Brownies & BlondiesNo. 7720 · The 2026 edition
Black-Bottom Brownies
Rich chocolate brownies with a creamy cheesecake swirl—perfect for Halloween with a spooky witch hat shape!
Our own summary of the original by Kate Merker — the full post and photos live at countryliving.com.
These black-bottom brownies combine a fudgy chocolate base with a tangy cream cheese topping. After baking, cut them into witch hat shapes or bars for a festive treat. The espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor without overpowering it.
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a baking sheet on the middle rack. Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides; butter the parchment as well.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add sugar and stir until smooth and shiny. Mix in cocoa, espresso powder, and salt; let cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk eggs into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in flour until smooth. Transfer 1/4 cup of this batter to a small bowl; set aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan.
- Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in the egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, and remaining vanilla until combined, scraping down sides as needed, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Spread this mixture over the brownie batter in the pan.
- Dollop the reserved chocolate batter over the cream cheese layer and gently swirl with a butter knife. Place the pan on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 35–40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownies from the pan. Remove the paper and cut with a witch hat cookie cutter or into 16 bars.
