Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

This luscious Brownie Cheesecake features cubes of brownies baked right inside the cheesecake filling, an Oreo crumb crust, and a chocolate ganache topping. This is a true showstopper of a dessert that is every bit as delicious as it appears!

The Best Chocolatey Cheesecake You’ll Ever Have

Oh boy, this brownie cheesecake! It first graced my kitchen nearly 14 years ago, and I immediately fell in love. I’ve forever been a die-hard cheesecake fan, and this one totally knocked my socks off. I saw it on Smitten Kitchen and couldn’t wait to make it. And I was just as impressed with it as I thought I’d be.

A lot of time has passed since I originally made this, and I’ve tweaked and altered it a bit to better suit my tastes as they’ve evolved over the years. And I have to say that those adjustments are only for the better, even though the original is still utterly fantastic!

The cheesecake itself has the perfect texture - wonderfully creamy and melts in your mouth. Pair that with the crowd-favorite Oreo crust, a bite of fudgey brownie in every other forkful, and a layer of decadent chocolate ganache … and cheesecake (or life, for that matter) does not get much better than this!

This cheesecake recipe is perfect for special occasions like birthdays or holidays when you’re feeding a crowd because a little sliver really goes a long way. It also freezes beautifully so you can have delicious brownie cheesecake at any given time. I hope this rich brownie cheesecake can provide you with some special memories of your own!

How I Made This Brownie Cheesecake My Own

As I mentioned above, I’ve made a number of changes to the cheesecake recipe since I first posted it all those years ago, but if you prefer the original, you can still find it on Smitten Kitchen. Here’s what I changed:

• The Crust: When I’ve made this in the past, I had an issue with the melted butter pooling out of the pan, so I decreased the butter by half. Problem solved!
• The Brownies: In the original recipe, there was a simple one-bowl brownie recipe. You could totally still use this (or even a box mix!), but since you don’t need the entire recipe of brownies for the cheesecake, I decided to use my favorite all-purpose brownie recipe – the better-than-box-mix brownies. If I have leftovers, I want to love, love, love eating them!
• The Cheesecake: Since I found my very favorite basic cheesecake recipe, I love to use it for every variation I make. I first introduced it here on the site with my Oreo cheesecake, and also used it in the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. It’s super creamy and slightly dense and I adore it, so I used it here!
• The Ganache: The original ganache had chocolate, butter, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. I went the super simple route and used the same ganache (although halved) that I poured over the chocolate peanut butter cup overload cake. It sets firm yet soft and goes perfectly with the creamy cheesecake.

Key Ingredients

This recipe is threefold - the cheesecake, the Oreo crumb crust, and the chocolate ganache. 

For the vanilla brownie cheesecake filling, you’ll need:

• Full-fat cream cheese (softened to room temperature to keep the cheesecake lump-free)
• White granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour (sifted) 
• A pinch of salt
• Heavy whipping cream 
• Pure vanilla extract
• Three large eggs + an egg yolk (also at room temperature)
• And the pièce de résistance - your favorite brownies cut into bite-sized cubes

For the Oreo crumb crust, you’ll need: finely ground Oreo cookie crumbs (I like to pulse them in a food processor with the cream filling), white granulated sugar, salt, and melted unsalted butter to hold all of that deliciousness together. 

Lastly, for the homemade chocolate ganache, you’ll need: finely chopped dark chocolate (to ensure it melts evenly) and some heavy whipping cream. That’s it!

How To Make Brownie Cheesecake

After you have gathered your ingredients, preheated your oven, and prepped your bakeware, follow these steps to make this incredible brownie mosaic cheesecake!

• Make the Oreo Crust: Whisk together the Oreo cookie crumbs, sugar, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the melted butter and, stir with a fork until evenly moistened (resembling soft sand). Press into the bottom and up sides of the prepared springform pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling so it hardens.

• Make the Cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt together in an electric mixer on medium-low speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and lump-free. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla, and beat to combine. Beat in the eggs and the yolk one at a time. Gently fold in the cubed brownies by hand.

