My Brownies With Cream Cheese Icing are adapted from an old-fashioned recipe to include Brazil nuts and coconut sugar for a better-for-me version. I also use browned butter for a deeper, more intense caramel flavor that is insanely delicious.
Um, why would a blog about Eating for Perimenopause have a rich and decadent brownie recipe, you ask? If you know me, you know I'm doing my best to eat well in this phase of life (currently 42) with hormones all over the place. Cutting way down on sugar has been critical. By sugar, I mean both processed and natural sugar. But, I still eat sweet treats and desserts. Fruit, I try to eat with or after savory, fibrous foods and protein.
At the end of the day, I'm a chef and giving baking up just doesn't feel worth it to me.
For more treats like this brownie with cream cheese icing with simple twists, check out my Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and this Chocolate and Berry Pavlova.
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Ingredients
I've separated the ingredients you'll need for the icing and batter:
- Butter: I like using unsalted butter and always at room temperature for the icing so it whips up easily.
- Chocolate: Usually I would use dark chocolate for the antioxidants but I had a bunch of milk chocolate leftover from Halloween that I needed to use up.
- Cocoa powder: Sieve out the lumps.
- Coconut sugar: I adore the caramel like quality of this sugar.
- Brazil nuts: You can toast these first if you like. I was too lazy this time.
- Cream cheese: Use it at room temperature so its beats up nice and luscious + lump-free.
- Powdered sugar: Sieve out every lump and bump for these brownies with cream cheese icing.
See recipe card for quantities and the full ingredient list.
What is a Brownie with Cream Cheese Icing?
Essentially, it's a classic chocolate brownie topped with a layer of cream cheese icing. This recipe is made with brown butter for added richness and is adapted from my family's original favorite, which is taken from the South African brand Romany Cream biscuit box. My mom, gran, daughter and I have made it a million times over the last decade.
Here is a picture of the original recipe if you'd like it, written in my granny's handwriting in her cookbook. She would be proud to see her beautiful handwriting on my blog.
Instructions
Step 1. Gather your ingredients for the brownie with cream cheese icing batter. Make the brown butter and cool it. Check out my section further down about making browned butter.
Step 2. Melt the chocolate and set it aside.
Step 3. In a stand mixer bowl, whip up the eggs and the coconut sugar until light and creamy. About 5 minutes with the whisk attachment is great.
Step 4. Add the cooled brown butter and whisk again for 1 minute.
Step 4. Sieve the cocoa powder and flour into the egg mixture. Add in the cool melted chocolate and the nuts.
Step 5. Pour into a prepared brownie pan and bake at 338F / 170C for 40 minutes. Cool for at least 1 hour before icing.
Step 6. While the brownies are baking, make the cream cheese icing: whip room temperature or soft butter in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and room temperature cream cheese.
Step 7. Add in the sieved powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and beat until you have the consistency you're after. Ice your brownies with cream cheese icing and set aside until you're ready to cut them into neat squares.
How I Make Browned Butter
Browned butter is pretty easy to make. I add my butter to a pot and let it boil. The butter goes through different phases as its browning so keep an eye on it to see the changes.
If you watch my video in the brownies with cream cheese icing recipe card below, you'll see how it changes.
Substitutions
- Brazil nuts: Use pecans, shelled almonds or pistachios in your brownies with cream cheese icing instead.
- Butter: You can make this recipe with a plant based butter as well. It will taste a little different.
Variations
- Gluten free: Use a good gluten free flour and your recipe is instantly gluten free.
- Make a chocolate icing by adding in 1 tablespoon of sieved cocoa powder with the powdered sugar.
Equipment
To make the batter for these brownies with cream cheese icing, I used a stand mixer. You can also make this by hand in a bowl with a whisk or with an electric, handheld whisk. I like to use a whisk attachment for the batter and a paddle for the cream cheese icing.
A square Brownie pan and a rectangular pan one like this one both work.
Storage
I freeze my brownies with cream cheese icing, iced or un-iced, for 4 months. You can also freeze the icing separately.
My brownies with cream cheese icing will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. I serve them at room temperature.
My Chef Tips
- I like to melt chocolate over a bain marie because I find it less likely to seize. I melt the chocolate in a ceramic bowl over simmering, not boiling water. Don't stir the chocolate while it's melting.
- Add cooled browned butter to the batter so you don't cook the eggs. Same goes for the chocolate.
- Once you add the flour, try not to overmix the brownies with cream cheese icing batter.
- I always recommend baking with room temperature eggs. They just beat and whip up more easily than chilly eggs.
FAQ
The batter was either overmixed, the oven was too hot or they were baked for too long.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this brownie with cream cheese icing? Try these:
Brownies With Cream Cheese Icing
Equipment
- 1 Brownie pan square for 9 pieces, rectangular for more
Ingredients
- 4 each Eggs
- 1 ¼ cup Coconut sugar 300g
- 1 cup Butter 225g
- 2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 1 ⅓ cup Chocolate (choc chips or chopped chocolate) 200g
- 1 cup Brazil nuts
For the cream cheese icing
- 4 tablespoons Butter, room temperature
- ½ cup Cream cheese, room temperature 125g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 ⅓ cups Powdered sugar 300g
Video
Notes
- When you make the cream cheese icing, the butter and the cream cheese must be soft (not melted) so they whip up easily.
- If your icing is too thick, add milk; 1 teaspoon at a time to loosen it up.
- Wait for the browned butter to cool to room temperature before adding it to the batter. Same goes for the chocolate.
- Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and powdered sugar before using them in this recipe.
caseytheroastedrose says
These are honestly the best brownies I've ever made. The recipe is super easy so give it a try!