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Homemade Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

byMarissa Updated on

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These chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting are fudgy and chewy and seriously chocolatey.

This recipe is inspired by my Baltic heritage, where fruit often finds its way into baking, especially in the cream cheese frosting. I use strawberries, lemon and lingonberries (brūklenes in Latvian) to make it extra special, and of course, there are also classic vanilla and chocolate options.

This homemade chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe is way better than boxed brownies and so easy to make from scratch. All you need are basic ingredients and your skillet.

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Five chewy chocolate brownies with vanilla or chocolate cream cheese frosting on a beige plate.
Chewy, fudge brownies with cream cheese frosting. More flavors below!

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This is one of those recipes that I make when I want to make something special, but don’t have the time to do anything complicated. The fudgy chocolate brownies are so easy to make in one pan/skillet (no bowls to clean up).

While it’s baking in the oven, I whip up the cream cheese frosting, add whatever flavorings I feel like using (super easy) and put the cream cheese icing in the fridge until the brownies are done and cooled and I can frost them. That’s it. Done.

If you would like to up the protein, you can top them with cottage cheese frosting as well. Same great flavor, but lighter in texture from the whipped cottage cheese.

At a glance: Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich, chewy brownies topped with a silky, tangy cream cheese frosting. You’ll melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder together, fold in sugar, eggs, vanilla and then flour, then bake in a skillet, 8×8, 9×9 or 9×13 pan until just set (about 25 minutes). While they cool, whip up the quick frosting with cream cheese, a touch of butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add flavorings if you like.
Chill, slice, and serve for an easy make-ahead dessert that keeps beautifully for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Table of contents

I really hope you love this easy chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe!

If you do, I would really love it if you could leave a star rating and comment in the comments section below or from the recipe card. 🥰

Four chocolate brownies on small plate, cup of coffe and stand with more chocolate brownies with cream cheese flavaors in chocolate, strawberry, lingonberry and vanilla flavors.
So easy to make delicious cream cheese frosting flavors: Chocolate, strawberry, lemon, vanilla and lingonberry.

Why you’ll love this easy chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe:

  • Fudgy, chewy brownies that aren’t dry or cakey
  • Lower sugar, so you can taste the chocolate, not just the sugar
  • Café-style baking at home: This chocolate brownie with cream cheese frosting looks fancy and tastes amazing, but is super easy to make
  • Any skillet or pan size will do: Bake in your cast iron skillet, 8 x 8, 9 x 9 or 9 x 12 pan
  • Multiple frosting options: vanilla, strawberry, lemon, lingonberry or chocolate cream cheese frosting.
  • The lingonberry cream cheese frosting is inspired by my Latvian roots (Brūklenes in Latvian). It’s sweet, tart, creamy, and completely unforgettable. You can buy pots of lingonberry jam at Ikea. If you ever wondered what to do with them, lingonberry cream cheese frosting is amazing!
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Tools you will use

Ingredients

For full instructions see recipe card below.

For the Homemade Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate, chocolate chips, eggs, flour, brown and white sugar, vanilla, butter, oil, instant coffee in small glass jars on a wooden board.
  • Unsalted butter – Unsalted is best, because this allows you to control how salty the brownies are. And some cream cheeses are naturally a bit salty, so if you can, use unsalted butter.
  • Neutral oil – I use light olive oil, vegetable oil also works. This is to give a little added moistness to the brownies. You can skip it if you like and just use butter.
  • Dark chocolate – Any good quality chocolate or baking chocolate will work. Here in Australia, I often use Cadbury Old Gold, which is similar to Hersheys dark chocolate. Lindt excellence 70% is lovely. You can also just use semi-sweet chocolate chips. See FAQ section for suggestions.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder – boosts the chocolate flavor a bit. You can use plain cocoa powder or dutch processed. If you’re out of cocoa powder, I have a fudgy brownie recipe that skips it entirely.
  • Brown sugar – for sweetness and moisture. The total sugar in this recipe is lower than many popular brownie recipes and the brown sugar gives it that extra flavor boost fro the sugar we do use.
  • White sugar – for sweetness and structure
  • Eggs – to hold it all together
  • Vanilla extract – flavor booster. I use a bit extra so I need less sugar.
  • Expresso/coffee powder (optional) – it helps boost the chocolate flavor
  • All-purpose flour
  • Sea salt – I use sea salt, so if you use regular salt, use a bit less.
  • Chocolate chips or chunks (optional) – if you want chocolate chip brownies with cream cheese frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, strawberries, cocoa, vanilla, lemon juice in small glass bowls on wooden board.
You can make vanilla cream cheese frosting or berry, lemon or chocolate cream cheese frosting!
  • Cream cheese: The kind in the block, not the spreadable stuff you get in a tub.
  • Unsalted butter: It helps it hold its shape and makes it creamier
  • Vanilla extract: Real vanilla extract does taste better, vanilla puree is even better, but you can use imitation
  • Powdered sugar or maple syrup: I prefer to use maple syrup, but if I have to transport them or if it’s a very warm day, I’ll use powdered sugar as it helps the cream cheese hold its shape better. Today it was over 80 degrees, so I used powdered sugar.