• Bake the Cheesecake: Pour the filling into the chilled Oreo crust and spread into an even layer. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the outer couple inches of cheesecake looks puffed and set, but the center still jiggles when you move the pan, about 40 to 55 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack open the door and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, place on a wire cooling rack and run a thin knife around the edge of the cake. Allow to cool completely to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

• Make the Chocolate Ganache: Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup, and set aside. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until scalded. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate ,and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes to thoroughly melt the chocolate. Then, whisk to combine. You should have a thick, smooth ganache.

• Add Ganache to Chilled Cheesecake: Pour the ganache evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.

• Serve: When ready to serve, un-mold the cheesecake and place it on a serving platter. Wipe your knife clean between slices to get a clean, even wedge of cheesecake every time. And, most of all, enjoy!

What To Serve with This Cheesecake

This brownie cheesecake is so incredibly rich on its own, you really only need a tall glass of ice cold milk to serve along with it. But a homemade iced coffee or a warm mug of hot chocolate would also be divine!

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions

• Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week.
• Freeze whole or in slices for up to 2 months. If you are freezing by the slice, wrap each slice individually to make grabbing one whenever the craving strikes easy.
• Reheat by simply letting it come to temperature in the fridge, or enjoy frozen!

More Cheesecake Recipes To Try

• Oreo Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Red Velvet Cheesecake
• New York Cheesecake
• S’mores Cheesecake
• Chocolate Lovers Cheesecake
• Snickers Cheesecake
• Black Forest Cheesecake

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Prep Time: 35 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Resting time: 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 8 hours hrs

A luscious cheesecake with cubes of brownies baked right inside, with an Oreo crumb crust and chocolate ganache topping.

4.89 (17 ratings)

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Ingredients

For the Oreo Crumb Crust

• ▢ 3 cups (480 g) or 24 cookies finely ground Oreo cookie crumbs
• ▢ ⅔ cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
• ▢ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

• ▢ 32 ounces (907.19 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ ½ cup (119 ml) heavy cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 2 cups  (228 g) ¾-inch cubes of your favorite brownies

For the Chocolate Ganache

• ▢ 4 ounces (113.4 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup (79.33 ml) heavy cream

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
• Make the Crumb Crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Oreo crumbs, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until evenly moistened. Press into the bottom and up sides of the prepared springform pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
• Make the Cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt until the mixture is creamy and no lumps of cream cheese remain, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat to combine. Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating for about 15 seconds before adding the next. Using a rubber spatula, mix a few times by hand to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Gently fold in the cubed brownies.
• Pour the filling into the chilled crust and spread into an even layer. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the outer couple inches of cheesecake looks puffed and set, but the center still jiggles when you move the pan, about 40 to 55 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack open the door and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour.
• After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, place on a wire cooling rack and run a thin knife around the edge of the cake. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Make the Chocolate Ganache: Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup; set aside. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Begin whisking the mixture in the center, gradually working your way outward until the ganache is completely smooth. The ganache should be slightly thickened, yet still a pourable consistency. If it is still too thin, let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the correct consistency.
• Pour the ganache evenly over the top of the cheesecake. If it’s a little thinner, it will likely spread out on its own; if it is thicker, you may need to use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
• When ready to serve, unmold the cheesecake and place it on a serving platter. Leftover cheesecake can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen (whole or in slices) for up to 2 months.

Notes

• Equipment: 9-inch springform pan
• Brownies: You can use your favorite brownie recipe for this (homemade or store-bought); I chose to use my better-than-box-mix brownies.
• Ganache: I like using dark chocolate, but feel free to substitute semisweet if you’d like! I think milk might be too sweet for my taste, but you could certainly try it.
• Storage: Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week.
• Freezing Instructions: Freeze the whole cheesecake or slices for up to 2 months. If you are freezing by the slice, wrap each slice individually to make grabbing one whenever the craving strikes easy.
• Thawing: If you froze the entire cheesecake, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Individual slices can be thawed in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
• This recipe was originally published on October 11, 2008.
• Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
• Nutritional values are based on one serving.

Calories: 636kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 535mg, Potassium: 243mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 47g, Vitamin A: 1160IU, Calcium: 103mg, Iron: 4.7mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Photography by Dee Frances.