These Mint Cheesecake Brownies have a fudgy brownie base, swirls of green mint cheesecake, and dollops of brownies swirled on top. They're baked to perfection and perfect to slice up and serve for St. Patrick's Day or Christmas!

mint cheesecake brownies on a white surface with a small white plate

A decadent swirl of mint cheesecake elevates ordinary brownies to a new level of deliciousness in our mint cheesecake brownies recipe.

Green food coloring draws the eye toward the cheesecake swirl and makes the brownies as beautiful as they are tasty.

Ingredients for Mint Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients for the Cheesecake

Cream Cheese. It will take a couple of hours for the cream cheese to come to room temperature so be sure to set it out ahead of time.

Granulated Sugar. I like to stock up on sugar over the holidays when it is on sale for winter baking. Nothing warms up the kitchen like brownies or cookies in the oven!

Eggs. I like to get large or extra-large grade A eggs.

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Mint Extract. This is not the same as peppermint extract.

Leaf Green Gel Food Coloring. Makes the brownies gorgeously green - perfect for Saint Patrick's Day or Christmas. Mint flavor is often associated with the green color, but if making these brownies for a differently themed even you could choose a different color.

overhead photo of 4 brownies on a white surface

Ingredients for the Brownies

Butter - I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted.

Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate - This chocolate is not the same as semi-sweet chips and will make your brownies rich and delicious.

Granulated Sugar - white sugar.

Light Brown Sugar - Break apart any lumps in the light brown sugar to make sure you don't have lumpy brownies. You can substitute the sugar for dark brown sugar but the molasses flavor might be more noticeable and the brownies may be slightly denser.

Eggs - Use large eggs for this recipe.

Vanilla Extract - use your favorite vanilla extract, I linked to mine.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - for an even richer, chocolate flavor.

All-Purpose Flour - plain flour.

Baking Powder - the leavening agent.

Salt - Sometimes people are tempted to leave the salt out of dessert recipes. Don't. It will make both the chocolate and the sugar more intense. You need it.

How to Make Mint Cheesecake Brownies

Making the Cheesecake Batter

You'll start by making the cheesecake batter. This is pretty simple. Begin by beating the cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer to get it nice and fluffy.

Then beat in the sugar thoroughly. Finally, incorporate the mint extract, food coloring, and one egg at a time. Set this aside while you make the brownie batter.

Before you start the brownie batter, preheat the oven and get it ready. Spray your 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. It's a good idea to overlap a little of the paper on two edges so that you can lift the brownies out using the paper after they bake.

overhead photo of mint brownies on a square plate on a white surface

Making the Brownie Batter

To make the brownie batter, begin by microwaving the butter and chocolate to get it nicely melted. You will want to microwave in short intervals of thirty seconds or less because the chocolate can burn or seize up quickly in the microwave once it melts. Make sure to stir the chocolate each time, because it may hold its shape even after it is melted and you won't realize it is ready.

Move this melted mixture to a large mixing bowl and add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, beat this mixture on medium for about 1 to 2 minutes until lighter in color and thick. Add in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat just until the flour is incorporated.

Put It All Together

To put the batters into the pan, first, you will make base layers. Add three-fourths of the brownie batter first and spread it out in the pan. Then add three-fourths of the cheesecake batter on top and spread that out.

Now comes the fun part! Add dollops of brownie batter and cheesecake batter on top, letting some of the brownie batter overlap the cheesecake batter and vice versa.

Using a butter knife or skewer, swirl just the cheesecake and top brownie layers together. I make about 5 to 6 passes through the layers to swirl them together.

Bake your brownies and cool them, then let them sit in the refrigerator overnight to let the cheesecake set. It will take about 55 minutes to bake them and you will need to decrease the temperature as you go so be sure to allow time for that. You will find complete instructions on our recipe card at the end of this post.

brownies showing the side view with the layers of fudgy brownies and green cheesecake

Tips for Best Results

After all the batter is in the pan, give the pan a tap on the counter to help everything settle and remove any air pockets between the layers.

When you are swirling the two batters together on top, don't overdo it as you will end up getting a more muddy and less beautiful result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make mint cheesecake brownies gluten-free?

Yes. If you are making the brownies to share with a gluten-free friend, just use your favorite gluten-free one-for-one flour substitute in the recipe and it should turn out perfect. Alternatively, you can use your favorite gluten-free brownie mix.

How should I keep leftover mint cheesecake brownies?

This brownie recipe needs to be refrigerated after baking because of the cheesecake. Keep them in the pan covered with plastic wrap or move them to an airtight container. They will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator, but the brownie will start to get hard after 2 to 3 days.