Cream cheese frosting flavors

I love to make brownie bites with cream cheese frosting in different flavors.

  • Vanilla: You can add a bit extra vanilla extract if you want to intensify the taste.
  • Chocolate: Flavor with cocoa or cacao powder. The dark chocolate kind you bake with. Regular cocoa powder or dutch processed baking powder.
  • Strawberry: Or raspberry or any other jam flavor. Try strawberry purée or jam. I show you how to make your own (easy) or you can use store bought purée or just use strawberry jam.
  • Lemon: Lemon zest and juice
  • Lingonberry: Lingonberry jam. Mine is from Ikea. They sell it all over the world. Mix a couple of spoonfuls with the cream cheese for a Baltic/Scandinavian taste!
Four fudgy chocolate brownies on a plate with vanilla, lingonberry, strawberry and chocolate cream cheese icing.
These chocolate brownies with cream cheese icing are so pretty!

How to Make Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting from Scratch

Quick instructions: Melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a skillet. Then add the eggs one by one and the vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt. Bake directly in the skillet or 9 x 9 or 9 x 12 pan at 175°C/350°F. In the meantime, whip cream cheese and butter, add powdered sugar and vanilla and flavors if using. Frost the completely cooled brownies.

You’ll want to gather your ingredients before you start, as this homemade brownie recipe works best if you move quickly.

Baking directly in your Skillet vs Baking Dish: Using a skillet gives you these rustic circle brownies, that you serve like thin slices of cake (makes a great birthday cake!). Baking in the pan gives you neat chocolate brownie bites or squares that slice easily and are easy to transport in the pan.

  1. Line your pan (if using) and gather your ingredients. You can either bake directly in your cast iron or oven proof skillet or transfer to a 9 x 12 or 9 x 9 pan. If using a pan, line it with parchment paper or grease lightly. Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
Melting butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in cast iron skillet on the left and on the right side melted ingredients combined.
  1. Melt butter, neutral oil, cocoa powder and chocolate until smooth. Use a fork or whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Remove from heat immediately.
On the left side, adding white and brown sugar to melted chocolate mixture and on the right side all the ingredients smoothly mixed in a skillet.
  1. Add brown and white sugars and mix vigorously. Then beat in eggs, one at a time and quickly, so they don’t have time to “cook” in the chocolate mixture. You don’t want bits of cooked egg! Finally, add vanilla extract and expresso/coffee powder.
left side image of adding flour and salt to brownie mixture and right side a smooth brownie mixture in a skillet.
  1. Add flour and salt and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Don’t over-mix. Stop when it’s just mixed in.
On left side, brownie batter in square tin with scattered chocolate chips and on right side, the chocolate chips are mixed in.
  1. Fold in chocolate chunks or chips if using, or scatter them on the top and gently push them in with a fork. This chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe works equally well with or without the chocolate chips.
  2. Either bake directly in your cast iron skillet or pour the brownie batter into your pan. Bake 22-28 minutes depending on the size of your pan.

How to know when your homemade chocolate brownie is done: A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not dry. Don’t over-bake! They continue to set as they cool, giving you that fudgy texture.

Fudgy chocolate brownie in square tin lined with parchment paper.
Make sure the brownies are just set. Don’t overbake if you want fudgy brownies.

