Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Fudgy, chewy brownies are delicious enough on their own, but the addition of tangy, not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting really takes this decadent dessert to a new level. You may be surprised how easy it is to make this show-stopping dessert at home!
Print
Pin
Servings: 16
Calories: 265kcal
Equipment
- 8x8 Baking Dish
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Brownie Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted, 8 Tbsp
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks, optional
Frosting Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Brownie Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup melted butter with the 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer (or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer) until well combined.
- Add 2 large eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix again.
- Sift in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt, and mix again until well combined.
- Finally, add the 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter and mix by hand until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake the brownies in the oven for 30 minutes until the edges are set and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- All the brownies to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the 1/4 cup butter and 4 oz softened cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy
- Add in the 2 cups powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition until just combined.
- Add in the 3/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp salt and mix again.
- Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
- Once your brownies are cooled completely, spread the frosting over the top of the brownies and then cut into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Copyright The Domestic Spoon. For educational or personal use only.
- Brownie Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: You can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand but I would recommend not adding any additional salt. For this recipe you want your butter melted.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark will work fine.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar mixed with the melted butter is what gives your brownies the perfect crinkly top.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind and solidify your ingredients together.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla helps balance the chocolate flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: You can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder or regular cocoa powder, just make sure that it is unsweetened.
- All Purpose Flour: Do not substitute with cake flour, bread flour, etc. You can substitute 1:1 Gluten Free Flour for a gluten-free option!
- Baking Powder: This gives your brownies a little bit of a chewier texture. If you want to make brownies without Baking Powder, check out my Brownie Recipe without Baking Powder.
- Chocolate Chips or Chunks: These are optional but I love the added texture and chocolate. Use leftover chocolate chips in these Potato Chip Cookies or Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Frosting Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: For frosting, I like to use unsalted butter to give you a little more control over your salt. Be sure and allow your butter to soften to room temperature. Room-temperature butter is perfect when it reaches an internal temperature between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese will give you the best texture and flavor which is exactly what you want for this recipe. Cream cheese should also be softened to room temperature
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract boosts the flavor of your frosting
- Powdered Sugar: This provides the base for your frosting. You may want to sift it to make sure there are no lumps in your frosting. Feel free to add more or less depending on the texture you want for your frosting.
- Brownies may appear a bit gooey in the middle when you pull them out of the oven. They will continue to bake and solidify as they cool.
- One trick to try for cutting fudgy brownies is using a plastic knife. I’m not sure the science behind it but plastic knives don’t stick as much as metal. Give it a try!
- For perfect frosting, start with room temperature ingredients. It makes the entire process so much easier!
- Parchment paper is a great tool for keeping brownies from sticking to the pan. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and you can easily pull the brownies out to cut once cooled.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheDomesticSpoon or tag #TheDomesticSpoon!