These Mint Cream Cheese Brownies are a favorite Christmas Dessert! With fun green swirls on top of rich fudgy brownies, they’re make ahead and freezer friendly.
I know there are people who disagree, but I think mint and chocolate is one of the best combinations!
I love how mint cuts through a bit of the richness of chocolate, although it enables me to eat waaaaaay too much of these brownies.
And if you’ve been around here a while, you know my feelings on any dessert with cream cheese, so here we are: Mint Cream Cheese Brownies.
I wanted to make a fun Christmas dessert that would look pretty, but be easy to make, freezer friendly and just plain delicious.
We’re not really big fans of sugar cookies, or things with a ton of frosting, so these Mint Brownies really did the trick!
If you’re looking for more Christmas treats, you’ll love my list of 35+ Easy Christmas Treats (no bake!) and my list of 31 Best Christmas Cookies Recipes!
Tips for making the best Cream Cheese Brownies:
- Use a 9×13″ pan with straight edges — this ensures that your edge pieces have an even distribution of brownie and cream cheese.
- Line your pan with parchment paper — it can sometimes be tricky to get your brownie batter spread while keeping your parchment in place, but it’s so worth it when they come out of the pan with no effort at all.
- Don’t “overswirl” — this is more for looks than anything, but try not to go crazy with the swirling. Just a few here and there will get you that gorgeous contrast of green and chocolate, without it becoming a big mess.
- Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight before slicing. This isn’t a must, but it will get you the cleanest, prettiest slices.
- Make extra! Because with Christmas coming up, you know…. they go quickly 😉
How to store Mint Brownies:
You can store these Mint Brownies in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I prefer to freeze mine, already sliced, in an airtight container so they last a little longer.
Warning! They thaw dangerously quickly 😉
Variations on these Mint Brownies:
- Add in some chocolate chips, chunks or mint chocolate chips for extra chocolatey texture!
- Chop up some mint Oreos and throw those on top before baking
- Crush up some candy canes and press them into the top before baking
- Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with your favorite Christmas sprinkles.
More Christmas dessert recipes you’ll love!
- No Bake Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake Recipe + VIDEO
- Christmas M&M Cookies recipe
- Mint Hershey Kiss Cookies Recipe + VIDEO
- Molasses Cookies Recipe: soft and chewy! (+ VIDEO)
- Fudgy Mint Chocolate No-Bake Cookies + VIDEO
Mint Cream Cheese Brownies
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 cup butter melted
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (500g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (190g)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (95g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 1 package cream cheese 250g/8oz, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67g)
- 1 egg
- 2-3 teaspoons mint extract (3 for very minty, 2 for mild mint)
- green food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×13" pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar until smooth.
- Whisk in vanilla, then add eggs and whisk well until completely combined.
- Stir in flour, cocoa and salt using a spatula or spoon (the batter is very thick and a whisk doesn't always work well).
- Spread into prepared pan (reserve a few tablespoons to swirl on top if desired).
- To make the cream cheese layer, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add sugar, egg, mint extract and food coloring if using. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese over brownie layer in pan. Top with reserved brownie batter if you have some, and swirl a few times with a knife (don't go too crazy!).
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the center is almost completely set when you jiggle the pan (the more gooey you like them, the earlier you can take them out, but bake at least 35 minutes).
- Let cool slightly and serve warm, or cool completely and refrigerate before slicing (cutting the brownies cold will give you the nicest pieces).
Nutrition Information
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