Fudgy Gluten-Free Cheesecake Brownies

Fudgy brownie meets creamy cheesecake swirl, made undetectably gluten-free using sweet rice flour in these gluten-free cheesecake brownies. Made with 9 main ingredients and 20 minutes of active time plus a 30 minute bake, you can have these ready in under an hour.

When you can't decide between gluten-free brownies or cheesecake, these gluten-free cheesecake brownies are for you. They're:

• fudgy & chewy
• loaded with chocolate
• topped with a floofy layer of tangy cheesecake
• balanced and not overly sweet
• easy to make but they look fancy!

I first made these when I had some cream cheese left over from making cream cheese frosting for red velvet cake, so I adapted David Lebovitz's cheesecake brownies from Ready for Dessert, making them gluten-free using sweet rice flour.

I love this recipe so much, I also made a festive pumpkin cheesecake brownie version, which is perfect around Halloween, and red velvet cheesecake brownies using beet powder instead of food coloring, which are lovely around mid-February.

These are a marriage of two of the world's most perfect foods. The recipe gets the proportions just right, with a mouthful of brownie and cheesecake in each bite. As a bonus, the brownie batter is all mixed in one pot. The tang of fluffy cheesecake offsets the bittersweet richness, and the salt makes you reach for another.

Whether you're a chocophile or cheesecake hound (or both, like me!), I hope you love these decadent GF cheesecake brownies!

Ingredients

This recipe uses 9 main ingredients.

• Chocolate forms the brownie base, and chocolate chunks pepper the batter. I used bittersweet 70% chocolate here for deep chocolate flavor. Use sweeter chocolate if you prefer a more kid-friendly treat.
• Butter moistens the batter. Plant butter would likely work!
• Sugar adds sweetness. Sub coconut sugar by weight if you prefer.
• Eggs lift the batter without the need for leavening.
• Vanilla, salt, and espresso powder deepen the flavors. It's fine to omit the espresso powder if you don't have any on hand.
• Sweet rice flour makes these undetectably gluten-free, adding a lovely chewiness. If you don't have any, feel free to use an equal weight of a GF AP flour blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour.
• Cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and salt form the cheesecake swirl. Be sure to have your cream cheese at room temperature. Or sub a plant-based cream cheese such as Kite Hill.

Method

This recipe makes one 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan of brownies, for 16 small but rich brownies, or 9 or 12 smaller brownies. It takes about 20 minutes of active time plus a 30 minute bake.

Storage

These brownies will keep for up to 2 days at cool room temperature, up to 5 in the fridge, or up to 1 month double-wrapped and in the freezer. (David says you can eat them frozen!) I like them best at room temperature, when they are soft and gooey.

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Fudgy Gluten-Free Cheesecake Brownies

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Make these gluten-free cheesecake brownies with 9 ingredients and 20 minutes of active time. Chewy, gooey, tangy, and SO chocolatey!

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 small but rich brownies.

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Brownie

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces (3 ounces/85g)
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (1 scant cup)(see note) (115g)
• ⅔ cup sugar (130g)
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (optional, for richer flavor)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sweet white rice flour (78g; or GF AP flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch-processed or natural)
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (2 3/4 ounces/80g)

Cheesecake Swirl

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (200g)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 5 tablespoons sugar (75g)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

Make the brownie batter:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºLine an 8x8 or 9x9" square baking pan on all sides with parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving a 2" overhang.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the chocolate, and stir until just melted. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the sugar and espresso powder. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then the flour, cocoa and salt. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Make the cheesecake swirl:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl fitted with your arm and a wooden spoon), beat the cream cheese on medium-low until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the yolk and vanilla extract.
• Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan, and dollop the cheesecake mixture over the top in 7 or 8 big blobs. Drag the tip of a paring knife through the batters back and forth a few times in both directions to swirl. (Don't over-swirl – big pockets of cheesecake are the point here.)
• Bake the brownies until puffed all over, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
• Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment handles to lift the mega brownie out. (Optionally, chill the brownies until cold for the cleanest cuts). Use a large chef's knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between each cut to trim away the outer 1/4" (if you like), then cut the brownies into 16 squares.
• The brownies will keep for up to 2 days at cool room temperature, up to 5 in the fridge, or up to 1 month double-wrapped and in the freezer. (David says you can eat them frozen!) I like them best at room temperature, when they are soft and gooey.

Notes

Adapted from David Lebovitz, master of all things decadent.

I used Scharffen Berger's 70% bittersweet chocolate for both the batter and the chopped chocolate, and this produces a very intense, bittersweet brownie. Use a sweeter chocolate to make them more kid-friendly if you like.

To warm your cream cheese in a hurry, cut it into small cubes, place them in a metal bowl in a single layer, and place it on a dish towel on top of the oven while it preheats and while you make the brownie batter.

If gluten isn't an issue for you, you can use all-purpose flour in place of the rice flour. I used an 8x8" pan here, but can also bake these in a 9x9" pan.

For the cleanest cuts, chill the baked and cooled brownies until firm, about 2 hours, then dip a large chef's knife in hot water and wipe it clean between each cut. Let the brownies come back to room temperature before indulging.

Nutritional values are based on one of sixteen brownies.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 385IUCalcium: 31mgIron: 0.8mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!