I have the fondest memories of brownie bites as a child. Pulling apart the velcro on my turquoise lunchbox, I’d search for the white and blue Hostess bag before tearing it apart with my teeth. And by “teeth,” I mean “some combination of the braces and/or twin-clock retainers” (remember those?) I wore for seven sexy years. I’d then fish out brownie after brownie until reaching the last bite, at which point I’d reach back into the bag and touch disappointment with my finger tips. Emptiness.
To this day, I still wonder how anyone could’ve rationalized so few brownie bites constituted a single serving. They’re miniature to begin with, why minimize the amount in the bag? My culinary angst finally ended a few weekends ago when I decided it was high time I ditched the single servings and take matters into my own hands.
Cream cheese, much like pancetta and Parmesan and sour cream, makes any dish better, so it was a natural addition. Best of all, you can leave disappointment in the dust because this recipe yields 30 of the two-bite treats. Thirty. That’s like two whole servings.
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Ingredients
For the brownie batter:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the cheesecake filling:
- 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, baking cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso mixed with water, and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir in the sugar and melted butter until well combined, then stir in the flour. (A firm rubber spatula works best.) Set brownie batter aside.
- In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake filling by stirring together the cream cheese, sugar and egg yolk until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag or plastic bag.
- Grease a non-stick mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or butter and then spoon a tablespoon of brownie batter into the greased cups. Pipe a generous amount of cheesecake filling atop the brownie batter, and then top off each cup with an additional teaspoon of brownie batter.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the brownie bites cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling, or enjoy warm.
Kelly's Notes:
- When measuring flour, never scoop the cup into the flour, as it condenses the flour and causes you to use more than the recipe intends. Instead, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it with a knife. The same technique applies for cocoa powder.
- A mini-ice cream scoop is an easy and efficient way to scoop the brownie batter into the prepared cups.
- Feel free to swirl the cheesecake mixture with the brownie mixture once scooped into the muffin cups to create a marbled effect.
- If the brownie bites aren't easily releasing from the pan, use a sharp knife to cut around the edges to release them.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Brownie batter recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
I love these! I always eat way too many!! Thank you!
I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Stephanie!
Very tasty, turned out beautifully. Needs a good non stick mini muffin pan ( or use paper liners). These freeze well too!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Robyn!
These are WONDERFUL! The espresso powder really puts the chocolate flavor over the top. This is a quick and easy way to satisfy your chocolate AND cheesecake cravings without all the extra time and effort. OMGosh! Thank you, Kelly.
You are so welcome, Deirdre! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I made them and after 12 minutes they weren’t cooked. I have used silicone muffins molts, would it be the reason?
Hi Augustine – Yes, baking in silicone bakeware generally requires a little longer baking time.
Can you use store brought brownie mix
Hi Sierra – Absolutely :) You can use box brownie batter and follow the rest of the recipe the exact same. Enjoy!
Have made these a few times over the years and i’m back to make them again today! DELISH! so decadent :)
I’m SO thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Jess!
is the espresso powder necessary?
Hi Kelli! The espresso powder isn’t necessary. It enhances the flavor of the brownies but they’ll still taste great without it :)
These are absolutely delicious. I made them today, and they were a big hit.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa!
Did you use natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed? Does it matter in this recipe?
Natural!
what is expresso powder
Hi Bev – It’s very intensely dark and concentrated instant coffee crystals that dissolve quickly in liquid. You can usually find it in the coffee aisle of most major supermarkets.
I made these for my daughter’s birthday party and they turned out great!
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Beth!
Thank you for the recipe, I’ll be making this on the weekend! I like the notes you post.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Hope!
Made the brownies, last week and they were delicious. Thank you for this great recipe.
You are so welcome, Josephine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
hello,
was wondering if this would work with a boxed brownie mix?
It should!
I just put my first batch in the oven right now! I know they’ll turn out great!
I’ve done this in a regular muffin tin and they were delicious! They turned out great, just bigger bites, that’s all! They were so good!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Julie!
I used 99g cocoa powder ( that was all I had), 240.50g all purpose flour, reduced the sugar to 360 gram of caster sugar. Turned out okay in terms of sweetness.
I have a question about storing these. I want to make a lot for my sisters wedding reception. Do I need to store them in the refrigerator since they are half cheesecake? How long can I make them in advance? Is a week too long? Thanks for the help! They look amazing!
Yes, I’d recommend storing them in the fridge just to be safe and I’d make them a maximum of 3 days in advance.