Some recipes just quietly win people over—and this is one of them. I originally shared these Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies years ago with little fanfare, but they’ve steadily earned their keep. They’re the kind of brownie you bring to a potluck or party and find yourself scribbling the recipe on napkins for people who must have it.
What makes these brownies stand out is the swirl: a rich, peanut buttery cheesecake mixture marbled into a deeply fudgy Dutch cocoa brownie base. The texture contrast is spot on—dense and fudgy with pockets of creamy peanut butter swirl—and they slice up beautifully once chilled (if you can wait that long).
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
- Fudgy base made with Dutch process cocoa and melty chocolate chips
- Creamy peanut butter cheesecake swirl adds richness and contrast
- Easy marbling makes them look bakery-worthy with minimal effort
- Feeds a crowd – bakes in a 13x9 inch pan and makes up to 24 pieces
If you’re a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, this combo is a dream. The cream cheese in the swirl gives the peanut butter a cheesecake-like tang that balances the sweetness of the brownie perfectly.
Whether you’ve tried them before or this is your first time stumbling upon them, these Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies deserve a spot in your dessert rotation.
This makes a 13x9 inch pan of brownies. If you are short on cream cheese or want to try a smaller batch, you can halve the recipe and bake the brownies in an 8-inch square pan.
Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Marbled Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter – (230 grams)
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups Dutch process cocoa **
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour (192 grams)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (170 grams)
Peanut Butter Mixture
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened (90 grams)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter (85 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (180 C) Line a 13x9 inch pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter on high. When butter is melted, stir in the sugar. Return the mixture to the microwave and heat until mixture is very hot but not bubbling (1 minute). Stir well to help dissolve some of the sugar – mixture should appear shiny.
- Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, stirring until combined. Spoon ¾ of the batter into the prepared pan.
- Prepare peanut butter mixture by beating “Peanut Butter Mixture” ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture over brownie batter, then drop remaining brownie batter of peanut butter mixture – not covering it entirely but creating kind of a big speckled pattern. Gently drag a knife through top to create a pretty marbled effect.
- Bake the brownies for 28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry. Remove them from the oven and after 5 minutes, loosen the edges with a table knife. This helps prevent sinking as they cool. Cool completely (and chill for better cutting) then cut and serve.
- Makes 12 large or 24 normal size brownies
Anna says
Hi Julie,
I'm glad you liked those brownies. I gave most of mine away and didn't get to know them well ;).
The base brownie recipe is King Arthur's "Best Ever Fudge Brownie". It's becoming my new favorite too.
Julie O'Hara says
Okay, I'm totally behind the times in commenting here, but I made these on Saturday and LOVED the recipe. You're right that the PB flavor isn't too prominent, but since it's just a swirl, I didn't mind the subtlety. And with the very chocolately brownies, I liked the slight twang of cream cheese. Granted, I don't have tons of experience with homemade brownies, but these are the best ones I've ever made! They were the perfect moist, but not underbaked texture, and I liked how thick they were in my 9x13 pan. I also liked that I didn't have to melt any chocolate or measure out various types of chocolate. I probably should have made the small batch version, but, oh well. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
JEP says
Chocolate, cream cheese & pb...what a great combo---yum!
Therese says
YUM!
I love peanut butter and chocolate anything!!!!
Those "WEIRD" ribbons are not weird! I loved those cookies from last week...I think that is a great invention.
I am making this brownie recipe this weekend...I have to bake for a baby shower and a teen retreat. These should work out well!!
I am glad you are having a awesome day!!
Thanks for this recipe!! The chili looks so good too! I am with you on that one..I make a lot of chili's but never the same recipe or the same exact way. Great weather for chili!
Alicia says
Wow. So you've combined my three favorite things. I'm done for! I might give these a try this weekend, and if not, then definitely over my Mardi Gras break.
Anna says
LOL. Yes, that's a long title.
Elisabeth says
These look wonderful! I'm bookmarking them for my "to try" notebook - thanks! 🙂
Katie says
Yummy! Thats a delicous sounding title and a half
Emiline says
Yum. They look delightful. I think those teachers are very, very, lucky.
Pie day! I must celebrate!
Cindy in Tempe says
According to our local paper and the American Pie Council (http://www.piecouncil.org/national.htm) today is National Pie Day. If you miss it, you get another chance on March 14th - National Pi Day. One of our math teachers always had fun celebrating Pi Day.
laura says
Wow--those look great!