These Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting are made using a chocolate fudge pudding mix, and a few other ingredients that come together and pair perfectly with the creamy cream cheese frosting!
The brownie recipes you’ll find here are always easy, and this recipe is no exception. In a little over an hour, you’ll have a delicious dessert ready for you to enjoy.
Ever since these strawberry brownies went viral online, I knew you loved brownies as much as I do. So since then, you’ve seen similar recipes like these chocolate peanut butter brownies, and these cornflake brownies appear here too, so I think you’re going to love them all just the same! Or if you love using cake mixes when making desserts, you’ll love these red velvet brownies too!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chocolate + Cream Cheese: Flavor combinations can make or break a recipe. In this case, the cool and creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting, combined with the chocolate flavor is the perfect combination.
- Pudding Brownies: Did you know that if you add pudding mix to brownies, it can make them more moist and even softer? It’s true. You’ll love the addition of the mix to these.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes for this chocolatey brownie. Aside from this, the ingredients needed are pretty basic.
- Butter – The unsalted butter will be used for the brownies and the salted butter will be used in the cream cheese frosting.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is recommended for these brownies.
- Cream Cheese – Since this needs to be softened, go ahead and sit this out so it has time to soften when it comes time to use it for the frosting.
- Chocolate Chips – Using milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet should be ok, however, it will alter the taste of the brownies slightly.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Brownies with Cream Cheese
These fudgy brownies are made from scratch, instead of using a box mix. However, this recipe is still very easy to make!
This chocolate brownie and cream cheese frosting recipe is broken into 3 components:
- make the brownies
- allow brownies to cool
- make and frost the brownies with frosting
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
🍫 How to Make Homemade Brownies
BEGIN: Set the oven to 350° and prepare an 8 x 8 baking pan by lining with parchment paper and clipping the sides down to the pan.
STEP 1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add half of the chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave for 30 seconds; if the chocolate is not completely melted, stir and microwave for another 15 seconds. Continue to do this until the chocolate is completely melted and well combined with the butter.
STEP 2. While the chocolate is cooling, mix sugars, vanilla, and eggs together in a large bowl for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and not gritty. This will give you a fudgier consistency.
STEP 3. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
STEP 4. Next add the flour, pudding mix, and salt.
STEP 5. Whisk until smooth; the batter will be thick.
STEP 6. Add in the chocolate chips, and mix in.
STEP 7. Get the baking dish that was prepared earlier.
STEP 8. Pour batter in to baking dish and spread batter to the edges until brownie batter is level. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The less time you bake the more fudgy the brownies will be.
Completely cool brownies before frosting.
🥣 How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
STEP 9. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and cream cheese and cream until light and fluffy and pale in color.
STEP 10. Add half of the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and mix scraping the bowl as needed.
STEP 11. Add the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, half and half, and salt.
STEP 12. Mix until smooth.
STEP 13. Grab the fully-cooled brownies.
STEP 14. Spread the perfect finishing touch (frosting) evenly over cooled brownies.
Cut and serve the pan of brownies for a decadent dessert.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Allow to fully cool. Making sure that you allow the cake to completely cool before frosting is key or the frosting won’t turn out the way that it should.
- Correct temperature. Butter, eggs, and cream are the key ingredients that should be at room temperature before making this recipe.
📋 Recipe FAQs
There are different types of frosting recipes that can work on brownies. Cream cheese frosting and buttercream frosting are the two most popular recipes.
Depending on the type of frosting, some can be stored in the refrigerator or stored at room temperature. Brownies with cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated in an airtight container but they can sit out at room temperature for up to two hours.
🍽 What to Serve with This Brownie Recipe
Serving decadent brownies with a scoop of ice cream (a la mode) is common and serving your favorite flavor of ice cream with these cream cheese brownies would be a great idea.
🍰 More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
If you love easy desserts like these fudgy chocolate brownies, then you’ll love all of our desserts. Here are a few dessert recipes you don’t want to miss:
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3.9 ounce box of chocolate fudge pudding mix mix only
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup salted butter 1/2 stick
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt a pinch
Instructions
For Brownies
- Set the oven to 350° and prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper and clipping the sides down to the pan.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add half of the chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave for 30 seconds; if the chocolate is not completely melted, stir and microwave for another 15 seconds. Continue to do this until the chocolate is completely melted and well combined with the butter.
- While the chocolate is cooling, mix sugars, vanilla, and eggs together in a large bowl for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and not gritty. This will give you a fudgier consistency.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Next add the flour, pudding mix, and salt. Whisk until smooth; the batter will be thick.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The less time you bake the more fudgy the brownies will be.
- Completely cool brownies before frosting.
For Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl add the butter and cream cheese and cream until light and fluffy and pale in color.
- Add half of the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, half and half, and salt. Mix until smooth.
- Spread frosting evenly over cooled brownies.
- Cut and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Sharina says
Kids super love these decadent brownies! With the generous amount of frosting on top, they turned out beautifully and delightful!
Kristen says
I have never thought to have any type of frosting on brownies but now that I have tried it I don’t think I will be able to go back.
jess says
I dont think that I ever thought to add cream cheese frosting to my brownies, but it was such a game changer! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!