Description
These raspberry cheesecake brownies are ultra-fudgy, swirled with creamy cheesecake, and packed with real raspberry flavor. Naturally pink thanks to freeze-dried raspberries—and updated for easier swirling! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, parties, or anytime chocolate meets berries. Wait at least 3 hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Batter
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (26g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- optional: freeze-dried raspberry powder (see Note)*
Brownie Batter
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, sliced into 8 Tbsp-size pieces
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (26g/30ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (62g) Dutch-process cocoa powder*
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon hot water
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping
- 1/4 cup (75g) raspberry jam
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Set aside.
- Make the cheesecake batter first: In a medium bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy with no lumps remaining, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla, and raspberry powder (if using) and beat until fully combined. If you’d like a deeper shade of pink and more raspberry flavor, beat in more raspberry powder, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired shade. Finally, beat in the egg just until incorporated. Set aside.
- Make the brownie batter: Melt the butter in the microwave in a large heatproof bowl, or in a small saucepan on the stove. (Transfer melted butter to a large bowl if using the stove.) Whisk the sugar and oil into the melted butter. Let it sit for 1 minute to slightly cool. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk very well to dissolve the sugar, until the mixture no longer looks grainy. Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and hot water and whisk until combined and smooth. The batter is thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Assemble: Spread about 1/3 of the brownie batter in the lined pan. The batter is very thick, so do your best. Drop large spoonfuls of about half of the cheesecake batter over the top, then alternate dropping large spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter and the remaining cheesecake batter. Bang the pan on the counter a few times to get the batters to settle. Drop small spoonfuls of jam all over the top. Use a knife to gently swirl the batters and jam. Bang the pan a few more times to settle the layers.
- Bake for 33–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs (mine usually take 36 minutes). I recommend tenting the brownies with aluminum foil at the 25-minute mark to protect the top from over-browning.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Cool brownies completely (at least 3 hours).
- Lift the brownies out using the parchment paper overhang on the sides, transfer to a cutting board, and slice into squares.
- Cover leftover brownies and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze cut brownies in single layers between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Freeze-Dried Raspberry Powder: In a small food processor (like this one or this one), pulse 1/4 cup (about 5g) freeze-dried raspberries until finely ground. Over a small bowl, sift the ground freeze-dried raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the seeds left in the sieve. Add 2 teaspoons of raspberry powder to the cheesecake batter and beat until fully incorporated. If you’d like a darker shade of pink (and more raspberry flavor), add more raspberry powder, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired shade.
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Raspberries: I find them in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle, and Trader Joe’s and Target usually have them, too. You can also purchase them online, and here is a brand we’ve used before. (They are much cheaper in stores if you can find them!) Do not use chewy/gummy dried fruit. You need freeze-dried raspberries, which are raspberries with all of the moisture removed—that way they can grind into a powder. Have leftover freeze-dried raspberries? Use them to make these chocolate raspberry crinkle cookies, raspberry sugar cookies, or white chocolate raspberry slice-and-bake cookies.
- Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-process cocoa powder (such as this brand) for a smoother chocolate flavor, but you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder instead if that’s all you can find.
- Recipe Update in 2026: This recipe was updated with a richer, creamier raspberry cheesecake swirl and an easier-to-work-with brownie batter. The cheesecake layer now includes butter, additional sugar, vanilla, and a whole egg for a smoother texture and fuller flavor, and we added 1 Tablespoon of hot water to the brownie batter to slightly thin it for easier swirling. If you’d like to make the original version, use the cheesecake mixture of 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, 1/4 cup (50g) sugar, 2 Tablespoons (15g) flour, 1 egg yolk, and 1/4 cup (75g) raspberry jam.