Looking for a sweet dessert to serve as the ending to a romantic dinner? The easy strawberry cheesecake swirl brownie bars recipe are the perfect choice!
These cream cheese brownies are rich and delicious and make a great addition to your collection of cheesecake recipes.
I love any desserts that are strawberry flavored. This easy brownie cheesecake recipe has a cream cheese topping that is swirled with strawberry jam for a pretty marbled effect.
It uses a boxed brownie mix to save time in the kitchen, but the flavor is amazing.
Start with a fudge brownie mix then add a topping that is very decadent since is made both sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese.
I made the brownies with cheesecake swirl more diet friendly by making it with light cream cheese, fat free sweetened condensed milk and applesauce instead of oil with the brownie mix.
This saves a lot of calories but keeps all the lovely flavor.
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Got a boxed brownie mix and some cream cheese? Turn them into some easy cheesecake brownies. Head to The Gardening Cook for the recipe. 🍓🍓🍓 Share on XMaking these strawberry cheesecake swirl brownies
This dessert is a cross between a chewy fudge brownie and a creamy delicious cheesecake – all wrapped up in one delicious dessert!
Gather your ingredients. You will need the following:
- Chocolate fudge brownie mix
- Cocoa powder
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Water
- Eggs (room temperature)
- Light cream cheese (room temperature)
- Fat free sweetened condensed milk
- Lemon juice
- Pure vanilla extract
- Strawberry Jam
Directions for the strawberry cream cheese swirl brownies
Start by making the brownie mix according to the package directions, substituting the oil with unsweetened applesauce.
Pour into a 13 x 9 inch prepared pan and set aside.
Next, you will make the cheesecake topping and strawberry swirl. Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to avoid lumps.
Beat the light cream cheese until fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix in the sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, lemon juice and pure vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is lovely and smooth.
Pour the cream cheese mixture in dollops over the brownie mixture. Use a small spatula to carefully smooth out the cheesecake layer. Try not to mix it into the brownie layer.
TIP: Use a muffin scoop to slowly distribute the cheesecake layer. It makes it easier to spread it evenly without disturbing the chocolate mixture.
In a small bowl, stir the strawberry jam until smooth. Place small dollops of strawberry jam randomly over the cheesecake brownie bars.
Use a toothpick and swirl the jam gently through the filling. Be careful not to go too deeply or you will disturb the brownie mixture. This swirling will create a pretty marbled effect.
Place the pan of strawberry cream cheese brownies in a preheated 350° F oven and cook for 60-65 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Don’t overbake, or you will end up with a dried out cheesecake. (In this case, dry toothpick = dry cheesecake!)
Be sure to cool in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into squares.
Calories in a strawberry cheesecake swirl brownie
This recipe makes 24 brownie bars. The easy cream cheese brownies work out to 321 calories each with 17 grams of fat and 23 grams of sugar.
Not too bad considering that you get both brownies and cheesecake in the one dessert!
This combination of chocolate and tangy cream cheese is a match made in heaven!
Serve these and then wait for a night of romance. Remember, the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach, as my momma used to say!
More brownie recipe to try
Do you love brownies like we do at our house? Here are a few more recipes to try:
- Fudge Brownie Truffles
- Low Calorie Brownies made with Diet Dr. Pepper – Slimmed Down Dessert
- Easy Turtle Brownies – My Dad’s Favorite
- Chocolate Brownie Whoopie Pies with Peanut Buttercream Filling
- Cookie Dough Brownies
Pin this recipe for strawberry cheesecake brownie bars
Would you like a reminder of this recipe for my strawberry cheesecake swirl brownie? Just pin this image to one of your dessert boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Admin note: this post for marbled cheesecake brownies first appeared on the blog in January of 2014. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable recipe card with nutritional information, and a video for you to enjoy.
Lightened Up Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
These delicious brownies with strawberry topping have a chocolate fudge base topped with strawberry swirled cheesecake that has a pretty marbled look to it.
Ingredients
- Pam non-stick cooking spray
- 18.6 ounce Family Size Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 5 large eggs, divided
- 24 oz of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 21 ounces fat free sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix together the brownie mix, applesauce, cocoa powder, water and 2 of the eggs in large bowl.
- Stir with a spoon for about 50 strokes until just mixed.
- Spread in the prepared pan and set aside
- Beat the cream cheese until fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk.
- Add in the remaining 3 eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Pour this mixture evenly over the brownie mixture.
- Stir the jam until it is smooth.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls over the surface of filling. Using a toothpick, swirl the jam gently through the filling to create a marbled effect. Be careful not to go too deeply or you will disturb the brownie layer.
- Bake 60 - 65 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Be careful not to overbake.
- Cool in refrigerator for 1 hour or more until quite firm.
- Cut into bars.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
The cake is done when a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Don't overbake, or you will end up with a dried out cheesecake. (In this case, dry toothpick = dry cheesecake!)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 0gSugar: 23gProtein: 8g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.