Cooling guide: The Secret to Perfect Frosting

This step is super important. You need to cool your brownies before frosting them otherwise the frosting will melt, or at least not hold its shape on the brownies. This is the minimum time you will need to cool them.

Table with 4 columns and rows showing the cooling time for the brownies for various pan sizes.
Make sure you cool the brownies completely before frosting them.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

It takes literally 5 minutes to make the basic vanilla cream cheese frosting and another minute to make each flavored cream cheese frosting. Just divide the original base frosting into little bowls and flavor with chocolate, strawberry jam or puree, lemon, or lingonberry. Lingonberry is the best cream cheese frosting for brownies. Tangy and super yum!

Whipped cream cheese and butter in a bowl, whipped cream cheese and added sugars in bowl, three little bowls with flavored cream cheese frosting.
It is super easy to make flavored cream cheese frosting.
  1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth (hand mixer or stand mixer).
  2. Add powdered sugar (or maple syrup) and flavoring: vanilla, lemon, cocoa or strawberry puree.
Chocolate brownie cut into four rows and each row is frosted with a different cream cheese frosting including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and lingonberry cream cheese frosting.
So easy to frost the chewy chocolate brownies with chocolate, strawberry, lingonberry or vanilla cream cheese frosting.
  1. Spread over fully cooled brownies with a rubber spatula or knife.
  2. Chill for 15-20 before slicing to get cleaner slices.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Notes

To make the strawberry cream cheese frosting, you just mix the vanilla cream cheese icing with the strawberry jam or puree. For the strawberry puree (or any berry puree for that matter), you can buy store bought puree/fruit spread or just use jam, but you can also make it yourself for the best flavor. Here is how to do it:

  • Prep strawberries: Wash, hull and chop into smaller pieces.
  • Simmer with a splash of water and a tiny bit of sugar for 5-8 minutes, until it thickens up. You will need to stir pretty constantly so it does not stick to the bottom or burn.
  • Cool completely (you can transfer to a bowl and put it in the fridge to speed things up).
  • Optional: Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice to the puree to enhance the icing flavor.
  • Add a couple of teaspoons to the cream cheese mixture and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to harden up again.

Lingonberry Cream Cheese Frosting Notes

  • Lingonberries are similar to cranberries, but milder and sweeter. More like a cross between a cranberry and a raspberry. They grow wild in Nordic forests. Their tartness balances the rich chocolate of the brownie.
  • Lingonberry fruit spread is sold pretty much worldwide. Otherwise, you can get lingonberries and lingonberry jam in specialty stores.
  • To make lingonberry cream cheese frosting, all you need to do is make the vanilla cream cheese frosting and add a couple of spoonfuls of lingonberry jam. Easy!
Homemade brownie with lingonberry cream cheese frosting on pink plate.
Chocolate brownie with lingonberry cream cheese frosting.

If you liked this homemade chocolate brownies with cream cheese icing recipe, you may like these easy chocolatey recipes:

Storage

  • Store the homemade chocolate brownies and cream cheese frosting in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
  • Freeze leftover brownies for 1-2 months, but only if they are unfrosted. Then you can frost them when they are defrosted.
  • These chocolate brownies with cream cheese icing actually taste better the next day and are best served at room temperature.

Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting FAQ

Yes. Cream cheese frosting contains dairy, so frosted brownies should be stored in the refrigerator if not eaten within a couple of hours. Keep them in an airtight container; they’ll stay fresh for 3–4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.

Always wait until brownies are completely cooled to room temperature (~20–22 °C / 68–72 °F). If you frost them while warm, the cream cheese frosting can melt or slide off. For very fudgy brownies, you can also chill them 10–15 minutes in the fridge before frosting to make spreading easier.

For neat, café-style brownie bites or squares:

  • Use a long, sharp knife.
  • Warm the knife under hot water, wipe dry, then cut.
  • Chill frosted brownies 15–20 minutes before slicing.
  • Wipe the knife clean between cuts.
    This method ensures sharp, even edges without dragging frosting.

Yes, you can double or triple this chocolate brownie with cream cheese frosting recipe, but you may have to adjust the baking times and bake longer until the middle sets. And if you find that the edges or top are getting darker, cover with some foil to prevent burning.

