The blondies that will blow your mind: brown butter raspberry swirl cheesecake blondies! With tangy cheesecake and tart and sweet raspberry jam swirled into crinkly brown sugar blondies.
Brownies will always have a special place in my heart, but blondies are definitely my favorites! The buttery-brown sugar flavors, the crinkly tops, and the endless flavor possibilities make them fun to bake and even more fun to eat!
From key lime white chocolate blondies to cinnamon roll blondie bites to these raspberry swirl cheesecake blondies...there are so many delicious possibilities!
These blondies are definitely a little 'outside of the box'. A crowd-pleaser of a dessert, and pretty to look at too, they are a fun and creative baking project.
Readers love this one and I'm sure you will too!
Reasons you'll โก raspberry swirl cheesecake blondies
- they are deceptively simple to prepare
- they are fun and creative, and pretty to look at
- tart raspberries, tangy cream cheese, brown butter and brown sugar go perfectly well together
Start with the cream cheese layer
For the cheesecake portion of these blondies, you will need room temperature cream cheese, so be sure to set your cream cheese out for at least 2 hours before beginning this recipe. If your cream cheese isn't a room temperature, you will end up with lumpy cheesecake rather than smooth and creamy.
To make the cream cheese layer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
Browning the butter
Taking the time to brown the butter in this recipe adds a nutty quality and added depth of flavor to the blondies. To brown the butter, you will simply sautรฉ the butter, cooking and stirring for several minutes until the milk solids separate as small bits, then toast and turn brown.
For step by step photos showing how to brown butter, read this post!
Mixing the blondies
After browning the butter, transfer to a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for at least 5 minutes to prevent it from cooking the egg when added.
After 5 minutes, we add in the egg, vanilla, and all purpose flour. Stir together until completely combined, then scrape โ of the batter into a foil-lined 9 x 9 inch pan.
Adding the swirls
Before swirling it in, heat up the raspberry jam in the microwave for 10 seconds. This makes it easier to swirl it in.
- Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture all over the blondie base
- Add teaspoons of raspberry jam randomly on the blondie base
- Dollop the remaining blondie mixture on top
- Swirl to the best of your abilities with a butter knife (see photo below)
The blondies will not be very good looking at this point and the top of the blondies may not be very smooth, but everything comes together as they bake and they will come out looking much better!
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Recipe tips
- When measuring flour, be sure to fluff up the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level with a knife. You can also weigh it (weights in grams are provided for all my baking recipes)
- Many readers have asked if this recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan. This should work, though you will need to increase the cook time and I do not know what that would be.
- I recommend baking in a metal baking dish rather than glass if possible; I've had issues with sinking blondies when baking in glass (strange, right?)
- I recommend using seedless jam in this recipe, as seeds add an unappetizing crunch to the blondies. You can swap for any jam!
- Blondies may look (slightly) soft when they come out of the oven, but as they set up in the fridge, they get nice and chewy.
Storage tips
These blondies are best served fresh but can be baked ahead and stored:
- cool completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge
- due to the cream cheese I do not advise storing at room temperature
- refrigerate for up to 5 days
- while I haven't tried, I believe they would freeze well: wrap in plastic or parchment paper and store in a freezer bag or meal prep container for up to 3 months
More delicious desserts
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Brown Butter Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Blondies
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Layer
- 4 oz cream cheese (113 g; at room temperature)
- ยผ cup sugar (52 g)
- 1 egg yolk
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla
Blondies
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter (57 g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200 g; packed)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour (125 g, fluffed, spooned & levelled)
Raspberry Swirl
- ยผ cup seedless raspberry jam
Instructions
Cream Cheese Layer
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
- Set aside.
Blondies
- Line a 9X9 inch pan with aluminum foil, and grease with spray oil.
- Pre-heat oven to 350ยฐF.
- Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Allow the butter to simmer gently for 5 or so minutes to brown it. Keep an eye on the butter, as it can go from golden to burned very quickly. As the butter browns, stir frequently, and you will see small brown bits coming off the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the browned butter into a large bowl and add the sugar, mixing completely. Allow it to sit 5 minutes or so to cool, before stirring in the egg and vanilla.
- Stir in the flour until completely combined.
Raspberry Swirl
- Heat the jam in the microwave for 10 seconds, then stir until smooth.
