These Caramel Cheesecake Brownies are the most decadent dessert. Homemade caramel sauce and cream cheese are swirled into a simple boxed brownie mix. It is a dessert that my friends go nuts for!
These aren’t the brownies your mother makes, these are the ultimate rich, moist, chocolatey, brownies swirled with homemade bourbon caramel sauce and cream cheese. This Caramel Cheesecake Brownie recipe is an easy upgrade to a boxed brownie mix. Caramel oozes out of these brownies, they are beyond delicious.
I like to use boxed brownie mix because it is such a time saver, and I genuinely love it! There is no need to reinvent the wheel here, start with a boxed mix and then make it your own. I usually buy Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix. Adding caramel and cream cheese turns the brownies into a gourmet dessert, and your friends will probably think that you baked the brownies from scratch!
I have been making these brownies for years. To my friends, these are “The Brownies”. I’ve brought them over to friends’ houses only to later hear that there was a minor fight about someone eating the last one.
The total active preparation time is just 15 minutes and the bake time is about 50 minutes (using an 8×8 inch pan). Another reason why this recipe is on a heavy rotation is that it is made with ingredients that I tend to have at home already. Keeping a box of brownie mix on hand is always a good idea. I can whip up a batch of these brownies when we have friends over or to bring to a party. This recipe has become my default easy dessert recipe.
I make a homemade Bourbon Caramel Sauce and swirl it into the brownies, but if you want to save time you can use your favorite store-bought caramel sauce. If I am not making it from scratch, I like Stonewall Kitchen’s Sea Salt Caramel Sauce. *You can use vanilla instead of Bourbon if you like.
You can serve the brownies on their own, but the best way to serve them might be to warm them up and add a scoop of ice cream.
I highly recommend using an 8×8-inch baking dish for this recipe. Using a smaller-sized dish results in thicker brownies. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and caramel cheesecake brownies just taste best when they are thicker.
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How to Make Caramel Cheesecake Brownies:
Caramel Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 boxes of Brownie Mix and the ingredients called for on the box
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 6 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Bourbon
- 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Whipped Cream Cheese at room temperature
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Next, prepare the caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, and once it melts, add the cream and salt. Next, add the bourbon and bring the caramel to a steady bubble. Let the sauce bubble and thicken for about 5 minutes, until it is thick and syrupy and will stay on the back of a spoon.
- While the caramel simmers, prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box. Pour the batter into a pan lined with parchment.
- Drizzle the caramel over the brownies. Then add big spoonfuls of the cream cheese, and use a knife to swirl the caramel and cream cheese through the brownies.
- Bake according to the directions on the brownie mix box (and maybe for 5 minutes longer). The caramel will make these brownies gooey, and they won't set up as much as regular brownies, but when they are done cooking, a toothpick should come out mostly clean (it will probably just have some caramel on it).
Kendall Patton
Wednesday 21st of September 2016
These brownies do look delicious! Besides, that high school story is hilarious! :)
Laurie
Sunday 18th of September 2016
These look incredible and I will be trying these soon! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Link Party! Stumbled and pinned to share!
Kit Graham
Tuesday 20th of September 2016
Thank you Laurie!