Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
Combining possibly the three best treats on the planet, this dessert is a culinary triple threat! If you’re a lover of chocolate and peanut butter, these brownies are going to be a favorite! The brownie layers are rich and dense. The cheesecake layer is full of lots of peanut butter flavor, giving these brownies three layers of incredible richness!
It’s no secret that chocolate and peanut butter are my weakness! One of my favorite snacks is to just eat scoops of peanut butter with chocolate chips sprinkled on top! So coming up with the recipe was a no brainer for me!
First, let’s start with the brownie. Brownies made from scratch are so much easier than you think. Yes, you could make a brownie from a box mix, but why would you when you can make much better tasting ones with virtually the same amount of effort! The brownie batter is mixed by hand with a few simple but important ingredients.
Baking with pure chocolate gives it the best chocolatey flavor! It is the perfect compliment to the peanut butter flavored cheesecake layer! Be sure to not use chocolate chips as a replacement of baking chocolate. They are not created the same! Baking chocolate is pure chocolate, meant to melt as it is heated. Chocolate chips are made to hold their shape in baked goods. Pure baking chocolate for the brownies and chocolate chips on top lets each of these chocolates do their jobs right!
There’s not much flour in this recipe, because I like to keep my brownies dense and want to avoid them being too cake-like. I am a firm believer that brownies should not be too similar to cake – they each have their own place in the dessert world! The brownie layer in this recipe is super rich and dense – just the way I like it!
Now let’s talk about the peanut butter cheesecake layer! We’re keeping it pretty simple and straightforward here. Cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, egg, a tiny bit of flour and vanilla. These simple ingredients will make a delightful center to our layers of fudgy brownies! Be sure to use just your standard peanut butter here. Using a natural peanut butter would change the texture of the filling and make it too wet.
I love the texture of this cheesecake layer! It gives these brownies not only a more solid structure, but it elevates the classic brownie to the next level! It’s unexpected but so delicious!
Layering these brownies is super simple. Line your baking pan with either foil or parchment with a couple inches of overhang. This way you can easily lift your cooled brownies out of the pan for slicing. It’s a trick that makes serving much easier.
Spread about two thirds of the brownie mixture into your prepared pan, making sure you get it into the corners and along all of the edges. Smooth the entire peanut butter cream cheese mixture on top and follow it up with the remaining brownie batter. Give it one more hit of chocolate and sprinkle it with chocolate chips!
If you prefer to mix the flavors up a bit, use a knife to make some swirls with the batter. If you’d rather have more defined layers, then leave the swirling out. Either way, these brownies are going to be amazing! In this picture you can see I threw caution to the wind and created a few swirls. I like the way it looks when it bakes- being able to see swirls of the peanut butter layer mixed with the brownie. We eat with our eyes first – I like people to get an idea of what they are going to get when they pick a food to eat.
When the brownies are baked, you’ll let them cool in the pan on a cooling rack before allowing them to chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Chilling is key to help the cheesecake layer set, and it is so much more delicious cold too!
Lift them out of the pan and onto a cutting board. You’ll be so glad you lined your baking sheet – it makes slicing so much easier! Slice these bad boys up, cleaning the knife when needed to keep it from getting too messy.
Enjoy every bite of this rich, indulgent brownie! They are worth the effort of making from scratch!!
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces chopped semi-sweet baking chocolate
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons natural unsweetened or dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini or regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the brownie batter first: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and baking chocolate in 20 second increments. Stir well after each. Set aside and let cool.
- Whisk the sugar into the chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. With a wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment or foil. Leave some overhang so you can easily lift brownies out of the pan.
- Make the Peanut Butter Cheesecake batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for one minute until smooth. Add the peanut butter and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Be sure to break up any chunks of cream cheese that may be hiding in there. Add the sugar, egg, flour and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Assemble the layers: Spread 2/3 of the brownie mixture into the prepared baking pan. Be sure to spread the batter to all the edges and fill the corners. Carefully spread all of the peanut butter cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie layer. Top it with the remaining brownie batter and spread evenly to cover the top. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. *Optional: Using a knife, you can make some swirls, slightly mixing the batters together-leave this option out if you want more defined layers.
- Bake for 37-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs. The edges of the brownies will start to pull away from the pan.
- Cool the brownies in the pan, sitting on a wire cooling rack for 40 minutes. Place pan in refrigerator for 2 hours to allow the cheesecake layer to set. It should be cold before slicing.
- Once the brownies have chilled, lift them out of the pan and slice. Makes 16 brownies. *I like to store them in the refrigerator – they taste so good cold! However, you can keep them in an airtight container, at room temperature for a day.
Notes
- Store brownies in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Hi Heather! Just watched your video on how to weigh ingredients. Do you include weight measurements with your recipes?
Do you have a chart with weights somewhere on your website?
Hi Mia,
I don’t have weight measurements in ALL of my recipes, but I am trying to provide those in recipes going forward. The King Arthur website is a great resource for finding weights for lots of ingredient measurements!