These rich and chocolaty brownies have a spicy cream cheese swirl. A dessert with a little fire and a lot of chocolate!
If you love chocolate and you love a spicy kick, have I got a brownie for you! These brownies are rich and chocolaty, but that's not all: they also have spicy cream cheese swirls that deliver a little cayenne heat in every bite.
Why you'll love these brownies
It's all the decadence of rich brownies with a little spice to balance out the sweetness.
If you have never made brownies from scratch before, you'll be amazed at how easy it is. The spicy-decadent flavor of these brownies is worth experiencing any time of the year.
🔪 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Make the brownie batter
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Then mix together the melted butter, sugars, and eggs. Blend the wet and dry mixtures together.
Step 2: Make the cream cheese mixture
Blend softened cream cheese with an egg, sugar, and pepper.
Step 3: Assemble the layers
Spread half the brownie batter in a prepared baking pan. Spread the cream cheese mixture over this, followed by the rest of the brownie batter. Swirl the layers together.
Step 4: Bake!
Bake the brownies for about 45 minutes. Allow them to cool, then slice and serve!
Bake them up! Once they're cool, cut yourself a slice, sit back and enjoy the deep chocolate flavor followed by a spicy tingle on your tongue as the cayenne fights its way to your taste buds!
Find the recipe for the Spicy Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies below, and here are a few other sweet treats to tempt you:
💬 Have you made these spicy brownies? Gimme your feedback: click the stars to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me below.
Spicy Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- 5 large eggs, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
Make the brownie batter:
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Spray the bottoms and sides of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso and salt. Set aside.
- Mix together the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix in 3 teaspoons of the vanilla extract. Add in 4 of the eggs, mixing after each egg is added.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the dry mixture. Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, increase the speed to medium and beat the mixture for 2 minutes.
Make the cream cheese layer:
- Place the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, the remaining egg, the softened cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and cayenne pepper into a separate medium-sized bowl. Beat the ingredients together until they're smooth.
Assemble the brownies:
- Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon all of the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in an even layer.
- Top this layer with the rest of the chocolate batter. Pull a rubber spatula through the layers to create swirls of cream cheese batter in the chocolate.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. It should be baked through with the center just set - a tester inserted into the center should come out with a few crumbs.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the brownies cool for about 30 minutes before slicing.
- Slice the brownies and enjoy. They can be stored tightly wrapped for up to three days. Makes 24 brownies.
Nutrition
Originally published in 2014. Recipe and post updated 12/21/20.
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