before I attended culinary school. Cookies, brownies, and bars were undoubtedly my gateway to the wide world of sweets, and to this day, they remain some of my favorites. I mean, honestly—who doesn’t love a handheld bite of homemade chocolate-y goodness that reminds you of childhood!?
Whether you go for triple chocolate gourmet brownies with caramel, a layered brownie ice cream cake, or fudge brownie ice cream, one thing is certain—brownies just make life better. So, next time you have an awful, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, you’ve got to try these brownies with cream cheese icing. The combo of deep dark chocolate and tangy-sweet frosting is 🤌perfection!
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Frosted Brownies Recipe
- Fantastically Fudgy - Between the ooey gooey chocolate center and thick, creamy frosting, these brownies are a study in delicious indulgence.
- Bold & Beautiful - I adore the contrast of the dark, almost black brownies with white frosting. It’s a lovely visual indicator of the deliciousness to come! They’re a stunning addition to any dessert table.
- Made with Basics - If I were a betting gal, I’d guess you have at least half of what you need to make these decadent brownies in your pantry already. If you don’t, there’s nothing too outlandish—you should be able to find everything in the baking aisle of a regular grocery store.
🍴Ingredients
- Semisweet Chocolate & Milk Chocolate - Adding melted semisweet chocolate to the brownie batter gives it a hyper-fudgy flavor, while chunks of milk chocolate add texture and sweetness. I recommend using high-quality bar-style chocolate or chocolate fevés rather than chocolate chips for better meltability.
- Black Cocoa Powder - This special cocoa imbues the brownies with extra chocolate flavor and a gorgeous ebony color. If you don’t have any on hand, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is preferred over conventional. I’ll tell you why in the expert tips below!
- Egg & Egg Yolks - Using more yolks than eggs helps to achieve the rich, fudgy brownie texture we’re after.
- Neutral Oil - I recommend using heart-healthy avocado or canola oil, but other neutrally-flavored options like vegetable or corn oil will also do the trick.
- Greek Yogurt - For adding moisture and acidity, both of which contribute to the brownies’ impossibly gooey texture. Sour cream is a great 1-to-1 substitute.
- Vanilla Extract - Pure vanilla adds a warm aroma that screams “dessert!” You’re welcome to use an equal amount of vanilla paste or vanilla powder instead.
- All-Purpose Flour - Plain white flour is all you need. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, make sure to use the spoon & sweep method for proper measurement.
- Cream Cheese - Make sure you’re reaching for full-fat block-style cream cheese. You can also use slightly lighter Neufchatel cheese if you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar - This snowy white sweetener is essential for getting a perfectly smooth cream cheese frosting consistency.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-Free - Swap in your favorite vegan butter, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt or sour cream, and use oat milk chocolate instead!
- Gluten-Free - While I haven’t tried it myself, I’m fairly confident you can make these cream cheese-frosted brownies with your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Just make sure to let the batter rest for 30-45 minutes before baking to give it time to properly rehydrate and avoid a gritty consistency.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
📖 How to Make Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make Brownie Batter. Mix together your brownie batter and sift in your dry ingredients, whisking until homogenous. Then add your chocolate chunks before pouring into a prepared pan.
Step 2: Bake. Bake and remove the luscious brownies from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares. If you prefer extra sharp edges, allow the brownies to cool further in the fridge for about an hour on a wire rack before cutting!
Step 3: Make Cream Cheese Frosting. While the brownies are baking, whip up your dreamy cream cheese buttercream.
Step 4: Cool & Frost. After the brownies are done baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Once they are cool to the touch, frost the brownies with the cream cheese icing, using the back of a spoon to make pretty swirls.
Step 5: Garnish & Serve. Lightly dust with cocoa powder if you like, then cut into squares and dig in!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Baking Tips
- Eggs First - Eggs are much easier to separate when they’re still cold from the fridge, but they’ll mix into your batter more easily if they come to room temp. Separate them as your first stage of prep to give them time to warm up. Also, don’t toss those whites! Freeze them for later so you can make a Swiss meringue pavlova or batch of French macarons.