Please see the chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe card below to see exact ingredient amounts for 8×8, 9×9 or 9×13 pan, or for doubling or tripling the recipe.

Sorry, no. This will “melt” the frosting and it will either slide off or get absorbed into the brownie.

Pan material significantly affects heat distribution:

Cast iron: Holds heat strongly; edges may overcook. Center takes longer to set.
Tip: Adjust bake times slightly for your pan, and always allow brownies to cool fully before frosting for best results.

Metal pans: Conduct heat efficiently; edges firm quickly, center cooks faster. Shorter bake, moderate cooling.

Glass pans: Retain heat; brownies continue cooking while cooling. Slightly longer baking time, longer cooling before frosting.

First, decide if it really matters. I love lingonberry cream cheese frosting (one of the flavors in the recipe) and I usually add a bit extra jam so it gets a bit runny. After I put my brownie slice on a plate, I just glop a whole bunch of lingonberry frosting, with extra lingonberry jam on top, so it spills over the edges. Half frosting, half sauce. Very pretty and totally delicious.

But if you are after the traditional cream cheese frosting texture, read on.

Cream cheese frosting can get a little soft if the cream cheese is too warm, the butter has been lounging out on the counter too long, or you added a juicy flavor like jam or lemon. Here’s how to rescue it:

  1. Chill it for a bit
    Pop the frosting in the fridge for 10–20 minutes. It firms up nicely and spreads much more politely on your brownies.
  2. Add a little powdered sugar
    If it’s still a bit wobbly, mix in a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar at a time. Just go slow. Too much and your frosting turns into sweet cement.
  3. You can try adding a little bit of corn flour, but just add 1 or two teaspoons, otherwise your frosting may start to taste a bit chalky. I prefer to live with a runner frosting…
  4. Go easy on extra liquids next time
    If you’re flavoring with jam, juice, or zest, start small and taste as you go. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in.

Pro tip: Always spread frosting on fully cooled brownies. Even a slightly runny frosting behaves much better on a firm, cooled base than on warm brownies.

Note: the photos taken here were taken on a very hot day here in sunny Australia, about 80 degrees inside. The flavored frosting was a bit looser than usual, but as you can see, it still stays put. Having said that, I would not leave them out on a warm day. Keep them refrigerated until just before serving to keep that firm texture.

If you are going to transport the brownies on a very hot day, I would recommend either putting them in a cooler bag, so they don’t say, melt in the car, or frosting them once you get to your destination.

Ah, the classic cakey brownie mystery. If your brownies ended up more like chocolate cake squares than gooey chocolate heaven, it usually comes down to a few key things:

Pan size and type
Thin or small pans bake brownies faster, which can dry the edges out. Adjust your bake time for your pan, and remember that a thicker pan means the center will take a little longer to set. Check the brownies with a toothpick instead of just relying on baking times, because every oven is slightly different.

Too much flour or not enough fat and chocolate
Flour gives structure, but fat and chocolate give that melt-in-your-mouth richness. If there’s too much flour or too little butter and chocolate, your brownies will rise and become more cake-like. The fix is simple: measure flour carefully, use enough butter and chocolate, and if your brownies always seem dry, try cutting the flour just a little.

Mixing too much
Mixing makes gluten, which is great for bread but not so much for fudgy brownies. Stirring too vigorously or too long can turn your fudgy dreams into a spongy reality. Just fold the flour in gently until it disappears. A few streaks of flour left behind is totally fine.

Over-baking
Brownies keep cooking even after they come out of the oven. Leave them in too long and the edges dry out while the center firms up too much. Pull them out when the edges are set but the middle still looks a little soft or has a few moist crumbs on a toothpick. Slightly underbaked is actually perfect for fudgy brownies.

Chocolate quality matters
Cheap chocolate or cocoa powder can mess with the texture. Stick with good dark chocolate, around 60 percent cocoa, and use unsweetened cocoa powder, either natural or Dutch-processed. Your taste buds will thank you.

Use a good unsweetened cocoa powder. That’s the secret to deep, rich chocolate flavor. There are two main types, and both can make beautiful brownies:

  • Natural cocoa powder has a slightly tangy, old-school chocolate taste and a lighter color. It’s lovely if you like a bold, slightly sharper chocolate note.
  • Dutch-processed cocoa is smoother, darker, and less acidic. It gives your brownies that deep café-style flavor and rich, almost truffle-like color.

