These raspberry cheesecake brownies are easy to make and feature a delicious cheesecake topping paired with a simple raspberry sauce. You can even use store-bought sauce if you’re short on time. The brownies come out super fudgy and can be made with all-purpose, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour.

The base for these brownies comes from my Gluten-free Brownies recipe. But don’t worry if you’re not gluten-free! You can swap in all-purpose or whole wheat flour if them being gluten-free isn’t a concern for you.

In the photos, whole wheat flour was used. The brownies are anything but cardboard-like and don’t taste like they’re whole grain.

This brownie recipe has been my go-to whenever I need to bake for an event or as a thank you to someone. And without fail, several people always ask for the recipe.

I had a request just yesterday from a mom whose son called them the best dessert he’s ever had.

So on top of that already amazing brownie base, there’s a creamy cheesecake layer and raspberry sauce that makes these brownies irresistibly indulgent. They really are incredible.

I actually posted the same recipe as these Heart-shaped Brownies last year, which nobody seemed to have seen, so I’m posting a more regular, less cute version today. Because these brownies are too delicious to not get the attention they deserve!

Ingredients

The complete recipe, including measurements and detailed instructions, is at the end of this post. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need.

Brownie base

If you prefer using a boxed brownie mix, feel free to do so. Just keep in mind that the baking time may vary, and determining doneness can be tricky with the filling on top, so you might have to dig into them to check.

• Flour – you have a few options here. As I said above, you can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat, white whole wheat, or several gluten-free options discussed at the end of the post. Each version is equally delicious and looks identical!


• Cocoa powder – I used Dutch-process cocoa powder for these raspberry cheesecake brownies. If you’re considering natural cocoa powder (like regular Hershey’s), the brownies might turn out a bit cakier. I haven’t tested it, so I can’t say for sure.


• Oil – you can use refined coconut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil or butter. Coconut oil was used for in the photos. If using butter, your brownies will be a bit less fudgy, but not by much.


• Sugar – you can use granulated sugar or coconut sugar for the brownie base. Please do not try using a sugar-free sub in this brownie base! I’ve tried several, and they’ve all failed.


• Eggs – egg subs don’t work in this recipe. Believe me. I tried for years! For an egg-free option, I recommend my Paleo Vegan Brownies, which are an eggless adaptation of the brownie base used for these raspberry cheesecake brownies. However, I have no idea what the baking time would be with the cheesecake topping.


• Vanilla and salt

Cheesecake topping

• Cream cheese – ensure it’s at room temperature for a smooth, lump-free mixture.
• Sugar – no sub for this.
• Egg – also no sub here.
• Vanilla extract

Raspberry sauce

• Raspberries – fresh or frozen work just as well.


• Sugar – here you can actually probably use any sweetener that you’d like, except coconut sugar, which is too strongly flavored. I’m wishing I would’ve gone with maple syrup! I’m pretty sure it would’ve worked out great.
  
  And when I say any sweetener you’d like, I mean any sweetener that actually makes sense. Please don’t use something like molasses or date syrup. I was thinking of honey (which would give it a bit of honey flavor, which some people may not like), agave syrup, a sugar-free sweetener or maple sugar.


• Vanilla extract

How to make them

I’ll let the photos guide you!

It might seem like a lot of steps, but that’s because you’re adding a cheesecake topping and a homemade raspberry sauce.

If you prefer, you can save some time by using store-bought raspberry sauce.

Want to make the homemade sauce but feel like skipping the straining step? I’d advise against it.

I once left the seeds in the sauce, and the crunch kind of ruined the brownies for me.

Straining takes less than a minute and is well worth the effort! You don’t even have to waste the seeds. You can add them to a Raspberry Smoothie for extra fiber.

Thinking about using jam instead of sauce? It’s a bit thick, but you can thin it out with a little water, and it should work just fine.

Want to try a different fruit? You’ll probably need to adjust the amount of sugar.

You’ll likely end up with chunks of fruit in your sauce unless you smash the fruit with the bottom of a glass or puree the sauce.

Having a chunky sauce would make it more difficult to swirl on top of the cheesecake layer, and the result probably wouldn’t look as nice. But it should still be tasty!

Tips

• Room temperature ingredients – make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature. This ensures a smooth, lump-free cheesecake topping.


• Straining – I’ve already said this, but don’t skip straining the raspberry sauce. It removes the seeds, which can be off-putting in texture.


• Creating swirls – use a skewer or the back of a spoon to create swirls with the raspberry sauce. Be gentle to avoid mixing the layers too much. You really want the raspberry layer to stay on top and not get mixed into the cheesecake layer because you won’t be able to taste it as well if that happens.


