The Brownie/Cheesecake Mashup of Your Dreams
If your new year’s resolution includes eating less sweets, you might want to hit the back button… Okay, now that they’re gone, let’s talk about today’s decadent dessert: dulce de leche cream cheese brownies! This recipe combines my rich and fudgy cheesecake brownies and dulce de leche (which you might remember from my alfajores recipe) to make a unique, irresistible, and oh-so flavorful mashup. The brownie layer is intensely chocolatey, the cheesecake layer is creamy and smooth (and not too sweet), and the dulce de leche adds a perfect, caramel-esque touch. I mean, do you see those swirled tops? They’re practically begging to be bitten into. Let’s get started!
What You Need
Making several layers means there are a few steps involved in this recipe, but don’t worry–the ingredients are super simple. Here’s what you need:
Butter. As always, I recommend using unsalted butter in these dulce de leche cream cheese brownies . You can read my post about using unsalted vs. salted butter to learn why!Chocolate. For the best taste, I like to use a chopped semisweet baking bar. However, you could substitute semisweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have on hand! Cocoa. I recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Sugar. I use both granulated and light brown sugar in my brownies. While many recipes use just granulated sugar, I like to add brown sugar for flavor, texture, and moisture. It helps make these brownies the best!Eggs. You’ll need four eggs total for this recipe; two of which will go in each layer. For the cheesecake layer, make sure to be very gentle with your eggs, or you may end up with cracks! Flour. All-purpose flour will work just fine in this recipe.Cream cheese. You’ll need two blocks of softened, full-fat cream cheese–do not substitute the tub-style cream cheese!Sour cream. Sour cream adds richness and a subtle tang to the cheesecake layer of these brownies. This can be substituted for full-fat plain Greek yogurt, or if you’re really in a pinch, you can leave it out entirely. Dulce de leche. While you could always use store-bought, I highly recommend using my recipe for homemade dulce de leche (it’s so easy and all you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk!).
SAM’S TIP: You can also add a pinch of instant coffee in the batter; this helps deepen the rich chocolate flavor of the brownies! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Dulce De Leche Cream Cheese Brownies
SAM’S TIP: Add the eggs to the cheesecake layer one at a time, and mix gently after each addition. Mixing too much or too vigorously could cause your cheesecake layer to have a mealy/eggy texture, or the surface could even crack, so use care! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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