This was one of the very first brownie recipes to ever appear here on Dessert for Two back in 2010! Back then, blogging was about unique, interest spins on recipes, not so much the classic recipes. So, I scaled down brownies by baking them in mini muffin pans and gave them a cheesecake swirl for interest. The results are so delicious, that we just keep baking them! Since then, my small batch brownies have also been perfected. And, my eggless brownies have become staples, too. Today, I am sharing the same recipe with new photos, just so that you can have a visual guide of exactly how to make this recipe for cheesecake brownie bites.
How to Make Cheesecake Brownie Bites
Essentially, this recipe is brownie batter in muffin pans with a swirl of cheesecake batter, and the results are absolutely delicious! It’s technically a small-batch recipe because it only makes 1 dozen mini brownie bites. If you factor that each brownie is a two-bite brownie, then it should probably serve 3-4 people. Once the brownie batter has been divided into 12 holes in your mini muffin pan (not a regular muffin pan!), you swirl the cheesecake batter on top and bake until set.
The Ingredients
Butter. Typically, for baking, I use unsalted butter and then add a small amount of salt to the recipe.Chocolate. The best brownies contain real, chopped chocolate. This is what I use in my Oreo Brownies for two, too! Grab a bar of semisweet chocolate, and chop up 2 ounces.Granulated Sugar. Most of the sugar is for the brownie batter, but 2 tablespoons of it is for the cheesecake swirl mixture.Vanilla.Espresso Powder. Using instant espresso powder amplifies the taste of chocolate, so I always use it if I have it. If you don’t have it, just omit it in this cheesecake brownie bites recipe.Egg. One large egg.Flour.Cocoa Powder.Baking Powder.Cream Cheese. Be sure to soften the cream cheese to room temperature for about 30 minutes on the counter.Heavy Cream. A small amount of heavy cream is for swirling into the cream cheese to make our cheesecake batter.
The Directions
Storage: Cheesecake Brownie Bites
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
Mini Muffin Pan - I’m using a 24-cup mini muffin pan so we can leave a space between each cheesecake brownie bite, but a 12-cup one will work, too. Please note that this is a mini muffin pan, not a standard size pan.Mixing Bowls - We need a mixing bowl for the chocolate portion and for the cheesecake portion.Off-Set Spatula - You can use this to swirl the batters together before baking, and for running around the edge to pop them out of the pan after baking.
Storage: Because these cheesecake brownie bites are baked, they can be left out at room temperature in an air-tight container for a day or two. The sugar also helps act as a preservative, much in the same way jam does. Beyond a few days, they should be wrapped individually and frozen.