Assembly + Baking
- Spread โ of the blondie batter over the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the blondie base.
- Add teaspoons of the raspberry jam randomly over the blondie base.
- Spread (as best as you can) remaining blondie over the cream cheese and raspberry jam.
- Gently run a knife along the length of the pan to swirl the mixture. As you can see from my photos they won't look very pretty at this point, however they will be much prettier when they come out of the oven!
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until center is set (it shouldn't jiggle). Mine was perfect in 23 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars. If you want them chewy, place the pan into the fridge to get cold before slicing.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Tips:
- I recommend baking in a metal baking dish rather than glass if possible
- Blondies may look (slightly) soft when they come out of the oven, but as they set up in the fridge, they get nice and chewy.
- cool completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge
- due to the cream cheese I do not advise storing at room temperature
- refrigerate for up to 5 days
- while I havenโt tried, I believe they would freeze well: wrap in plastic or parchment paper and store in a freezer bag or meal prep container for up to 3 months
Nutrition Information
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mrs kathleen m dowling says
I love this recipe, a favourite with my whole family, easy and delicious, I make it quite often.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kathleen, we're so glad to hear that this recipe has become a favorite for you! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review ๐
Brittany says
This review is for those of you who look in the comments before baking something: the recipe was great! It was super easy to make, all the directions were clear, and the end result tasted amazing! It turned out just as it should have.
Denise says
Thank you Brittany! I really appreciate your feedback and that you took the time to leave a review <3
Anna says
LOL! Yep, that's me. Went straight to the comments first. But--Brittany--I'll take your recommendation and make these this week. Thanks! Anna
Crystal says
Stumbled upon this recipe today! I am making them currently! I wish I would have read the comments ahead of time though... I am baking them in a glass pan and am at 35 mins cooking them and they are still jiggly, though it is better then it was at 25 mins so I am going to let them cool and see how it goes. I also didn't have a 9x9 pan (that I could find) so it's in an 8x8 which I am sure isn't helping the cooking time.
I started writing this before I tried them and apparently forgot to post it so I have the follow up ready in the same post ๐
These were so delicious! I got impatient and put them in the freezer for about 30 mins to cool them down quick, and the outsides were chewy but the inside was moist. I don't know if I should have cooked them longer or if I was too impatient to let them cool all the way, or even if it's because of the glass pan..
If you want a thicker version of this blondie, cooking them in an 8x8 pan works pretty well, just be prepared to cook them for at least 10 mins longer.
This is definitely getting saved for later use! Fantastic recipe!
Thank you!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed them, Crystal! Thank you for taking the time to write up your experience, I appreciate it ๐
Daniela says
Hello Denise! Not sure if you will see this message in an hour but I was wondering if I should use salted or unsalted butter? Also, if I double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan, what time should I put on it? Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Daniela! I use unsalted butter. I've never tried in a 9 x 13, but if you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it goes ๐
Cameron says
Hello!
I made these blondes today and Iโm not entirely sure what I did wrong... I followed the recipie exact except for adding a little fresh lemon juice into the cream cheese mixture. I put the blondie base I to the pan and then did the dollops and topped it with the remaining blonde mix. When I baked them I did it for 23 minutes and then checked it but it was very liquidy still in the middle. I had to leave it in another 15 minutes and it still ended up never fully baking. They seem very dense and doughy. I have no idea what I did wrong and I wish I could figure it out!!!
Any help would be greatly appreciated! <3
Denise says
Hi Cameron! I'm so sorry they didn't work out for you. How much lemon juice did you add? I haven't made these for a long time but I can do my best to help troubleshoot! I do know that adding acids like lemon juice can be risky when you're baking. Next time if you're looking for lemony flavor, you might try adding lemon zest?
Sarah says
So I know this is an old post, but I made these today and YUM! Honestly, I had my doubts because Iโve been burned by blondies before, but these are definitely going in my regular rotation. My husband literally said, โthese are my new favoritesโ. Seriously high praise for him! Thanks for a great recipe!
Denise says
Yay! So happy you liked them! I need to make a batch of these soon ๐
Steph says
Sounds amazing! My husband and I donโt go trough sweets very fast. Do you think theyโd freeze ok?