Both work, so it really depends on the flavor you prefer. Just don’t use drinking cocoa or hot chocolate mix. Those are full of sugar and milk powder, and your brownies will end up pale and oddly sweet.

If you’re making chocolate cream cheese frosting, Dutch-processed cocoa blends beautifully and gives that glossy, elegant bakery look.

Tip: Whatever cocoa you choose, sift it first. Nobody wants surprise cocoa lumps in their brownie or frosting…

The short answer: use a good-quality plain dark chocolate that you enjoy eating. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. Just something with a nice cocoa flavour and no added fillings. Here’s how to choose:

For the best flavour and texture

  • Look for chocolate with 45–70% cocoa solids. That range gives a rich chocolate taste without being bitter.
  • Around 60% cocoa is a sweet spot for most brownies: deep flavour, smooth melt, balanced sweetness.
  • The higher the cocoa percentage, the less sugar in the chocolate, so the brownies will taste slightly darker.

Baking chocolate vs eating chocolate vs chocolate chips

  • Baking chocolate (like Baker’s, Guittard, or Plaistowe) melts smoothly and gives a reliable fudgy texture.
  • Eating chocolate (like Lindt or Cadbury) works perfectly fine too. Just melt it gently with butter and skip any flavoured or filled varieties.
  • If you’re using a sweeter chocolate (around 40–45% cocoa, like Hershey’s Dark or Old Gold), you might reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon or add a teaspoon of cocoa powder for balance.
  • Chocolate chips are made to hold their shape, so they don’t melt quite as smoothly as bar chocolate, but they’ll still work fine in brownies.
  • Use semi-sweet or dark chips if possible; milk chips can make the brownies overly sweet.

Chocolate options by region

These are just examples, and you can use what you have at home. They are links to Amazon or similar, to show you what they look like, but you should be able to find them in your local supermarket.

I don’t usually go for the premium brands unless I am baking for a very special occasion. Otherwise, I find that using a regular dark chocolate bar from the grocery store, like Baker’s Semi‑Sweet Baking Chocolate Bar or Hersheys Special dark in the USA or Cadbury Old Gold here in Australia, work quite well.

This chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting recipe is actually very forgiving and has tasted great with whatever chocolate I have used.

Cream cheese frosting is a lovely frosting for brownies. It has a slight tang that complements the rich brownie flavor really well. And because it is less sugary than traditional butter cream frostings, you can actually put more on your brownies, so you get this thicker, creamier frosting layer.

Flavor-wise, I love the traditional vanilla cream cheese frosting, but my new favorite is lingonberry cream cheese frosting. Strawberry, lemon and chocolate are also beautiful! You really can’t go wrong!

You can also try my cottage cheese frosting, also available in multiple flavors. The taste is similar to cream cheese frosting, but it has a higher protein content and is slightly lighter in texture.

Five chocolate brownies with vanilla cream cheese icing on a plate.
Chocolate brownies with cream cheese topping with chopped chocolate or strawberries

If you are looking for more dessert ideas…

Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Card

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Five chewy chocolate brownies with vanilla or chocolate cream cheese frosting on a beige plate.

The Best Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Marissa
Café-style chewyy chocolate brownies topped with creamy cream cheese frosting in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, lemon or lingonberry flavors.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, European
Servings 16 squares
Calories 333 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large Skillet or 9 x 9 pan (see recipe notes for 9 x 12 inch pan instructions)
  • 1 Hand mixer or similar To whip up cream cheese frosting
  • 1 Rubber Spatula
  • 1 Measuring spoons and cups

Ingredients
  

For Baking the Brownies in a 8×8 or 9×9 pan or smaller skillet. See notes for 9×13 pan ingredient quantitites

  • 3/4 cups unsalted butter (170 grams)
  • 1½ tsp neutral oil vegetable or light olive
  • 6 oz dark chocolate (170 grams) Cadbury, Lindt, or baking chocolate
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (25 grams) sifted
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar (130 grams) lightly packed
  • 2 1/2 tbsp white sugar (30 gramns)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ tsp espresso powder optional
  • 85 g all-purpose flour
  • ⅜ tsp fine sea salt
  • 60 g chocolate chips or chunks optional
  • Flaky sea salt for topping

For the Frosting

Vanilla:

  • 8 oz cream cheese (225 grams) room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (55 grams) room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar 120 grams

Chocolate: Use vanilla base recipe and add:

  • 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder (25 grams) sifted
  • 1 tbsp milk Only if needed, to smooth out the consistency.

