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–+ servings

Gingerbread Cheesecake Brownies

5 from 3 votes
Rich and fudgy brownies swirled with vanilla and gingerbread cheesecake, topped with mini gingerbread men.
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Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings16 bars
Calories317 kcal

Ingredients 

Gingerbread Cookies

Cheesecake

  • 226 g cream cheese room temperature (1 block)
  • 75 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 55 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (¼ c.)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. molasses
  • ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves

Brownies

  • 113 g unsalted butter (8 tbsp.)
  • 180 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 c.)
  • 24 g dutch processed cocoa powder (¼ c.)
  • 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
  • 2 eggs
  • 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 90 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)

Instructions 

Gingerbread Cookies

  • If you'd like to top these brownies with the little gingerbread men and make your own cookies, you'll want to do that and bake them off before starting the brownies. See the note at the end of this recipe.

Cheesecake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line an 8" square pan with parchment paper.
  • Add the cream cheese and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer). Beat the cream cheese and sugar together for 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
  • Add in the egg, heavy cream, vanilla, and flour. Beat the mixture on low speed *just until* the batter is cohesive.
  • Transfer ½ of the batter to another bowl. Gently mix in the molasses and gingerbread spices until just combined. Set aside.

Brownies

  • In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and 180g of chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the mixture is smooth.
  • Whisk in the cocoa powder.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale & fluffy.
  • Add the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and mix until combined.
  • Add in the flour and salt. use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the flour into the ingredients until just a few flour streaks remain. Then, gently fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Reserve ¼ c. of brownie batter for swirling on top. Pour the remaining brownie batter into your prepared pan.
  • Place alternating dollops of the vanilla and gingerbread cheesecake batters on top of the brownies to form a flat, even layer. Use a spoon to gently spread out the cheesecake to cover the brownies if needed.
  • Dollop the reserved brownie batter on top of the cheesecake layer, then use a knife to gently swirl it together.
  • Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, then open up the oven and place the baked gingerbread cookies over the brownies, very gently pressing them in.
  • Continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until they are set on the edges and only slightly wobble in the center.
  • Allow the brownies to fully come to room temperature, then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Affiliate links: Kitchen Scale (my favorite) | Kitchen scale (great starter option) | Cordless Hand Mixer | Square Pan | Oven Thermometer 
*This is the recipe I used. It makes way more than you'd need for topping these brownies, so I'd recommend doing .25x the recipe if you'd like to make your own. Otherwise, you can purchase pre-made gingerbread cookies!
The brownies are done when the sides have set and the middle only *slightly* jiggles. Every oven is different which is why I recommend an oven thermometer! So if they don't look quite done at 45 min - continue cooking until they're only slightly jiggly!

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 120mgPotassium: 178mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 471IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg