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Chocolate brownies and a cream cheese swirl bake together in a rectangular pan. Keep the topping plain or tint it orange for Halloween; the color changes the appearance, not the underlying recipe.
Ingredients and measurements
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips; 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs plus 2 yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla; 2 1/4 cups Domino Golden Sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Swirl: 8 ounces softened cream cheese; Swirl: 1/4 cup Domino Golden Sugar
- Swirl: 1 egg
- Swirl: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; Optional: orange gel food coloring
Preparation and baking
- Stage 1
Heat oven to 350°F; line a 13-by-9-inch pan.
- Stage 2
Whisk cocoa with boiling water; melt chips into it. Incorporate butter, oil, eggs, yolks, vanilla and sugar; fold in flour and salt.
- Stage 3
Reserve 1/4 cup batter; spread the rest in the pan.
- Stage 4
Beat the swirl ingredients smooth, adding optional color. Spoon over the base with reserved batter and marble gently.
- Stage 5
Bake about 25 minutes, until a center tester has moist crumbs without liquid batter.
- Stage 6
Rest ten minutes, lift out with parchment and cool fully before portioning.
Separate the topping ingredients from the brownie ingredients before you start. The brownie base uses two whole eggs plus two additional yolks; the topping has its own whole egg. Save the unused whites in a covered container in the refrigerator for another recipe. Read the sugar and vanilla entries as separate portions rather than adding everything to the first mixing bowl. This replaces the corrupted quantities in the older draft; do not combine the two formulas.
Which measurements need particular attention?
Check the pan dimensions before mixing and clear a heat-safe landing space beside the oven. Leave enough parchment beyond two opposite sides to use as handles, but keep loose paper away from heating elements. Put a rack on the cleared space and keep a second pair of oven mitts nearby if the pan is heavy. A smaller pan changes the batter depth and needs a separately developed baking schedule; it is not an automatic substitution.
How should the pan and serving area be prepared?
Press the cream cheese with a spatula before mixing. If the middle is still hard, let it soften a little longer instead of beating the egg mixture aggressively. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so no firm cheese remains under the beaters. Add coloring gradually to a small portion first if you are uncertain about its strength. Plain, untinted topping is also appropriate outside Halloween.
What if the topping has lumps?
Wait until the dessert has cooled, then refrigerate before cutting if you want firmer edges. Move the slab onto a stable board and mark the portions before making full cuts. Wipe the knife between cuts so cheese and crumbs from one slice do not smear across the next. Keep the saved parchment underneath during transfer, and lift each piece from its base rather than gripping the soft top.
How can the slices look cleaner?
Refrigerate the cooled brownies in a covered container and use within three days. Include cooling time in the two-hour room-temperature limit; do not leave the dairy-and-egg topping on a counter overnight. Pack slices separately from strongly scented foods. These storage directions are editorial guidance, not a tested shelf-life claim.
Storage and serving
For more recipes to serve alongside, see strawberry brownies easy glaze or orange clove cookies ultimate. Use that recipe’s own quantities rather than mixing formulas.
Formula adapted from Kimberlee Ho’s Halloween Cream Cheese Brownies for Domino Sugar. The ingredient proportions and core method are credited to that source; the preparation guidance here is editorial research. A Pinch Of Lemon has not kitchen-tested this version. Existing photographs are illustrative and are not evidence of a test bake.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Which measurements need particular attention?
Separate the topping ingredients from the brownie ingredients before you start. The brownie base uses two whole eggs plus two additional yolks; the topping has its own whole egg. Save the unused whites in a covered container in the refrigerator for another recipe. Read the sugar and vanilla entries as separate portions rather than adding everything to the first mixing bowl. This replaces the corrupted quantities in the older draft; do not combine the two formulas.
- How should the pan and serving area be prepared?
Check the pan dimensions before mixing and clear a heat-safe landing space beside the oven. Leave enough parchment beyond two opposite sides to use as handles, but keep loose paper away from heating elements. Put a rack on the cleared space and keep a second pair of oven mitts nearby if the pan is heavy. A smaller pan changes the batter depth and needs a separately developed baking schedule; it is not an automatic substitution.
- What if the topping has lumps?
Press the cream cheese with a spatula before mixing. If the middle is still hard, let it soften a little longer instead of beating the egg mixture aggressively. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so no firm cheese remains under the beaters. Add coloring gradually to a small portion first if you are uncertain about its strength. Plain, untinted topping is also appropriate outside Halloween.
- How can the slices look cleaner?
Wait until the dessert has cooled, then refrigerate before cutting if you want firmer edges. Move the slab onto a stable board and mark the portions before making full cuts. Wipe the knife between cuts so cheese and crumbs from one slice do not smear across the next. Keep the saved parchment underneath during transfer, and lift each piece from its base rather than gripping the soft top.