Strawberry: Use vanilla base recipe and add:

  • 3 tbsp Strawberry puree or jam You may need to use less sugar in the base vanilla recipe if your jam is very sweet.

Lemon: Use vanilla base recipe and add:

  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Lemon zest finely grated

Lingonberry: use vanilla base recipe and add:

  • 3 tbsp Lingonberry jam Ikea sells this jam.

Instructions
 

How to make the fudgy chocolate brownies base:

  • Line your pan (if using) and gather your ingredients. You can either bake directly in your cast iron skillet or transfer to a 9 x 12 or 9 x 9 pan. If using a pan, line it with parchment paper or grease lightly. Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
  • Melt butter, neutral oil, cocoa powder and chocolate until smooth. Use a fork or whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Remove from heat immediately.
  • Add brown and white sugars and mix vigorously. Then beat in eggs, one at a time and quickly, so they don’t have time to “cook” in the chocolate mixture. You don’t want bits of cooked egg! Finally, add vanilla extract and expresso powder.
  • Add flour and salt and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Don’t over-mix. Stop when it’s just mixed in.
  • Fold in chocolate chunks or chips if using, or scatter them on the top and gently push them in with a fork.
  • Either bake directly in your cast iron skillet or pour the brownie batter into your pan. Bake 22-28 minutes depending on size.
  • How to know when the chocolate brownie is done: A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not dry. Don’t over-bake! They continue to set as they cool, giving you that fudgy texture.

How to make the cream cheese frosting:

  • Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth (hand mixer or stand mixer).
  • Add powdered sugar (or maple syrup).
  • Separate the base vanilla frosting into smaller bowls and flavoring: vanilla, lemon, cocoa, strawberry (or any berry) or lingonberry.

How to assemble the chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting

  • Spread the frosting over fully cooled brownies with a rubber spatula or knife.
  • Chill for 15-20 before slicing to get cleaner slices.

Notes

 
How to know when the chocolate brownie is done: A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not dry. Don’t over-bake! They continue to set as they cool, giving you that fudgy texture.
You need to cool your brownies before frosting them otherwise the frosting will melt, or at least not hold its shape on the brownies.
 
Storage:
  • Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
  • Freeze leftover brownies for 1-2 months, but only if they are unfrosted. Then you can frost them when they are defrosted.
  • These chocolate brownies with cream cheese frosting actually taste better the next day and are best served at room temperature.
 
The ingredients in the recipe card above are for a 8×8 or 9×9 pan or smaller skillet. If you would like to bake the brownies in a 9×13 or larger skillet, use the quantities below. You may also have to adjust the baking times and bake a little longer.
Ingredients for 9 x 13 inch pan:
  • 1 1/8 cups unsalted butter (255 grams)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (12 grams)
  • 9 oz Dark chocolate (255 grams, about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder (40 grams)
  • 1 cup brown sugar (195 grams)
  • 1/4 cup white sugar (45 grams)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp expresso or coffee powder
  • 1 cup flour (125 grams)
  • Sea salt (1/2 tsp)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chunks or chips (135 grams)
 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Notes

For the strawberry puree (or any berry puree for that matter), you can buy store bought puree or just use jam, but you can also make it yourself for the best flavor. Here is how to do it:
  • Prep strawberries: Wash, hull and chop into smaller pieces.
  • Simmer with a splash of water and a tiny bit of sugar for 5-8 minutes, until it thickens up. You will need to stir pretty constantly so it does not stick to the bottom or burn.
  • Cool completely (you can transfer to a bowl and put it in the fridge to speed things up).
  • Optional: Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice to the puree to enhance the icing flavor.
  • Add a couple of teaspoons to the cream cheese mixture and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to harden up again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1squareCalories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 551IUCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Chocolate
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