Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies
by Sweet Basil — 45 Comments » 
Hello there! Sarah from Broma Bakery here. I’m so excited for my first guest post today! A little about myself: I live in Michigan, I do yoga, I love to eat, and my favorite food is brownies.
Yes, brownies. They are perfect in every way. Fudgy, moist, chocolatey, and oh-so-satisfying. I’ve loved brownies ever since I was a little girl. In fact, in my family there was hardly a day when there was no brownie mix in our pantry. I quite literally grew up on the stuff.
So as an introduction, I knew that I had to share these blackberry cheesecake brownies with you all. It’s like sharing a little piece of my heart!
These brownies felt perfect: a rich brownie base topped with tangy cheesecake, all swirled with tart blackberries. I kept reaching for little bits of fallen brownie during this photoshoot because I just couldn’t stop eating them!
Plus, who doesn’t love dessert that looks gourmet? At least I would venture to say that these do! No one will know that you actually made these babies in your PJs while drinking your morning coffee.
Plus, unless you’re living in California, Hawaii, or Texas, we’re all in the middle of an atrocious winter and deserve some sunshine right about now. Enter these blackberry cheesecake brownies.
Then again, if you are in California, Hawaii, or Texas, you’re totally welcome to have some of our brownies.
I so look forward to seeing you all around! And feel free to pop over to Broma Bakery to say hi! I’d love to officially meet you!
Connect with Sarah:
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- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 1 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cook blackberry puree by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Use a whisk or spoon to help break down the blackberries. Once cooked, place a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl and, using a spatula, squeeze through all of the liquid and dispose of the solids. Let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Once combined, fold in cocoa powder and flour. Pour the brownie batter into the baking dish, spreading evenly to the edges.
- Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Cream for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Pour over brownie batter, spreading evenly to the edges. Drizzle the blackberry puree on top of the cheesecake batter and swirl using a fork, knife, or toothpick. Try to swirl only into the cheesecake batter, not the brownie batter.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the cheesecake begins to turn golden and a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean. Place in fridge and allow to cool for at least 2 hours but up to overnight. Cut into 9 large squares. Store brownies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
More chocolate deliciousness:
Thin Mint Mississippi Mud Brownies
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Carrian Cheney
Lover of all things beautiful, good and delicious. Wife, mother, friend, foodie.
Awesome dessert. Familiar yet unique. I followed the recipe like directions on a test and it turned out well, though the brownie portion was a little TOO fudgy for my boyfriend who compared them, with displeasure, to a protein bar. I do think the lower layer was a little distracting. Next time I may bake the brownie layer for a bit before adding the cheesecake or simply use less of the brownie batter so it’s more of a fudge crust.
Looking forward to trying these. Thanks… Follow you on Face Book. Like your blog.
Thank you so much!
The brownies are delicious!! I poured the entire blackberry mixture on the cheesecake mix and it was waaaay too much. I would start with a quarter cup of blackberry juice. You can always add more if needed. And if there’s extra, use it for pancakes. Or add it to margaritas.
Natalie, um yes! On pancakes!!
Store brownies in fridge for 5 days? Does this mean I have to wait five days to eat them?
Sorry, no it just means that you can store them for up to 5 days. 🙂
My daughter and I baked a double batch and they are INCREDIBLE. Making another double batch or a staff function.
So glad to hear that!
I made these and the topping went brownish purple after one hour cooking 🙁
So I first want to say that these were delicious.
But I had some issues. There was not enough cream cheese topping to cover no matter how thin I spread it and I used the 8×8 pan you called for. Next I use the parchment paper and the brownies stuck. I baked them for over the hour called for cause at the one hour mark the middle was jiggly. I put them in the refrigerator over night cause they were dinner today (valentine’s) so they were good and cold. But I could not lift out the parchment paper cause it was stuck (I have never used parchment paper to bake with before). So I cut them in the pan and the cheesecake portion just balled up under the knife. The brownies were not done and the berry sauce just ran into a blob on top and wasn’t the pretty swirls you got. When I tried to swirl the sauce in, the cheesecake topping just didn’t swirl.
BUT……they were still delicious. We ate them anyways and I will make them again but with some of my own changes to maybe get them to turn out this time.
Made these for the big game last night, and they were DEVINE!!! I followed the directions to a T, and they came out perfectly. The fudgiest brownies I have ever had, so moist and creamy. And the topping was super delicious as well. I cut them into 16 smaller pieces as they were so incredibly rich. And suffice it to say, I ate every last bit of the edges that I trimmed off before placing the brownies in a container for storage. Thank you!
YAY!!! So so happy to hear that!
OOHHH EEMM GEEEE, these are beyond delicious. I didn’t even want to share them, lol. Thanks hunni 😉
These look amazing Carrian!
Great recipe! It’s actually in the oven right now. I was wondering how much the measurement for the puree should be. It came out to 3/4 cup for me (cooked it covered). When I poured it on it just seemed like too much.
If you make the texas sized muffin tin you can get 4-6 depending on how full you fill each cup. I usually like them a little bigger so I get 5. 🙂
I made this recipe today it’s actually in the oven now. The purée was kinda runny and just seemed like too much when I poured it on top. Did I do something wrong?
Can the cheesecake brownies be frozen and can I use mulberries instead of blackberries?
Hi Salena,
Unfortunately cream cheese doesn’t come back from the freezer very well, so they wont be as good if frozen. Any berry works:)
Store brownies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 minutes.
Do you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder? What can you substitute for greek yogurt?
Hi Heather,
Unsweetened and you could use plain yogurt or butter, but the greek yogurt will give the best results.
same amount of sour cream can sub for Greek yogurt; sour cream is common in traditional cheesecake recipes
Hi Sarah,
I tried your recipe today and it turned out to be soo tasty, we love it!! I actually tried it with blueberries – delicious!
All the best from Germany.
My family does not like cream cheese as they do not want anything tangy in a filling. Your blackberry cheesecake brownies look so fantastic and I am wondering if I can substitute mascarpone cheese for the cream cheese. Will they still look the same and taste similar? If not is there anything else I can use instead.
Hi Kate! Though I’ve never tried, I’m sure you could substitute mascarpone for cream cheese. I would substitute an equal amount. If the mixture looks runny once you add in the other ingredients, try adding a few tablespoons of flour to bulk up the consistency. Let me know how this helps and happy baking!
Could you make a version with a no bake cheesecake layer?
That’s a great idea, Haley! As no-bake cheesecakes are quite different, I do not have a recipe that would substitute for this one. My suggestion: take your favorite no-bake cheesecake recipe and substitute it in for this cheesecake! Bake the brownies, let them cool, then spread on the cheesecake and swirl it with the berries. Happy baking!
hello, thank you for sharing this! it was delicious! i would like to make it a second time, however, i’d like to double the cheesecake portion (cuz it was just so good). how would that change the baking time? thank you for your help!
Thanks, Elo! Yes, that would change the baking time! This time will depend on what size pan you use, and on the thickness of the brownies. Because I have not tried, I cannot say for sure. I would bake them and start checking around 1.5 hours for done-ness. You’ll be looking for the cheesecake to be set in the middle with little jiggle when you move it around. Try the knife test suggested in the directions. Hope this helps and happy baking!
These look mouth-watering delicious! I think I’m going to have to grab some blackberries out of the fridge and eat them right now, lol.
Plain greek yogurt or vanilla? I must make these this weekend- they look heavenly!
You can use either! I used plain, but I often use vanilla and plain interchangeably. Happy baking, MK!
How long does it need to cook this recipe?
Hi Angela. The brownies bake for one hour!
These are so beautiful. Those colors are so intriguing! I bet these taste absolutely divine. Yum! Pinning!
These are absolutely gorgeous! So rich and creamy and delicious!!!
These are stunning! And I’m sure they taste even better than they look. Pinning 🙂
Aren’t they awesome?!
Hi Sarah and Carrian,
Those BlackBerry cheesecake brownies look truly AMAZING! ♥
And i want to bake them in a 13 x 9″ pan. In this case should i duplicate the récipe and the baking time or how should i proceed?
Thanks for your help in advance! ☼
Hi Melissa! I would double the recipe for a 9×13 pan. Your baking time should be similar, but slightly longer. I would begin to check on the brownies at 1 hour, and continue to check every 5 minutes or so. Hope this helps, and happy baking!
Now this is a combination I need to try!
The color is so wonderful and brings me a bit closer to spring! Lovely to see Broma Bakery here!
These are just spectacular! I absolutely love Sarah and Broma Bakery. So happy to see her here hanging out at Oh Sweet Basil! XO