• Checking for doneness – the brownies should have a slight jiggle when done. If the center’s still very jiggly, give them more time in the oven. The toothpick test you use for cake definitely won’t work here, as these brownies have a denser texture.

How to make ahead and freeze

You can prepare the raspberry sauce up to 4 days in advance and the cheesecake mixture a day ahead.

While I haven’t tried it myself, you could probably assemble everything (brownie base, cheesecake, and sauce) in the pan and refrigerate it overnight. Because the brownie batter doesn’t have any baking soda or powder, it should be fine to make ahead of time. I can’t guarantee the results, though.

Once baked, the brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

If you want to freeze them, wrap the brownies in plastic wrap and place them in a Ziploc bag before freezing. They’ll stay good for at least 3 months.

Gluten-free options

Your flour options for this recipe are:

• A gluten-free baking flour that’s a 1:1 sub for all-purpose flour
• Teff flour
• Buckwheat flour

Gluten-free baking flour

Make sure it’s meant as a 1-to-1 sub for all-purpose flour. The one I always use is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour. It’s the one in the blue bag.

I’ve also used King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour with great success. I just go with Bob’s because it’s a bit cheaper.

Commenters on my original brownie recipe have said that they’ve used gluten-free flour blends from Pillsbury, Namaste, and several others with success.

I don’t recall any commenters saying their attempts didn’t work out, so it seems to be a pretty flexible recipe!

Teff flour

Next up are two healthier and whole grain options. Teff comes in varieties like white/ivory or dark. The dark kind is said to have an earthier taste, which some might describe as “dirt-like,” similar to buckwheat.

I’ve used both white and dark teff flour in these brownies, and you really can’t tell the difference – the cocoa powder effectively masks any earthy and healthy flavors!

While teff isn’t the easiest flour to find, the dark variety is available on Amazon.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat is fantastic in these brownies. If you use light buckwheat, you can’t taste it at all.

However, using dark buckwheat can result in some grittiness. If you’re curious, check out my post on Is Buckwheat Gluten-free?

If none of these flours appeal to you, I have even more options. :)

• Coconut Flour Brownies
• Almond Flour Brownies
• Oat Flour Brownies
• Eggless Brownies

As I mentioned earlier, I have no idea about the baking time if you use a different base. So you’d need to check them out by digging in!

I hope you’ll enjoy these raspberry cheesecake brownies! If you try them out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks! :)

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

• Print

• Prep Time: 25 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Ready in: 3 h
• Yield: 16

Ingredients

Raspberry sauce:

• 1 cup (125 grams) fresh or frozen defrosted raspberries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake topping:

• 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese¹, room temp
• 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (50 grams, out of shell), room temp
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies:

• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or for gluten-free, see notes²
• 3/4 cup (86 grams) cocoa powder (I use Dutch-process), sifted if lumpy
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (196 grams) oil³
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (50 grams each, out of shell), room temperature

Directions

Raspberry sauce:

1. Combine all raspberry sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy, coating the back of a spoon. It should not be as thick as jam. You should get about 1/3 cup.
3. Set a food mill or fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain out the seeds.

Cheesecake filling:

4. In a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed until well combined. Gradually increase to high speed.
5. Beat in the egg and vanilla on low speed until fully integrated.

Brownies:

6. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line an 8x8-inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper.
7. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
8. In a large mixing bowl, mix the coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract.
9. Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, stirring just until blended.
10. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix!
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
12. Spread the cream cheese topping over the surface.
13. Dollop spoonfuls of raspberry sauce over the top and use a skewer (or your tool of choice) to create swirls.
14. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The brownies will be slightly jiggly when you remove them from the oven; if only the center is super jiggly, they need more time.
15. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then chill for 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
16. Cut into squares. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

1. If you live outside of the US – to make something similar to US cream cheese, for 8 ounces (225 grams) of cream cheese, buy a 300-gram package of European cheese cream (the stuff at Aldi, Lidl, etc. works just as well as Philadelphia), put it in the center of a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze out the liquid until you have 225 grams of cream cheese.
2. For a gluten-free version, you can use 1 cup (158 grams) teff flour, or 1 cup (125 grams) light buckwheat flour or 1 cup (138 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, or 1 cup (125 grams) King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour (or a similar mix that's meant as a direct sub for all-purpose flour.)
3. If using coconut oil, use refined coconut oil over unrefined as refined has zero coconut taste to it. You also need to melt it first. It's what I used in the photos and always use for this brownie base. But I've tested other oils and they also work. Using olive oil will give you a strong olive flavor, so I don't recommend that for these brownies.

Permalink: https://www.texanerin.com/raspberry-cheesecake-brownies/

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

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