several cream cheese brownies on a wood cutting board

So this is probably just me being totally high maintenance.

I’m not usually a high maintenance person. When it comes to chocolate though? All bets are off. You see, I have some opinions about how I want to enjoy my chocolate. Milk chocolate is only acceptable if there is peanut butter involved. Dark chocolate is the best, unless we’re making cookies (then it has to be semisweet). Chocolate as a beverage? Never. Ever. Going to happen. Just… yuck.

a frozen cream cheese brownie on a wood cutting board

I tell you all of this to let you know that you can eat these cream cheese brownies any way you want. But at my house? They’re coming straight out of the freezer. Yes I tried some straight out of the oven because the house smelled like brownies and I haaaad to. They were good, with a deep chocolate flavor and a fluffy crumb. After they cooled I put them in the freezer so I wouldn’t eat an entire pan of brownies sitting around. When I went to pull one out a few days later I discovered that frozen brownies are where it’s at. At least with this recipe.

You see, chocolate tastes different at different temperatures. That’s just science. So that deep, dark, almost coffee chocolate flavor the brownies had when they came out of the oven? Totally sweetened up in the freezer. The cream cheese is a super bonus because guess what – it pretty much turns into ice cream. Now you have a brownie and ice cream and you’re going to Disney Land. Or something like that.

several frozen cheesecake brownies on a wood cutting board

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Cream Cheese Icebox Brownies

Deeply chocolate brownies, taken to the next level with cream cheese and a trip to the freezer!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 598kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

▢ 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate,, chopped
▢ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar,, firmly packed
▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
▢ 5 large eggs
▢ ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
▢ 4 ounces cream cheese,, softened and whipped with a little heavy cream if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter an 8×8 inch baking pan.
Melt the chocolate, butter, and brown sugar in a large sauce pan over low heat. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and eggs and combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until smooth. Gently fold in spoonfuls of the cream cheese, allowing it to marble the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging.
Allow the brownies to cool before slicing into bars. Place bars in a sturdy zip top bag and store in the freezer. Allow to freeze at least two hours before enjoying straight from the cold.