These Double Chocolate Brownies are rich, gooey, dense and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting. Not only are they delicious, they’re also really easy to make. Before I begin, I want to put a friendly reminder out there that I go over the main steps of the recipe in my blog posts, however for the full recipe, please use the “Jump to Recipe” button above.
Notes on preparing the pan:
Before starting the brownies, prepare the pan by making a foil overhang. Use two pieces of aluminum foil to line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Place the first piece across the short side of the pan and over the edges and press the foil into the sides. Use another piece of aluminum foil and place it across the long side of the pan and over the edges, making sure to press the foil into the corners and sides of the pan of the pan. Creating this foil overhang will help when trying to lift the brownies out of the pan before cutting them. Once the foil overhang is made, grease the foil with butter or nonstick baking spray.
Notes on making the brownie layer:
To make the brownie layer, whisk together the flour and salt in a clean bowl and set aside. Next, create a double boiler,which is a bowl or small pot that sits over a larger pot with an inch or two of hot water in it. In the bowl of the double boiler, place the semi-sweet chocolate morsels, unsalted butter, cocoa powder, and ground coffee and allow to melt until smooth. Because the ingredients are in a double boiler, they’re less likely to burn because they’re not touching the bottom of the pan and have a barrier between them and the heat source. While the ingredients are melting, stir them frequently to help them melt evenly.
Once the ingredients are mostly smooth and melted, remove from heat and allow to cool. By mostly melted, I mean there can be a little bit of butter that will continue to melt once off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then gently whisk the flour mixture into the melted chocolate until just combined. When making brownies, there is no need to beat the batter vigorously because we want the brownies to be dense and gooey, not light and fluffy, therefore we don’t want to incorporate a lot of air by mixing. When mixing ingredients together, they need to be whisked or stirred gently until just combined and no more.
We’re not done yet! Continuing with the brownie layer: we need to whisk the sugar, vanilla extract and eggs together in a clean bowl until combined and then gently whisk it into the chocolate batter until just combined with no streaks. Lastly, use a rubber spatula to fold the milk chocolate morsels into the batter.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake the brownies at 350℉ for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, with only a few crumbs (and no batter!). Allow the brownies to cool completely before frosting.
To make the Cream Cheese frosting:
In a medium to large-sized bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together. It’s important that these two ingredients are truly soft and at room temperature to prevent any lumps forming in the frosting, so a few hours before starting the recipe, take them out of the refrigerator. You can also unwrap the ingredients, place them on a microwave safe plate, and microwave in 7 second intervals until softened.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar followed by the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between. Only Frost the brownies once they are completely cooled. Once frosted, allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before lifting the brownies out of the pan using the foil overhang and cutting into squares.
How to store these Double Chocolate Brownies:
Store these Double Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Some people prefer these brownies cold, while others prefer them at room temperature – it’s all based off personal preference! So that said, serve these cold or at room temperature.
To view more recipes, click an option below:
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Or go to our Recipes page for more!
Double Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the brownie layer
- 3/4 cup (90g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 cups (350g) Semi – Sweet Baking Chocolate Morsels
- 2 1/2 sticks (283g or 20 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter – cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tbsp Ground Coffee
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs
- 3/4 cup (150g) Milk Chocolate Morsels
For the frosting
- 8 oz Cream Cheese – softened
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter – softened
- 2 cups (300g) Powdered Sugar – sifted
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
To make the brownie layer
- Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Have one short piece that goes across the short side of the pan and one long piece that goes along the long side of the pan. Make sure to press the aluminum foil into the sides and corners of the pan.*
- Grease the aluminum foil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl over hot water (double boiler), melt the semi-sweet chocolate morsels, unsalted butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, and ground coffee together. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled slightly, whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs and pure vanilla extract together until just combined. Then whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the milk chocolate morsels.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Set aside and allow to cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy and smooth.
- Gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar, then the vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
- Spread over cooled brownies. Place in the refrigerator and allow to set for 30 minutes before serving.