There are tons of brownies recipes, many of them excellent, so how do you choose? These brownies are special because they have a burst of raspberry flavor throughout the brownie, and there is no better sweet pairing in my opinion than chocolate and raspberry. The cream cheese addition means these brownies are soft and creamy rather than crisp and crunchy.
Jump to: RECIPE | Food Coloring? | Substitutes for Fresh Raspberries
Use of Food Coloring
These brownies have a pronounced raspberry flavor to them, but using raspberries without the food coloring gel did not give the brownies a pink or red hue.
If you want the swirls to look pink, you need to use food coloring. If you want wonderful raspberry flavor without food coloring they will look like those above.
Substitutes for Raspberry Swirls:
Strawberry is another combination with cheesecake brownies that is wonderful if you don’t care for raspberries. My other favorite combination is oranges and chocolate, so I tried these brownies with an orange marmalade, which was excellent.
Most jams will work great, so choose your favorite combination with chocolate. If you prefer something less sweet, just use the fresh berries made into a puree instead of a jam.
Recipe for Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies from Scratch
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Equipment
- 9“ x 13” pan
- Bowls and measuring spoons
- Flour sifter
Ingredients
Chocolate Brownie Layer
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa sifted
- ½ cup all purpose flour sifted
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 8 oz. softened butter unsalted, 2 sticks plus 1 Tbsp
Raspberry Cheesecake Layer
- 8 Ounces Cream cheese Softened to room temperature
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Raspberry jam I used Heathglen’s Raspberry Chambord jam
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ Teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons All purpose flour
- 3-5 Teaspoons Red food coloring Optional
- ½ Cup Fresh raspberries optional
Instructions
Chocolate Brownies Layer
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease an 9" x 13" pan with butter and sprinkle some flour into the pan. Shake the pan around until flour coats the butter (can use cooking spray instead of butter if preferred)
- Sift the cocoa and then measure 1 cup. Sift the flour and then measure 1/2 cup. Combine sifted cocoa, flour and salt into a bowl.1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Beat the eggs in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and sugars and butter and mix over low speed to combine. Using a spatula, scrape this batter into a clean bowl. Wash out mixer bowl to use in making cheesecake layer.4 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 8 oz. softened butter
For Cheesecake Layer
- Fit the whisk attachment to a stand mixer and and beat together all ingredients for cheesecake layer over medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Raspberry seeds will make it look a little lumpy.8 Ounces Cream cheese, 1/3 Cup Sugar, 1/4 Cup Raspberry jam, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher salt, 3 Tablespoons All purpose flour, 3-5 Teaspoons Red food coloring, 1/2 Cup Fresh raspberries
- Spoon 3/4 of the brownie batter into the prepared pan and spread out to the sides. Spoon the raspberry cheesecake layer on top of the brownie battter. Spoon the remaining brownie batter on top of the cheesecake layer. Using a fork, pull the raspberry cheesecake through the brownie mixture, swirling the layers together. (if desired, you can poke some fresh raspberries into the mixture for even more raspberry flavor).
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely before cutting brownies.
