Amazing brownie bottom chocolate cheesecake bars are a chocolate lovers dream! Make homemade brownies or use a boxed mix to make a delicious brownie crust and top it with a luscious chocolate cheesecake batter. Top these brownie chocolate cheesecake bars with fresh whipped cream, chunks of chocolate, raspberries, or sprinkles!
I wanted to make something chocolatey. You see I am kind of a chocoholic, proud of it! I couldn't decide between some kind of a brownie or a cheesecake. Then I thought about my brownie bottom cheesecake recipe and knew I wanted to create a double chocolate version. Perfect for Valentine's Day and perfect for me all year round!
And then there is my chocolate cheesecake recipe. Combine them and heaven.
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How do you make cheesecake brownies?
First, you gotta bake some brownies, I am biased and love my homemade thick and chewy chocolate brownies but by all means you can use a box mix. This recipe is designed for a 9X9 pan of brownies- so make sure not to buy the big box!
Bake the brownies for 15 minutes or so, just until the top is no longer wet and the top layer looks set. While the brownies are baking I prepare the cheesecake filling. I also reduce the oven temp from 350F to 325F.
Since these are chocolate cheesecake bars we need some melted chocolate, melt that first so that it can cool before we add it to the cheesecake batter.
To melt the chocolate you can either place a small pot with about an inch of water in it over low-medium heat and place a heatproof bowl with the chopped chocolate on top of the pot so it fits snug - making sure the bowl does not touch the water. You can also microwave the chocolate at 50% power for 15 second
In a large bowl or bowl of your electric mixer add the cream cheese and granulated sugar. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, if not it will clump up and you will not have a smooth creamy cheesecake.
Beat the cream cheese and sugar for about two minutes. Then add in the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and cocoa powder. Mix until combined then gently mix in the eggs.
The batter should be thick and smooth. Next, the best part, melted chocolate pour it all in, I mean all of it use a spatula so none goes to waste- then lick the bowl of melted chocolate! 😉
Using a spatula gently fold the melted chocolate in, we don't want to add anymore air to the batter, air can increase the likeliness of cracks.
Since the brownies are only partially baked you do not want to just pour the cheesecake batter on, the weight of the batter could easily break thru the brownies. Instead I like to use a large cookie scoop and scoop the batter evenly on top.
Then I use a spatula to gently & evenly spread the cheesecake batter.
How long do cheesecake bars bake?
I normally bake all of my cheesecakes in a water bath, it helps prevent any cracking. Instead of creating an actual water bath to go around the pan I placed a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the chocolate cheesecake brownies and filled the cookie sheet with warm water. The steam from the water creates an
Once the cheesecake was set and only jiggly a little bit in the center I turned the oven off and cracked the oven door open to let the brownies cool at a slower rate than if they cooled on the counter right away. This helps with preventing cracking.
After about an hour I let the brownie chocolate cheesecake bars cool on the counter then I wrapped them tightly with plastic wrap and placed them in the fridge, you can do this overnight or for as little as 4 hours.
Since Valentine's Day is coming up I wanted to use some Valentine's sprinkles but I also used fresh whipped cream, chopped chocolate, and fresh berries.
You can decorate these bars all the same, or all different, or half and half, whatever tickles your fancy! I did a mix of chocolate, raspberries, and sprinkles. Some whipped cream I piped and some I spread, the options are endless!!
I think they are super cute and fun for Valentine's Day but honestly, without the pink sprinkles, these brownie chocolate cheesecake bars would be perfect for a dinner party or just because!
Can you make cheesecake bars ahead of time?
Totally, I usually make any form of cheesecake the day before I am going to serve it. I wouldn't make them more than 2 days ahead of time though. I would not bake the brownies ahead of time since you don't want to overbake them.
For a simpler cheesecake recipe check out my Basque Cheesecake.
Craving more chocolate? Try these:
- Chocolate Chunk Potato Chip Blondies
- Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies
- How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Bars
Amazing brownie bottom chocolate cheesecake bars are a chocolate lovers dream! Make homemade brownies or use a boxed mix to make a delicious brownie crust and top it with a luscious chocolate cheesecake batter. Top these brownie chocolate cheesecake bars with fresh whipped cream, chunks of chocolate, raspberries, or sprinkles!
- Total Time: 5 Hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 9-16 Bars 1x
Ingredients
Brownies (Homemade or 9X9 Boxed Mix)
- 2oz Water
- 1oz (2 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter
- 250 Grams(1 ¼ cups) Granulated Sugar
- 90 Grams (Scant Cup) Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 3oz (scant ⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg Yolk and 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
- ⅛ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch/ Cornflour
- 60 Grams (scant ½ cup) All-Purpose Flour
- 4oz Chocolate (chips, chunks, or bars chopped)
Cheesecake
- 6oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Melted
- 16oz Cream Cheese, at room temp.
- 100 Grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temp.
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Topping
- 8oz Whipped Cream
- Fresh Berries
- Chopped Chocolate
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a 9X9 square pan with foil and grease heavily.
- In a large pot add the water, butter, sugar and cocoa powder. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it is all combined together, the mixture will look weird and not liquidy enough, that is fine. Then add the oil and vanilla extract. Cook on low an additional minute and mix to combine everything.
- Take off of heat, let sit for 5 minutes then add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk to combine. Add the baking soda, salt, cornstarch and mix to combine. Gently add the flour by using a spatula to fold in until just combined, just before there are no flour streaks add your chocolate chunks/ chips. Do not over mix, this will affect the end product.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 15-20 minutes or until the top of the brownies are set and no longer wet. Take out of the oven, reduce oven temperature to 325F/163C and top with cheesecake batter.
Cheesecake
- In a large bowl or bowl of your electric mixer add cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat the cream cheese and sugar for about two minutes. Then add in the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and cocoa powder. Mix until combined then gently mix in the eggs.
- The batter should be thick and smooth. Next, pour in the melted chocolate and gently fold into the batter.
- The brownies are only partially baked so use a large cookie scoop to place balls of the batter evenly on top. Then use an offset spatula to gently smooth the cheesecake batter. Place brownie cheesecake bars in the oven and on the rack beneath place a cookie sheet and fill it with warm water- the steam will help prevent any cracks.
- Bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the center is just a little jiggly. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake inside the oven with the door cracked. Let cool in oven for 45 minutes then let them cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before transferring to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Topping
- Serve with whipped cream, chopped chocolate, fresh berries, or sprinkles. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To achieve clean slices, I use a knife dipped in hot water and wipe clean after each cut.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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