- Cuckoo for Cocoa Powder - When it comes to cocoa powder, not all are created equally. I prefer using black cocoa powder here, but any will do. Here is how they differ:
- Cacao powder is made by cold-pressing and milling raw cacao beans. It is the most acidic variety with a pH of 5.2-6.5. It has a pale brown color and an intense chocolate flavor with bitter undertones.
- Conventional (a.k.a. “natural”) cocoa powder is simply made by grinding roasted cacao beans, offering a strong and fruity chocolate flavor. It also has a pale brown color and is relatively acidic with a pH of 5-6—this makes it good for recipes that use baking soda.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder is processed with an alkaline solution to neutralize its natural acidity, and has a milder, earthier chocolate flavor than conventional. It’s darker brown and has a neutral pH of 7—not ideal for recipes with baking soda unless another acid is added. It also tends to dissolve into liquids and batters more readily than conventional cocoa.
- Black cocoa powder is the darkest and most alkaline of them all, and is sometimes referred to as “ultra-processed Dutch” cocoa. This is the cocoa used for making Oreos, and my preferred cocoa for this brownie recipe. It has a neutral to slightly alkaline pH of 7-8 and deep, dark, slightly bitter chocolate flavor.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If you have any leftovers, cover them tightly with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. They will keep well at room temperature for a few hours, but should be refrigerated for longer-term storage because of the dairy in the frosting. They should keep for up to a week.
Sure! I recommend slicing them into squares first, putting them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan without touching, and freezing until firm. Once frozen, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. They should keep for up to 3 months. To enjoy, unwrap and let defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour or two.
Are peanut butter sandwiches good with jam? Is ice cream good with hot fudge? Do you like to party? In case you’re not following, the answer is subjective, but also YES. In my opinion, brownies and cream cheese go together like Calvin & Hobbes.
Using two long criss-crossing pieces of parchment to line your pan ensures you can lift out the entire batch with nary a crumb lost. Is your parchment not behaving? Crinkle it up into a tight ball, then smooth it back out—now it should do your bidding. If the wings of the sling are getting in your way when it’s time to pour in the batter, clip them to the sides using binder clips!
More Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love
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Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Triple Chocolate Brownies
- 5 ounces (140 g) Semisweet chocolate , roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) Unsalted butter
- 1 Egg, large
- 2 Egg yolks, large
- ½ cup (112 g) Neutral oil, avocado, canola
- ¼ cup (50 g) Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g) Granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 cup (120 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21 g) Black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup (130 g) Milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ Cup (57 g) Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 Cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (150 g) Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract , or vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt, optional
- 1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder for garnish
Instructions
Triple Chocolate Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 inch pan then line with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler over low heat, taking care not to overheat by mixing throughout the process. Once melted, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool until the temperature is lukewarm.5 ounces Semisweet chocolate, 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- Whisk together the egg, egg yolks, oil, greek yogurt, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Mix in the chocolate and butter combination then add sugars and whisk to combine.1 Egg, 2 Egg yolks, ½ cup Neutral oil, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoons Vanilla extract, ½ cup Granulated sugar, ½ cup Brown Sugar
- Sift the all-purpose flour and black cocoa powder into the bowl with wet ingredients and add kosher salt. Fold everything together until the flour has been incorporated before adding chocolate and folding once more with a spatula.1 cup All-purpose flour, ¼ cup Black cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 cup Milk chocolate
- Bake the brownies for 23-25 minutes - you should see that the tops of the brownies are no longer wet, but still quite soft when you gently press on them. If you’re feeling scientific, shoot for an internal temp of 180-190F with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares and enjoying. If you prefer extra sharp edges, allow the brownies to cool further in the fridge for about an hour before cutting!
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy.¼ Cup Cream Cheese, 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- Scrape down the sides, then add in the powdered sugar slowly, salt and vanilla paste/vanilla extract.1 Cup Powdered Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of your cooled brownies, and dust with cocoa powder before enjoying!1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder for garnish
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