Denise says
I think they'd freeze just fine, although I haven't tried. Let me know if you do try it!
ryvir says
This is the first time I've used browned butter for anything because I always thought it was just a fad.
Oh man. Just the batter smelled delicious and I probably could have eaten the entire batch raw. The bars were delicious!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed them!
Laura says
How many ppl does it serve
Denise says
Hi Laura, you will get 9 large bars or 12 smaller ones ๐
Anela says
Hi,
These look amazing and I am going to try them with homemade guava jam instead of raspberry. Do you have a suggestion as to adjusting the recipe for a 9x13 pan? I can't wait to try these! Thank you!
Denise says
Hi Anela, so sorry for the late reply. I haven't ever made this in a 9x13 inch pan. I am asking some friends and will report back ๐
Denise says
Hi May! I've never actually used raw sugar. I think it should be OK, but I can't say for sure. If you try it, I'd love to hear how they work out!
Alison says
Hi Denise,
Don't worry about that healthy recipe next week. Just give us another one like this...LOL! Alison
Alison says
HI,
I made these yesterday and they are long gone! I'm in the process of batch #2 and I am doubling the blondie portion of the recipe. Mine came out being only about 1/2 tall the first time and I think we'd like a little thicker blondie. I seemed to have plenty of cream cheese and raspberry, so I'm leaving that as is. My batch did take full 35 minutes to set. Thanks for the great recipe inspiration! The browned butter is genius!
Denise says
Hi Alison, thanks so much for your feedback! So glad you like them ๐
Kalissha says
These look amazing! How would I go about this recipe to fit a 9x13 pan??
Denise says
Hi Kalissha! I have never tried this before, but from what I've read you should be able to double the recipe and bake it in the 9x13 pan. I am not sure on the bake time, so I'd bake it for the 20-25 minutes that the recipe calls for, and check on it frequently at that point. I hope this helps!
Kelly says
Sorry to say, these bars were a let down for me. Something didn't seem right about the blondie portion of the recipe (flat and sort of crunchy).
Denise says
Hi Kelly! I'm sorry the blondies didn't work out for you. I would love to help you troubleshoot!
Just curious: how did you measure your flour? I always weigh my flour for 125g/cup, which is only going to be equivalent if you fluff, spoon the flour in, then level (not scooping).
If you measured your flour that way, then the only other thing I could think of is did you use a glass pan or a metal pan? I've noticed is that if I bake bars in a glass pan (vs metal) my bars don't bake properly.
I don't know if that helps at all, but I hope it does ๐
Amy says
Denise, do you use light or dark brown sugar in your blondies? I'm going to do a test-run of these for my big 4th of July party...then adjust if necessary for the party. For the party I'm going to top with cream cheese frosting and make an American flag with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries on top!!! ๐
Denise says
Hi Amy! I use light brown sugar. What a great idea! I hope you like them, and have a wonderful 4th of July!
Amy says
Thanks Denise! I hope you have a super fun 4th too!!
Mary S, ME says
Raising my hand for butter and I do enjoy a large salad for dinner. These look amazing.
Denise says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoy both as well, Mary!
Snowblondie says
This recipe was meant to be. I have a bit of rhubarb and 4 ounces of cream cheese leftover from some handpies I made earlier this week that I can swirl into the blondies in place of the raspberry. It also seems that you have added the flour into the cream cheese mixture rather than the browned butter mix in the directions. Thanks for the recipe! Off to brown some buttah. ๐
Denise says
Oh dear, you are quite right! The flour goes into the blondie mix...thanks for the heads up! I will fix it ASAP. I hope you enjoy the blondies, I wish I had some rhubarb! Still waiting on my tiny plant to produce something!
Izzy says
Haha, I'm the same way! I love my healthy food, but when it comes to dessert, butter and sugar are so good! I think it is a nice balance between healthy entrees and no so healthy desserts! These look so amazing and I would eat the whole pan ๐
Annie @ ciaochowbambina says
You had me at brown butter! And I am with you on your recipe selections...it's all about balance and creativity in my book. Share what we eat, I say! These look divine, Denise!
Denise says
Isn't brown butter to die for Annie? I love it!! Thanks for the thumbs up on the random mix of recipes I post ๐ Variety is the spice of life, right?