Goat Cheese Swirl Brownies

These thick, fudgy dark chocolate brownies swirled with sweet, creamy goat cheese are like cheesecake brownies only better. Made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and tangy goat cheese.

creamy goat cheese swirled brownies

Back in the height of the Food Network days of my childhood, I remember watching one of those deep-dive shows into a goat farm somewhere in the Northeast where, at the end of the episode, there was a montage of bleating goats, cheese-making machinery, and thick brownies swirled with fresh goat cheese. Those brownies made a permanent impression in my my mind so to say that I have been thinking of this recipe for the past 15 years is not an exaggeration. Thankfully, I found myself with a Costco-sized goat cheese log in the refrigerator that was just begging to be swirled into brownies.

about these goat cheese swirled brownies

The base for this recipe starts with my long-time favorite fudgy brownie recipe. I spent about 5 years testing and tweaking this recipe so you know it’s a good one. They are thick and deeply chocolate-y and come together in just a few minutes using minimal dishware—always a win in my book. Then we make a sweetened goat cheese mixture and swirl it through the batter just before baking. They are sweet and simple and a little bit fancy, just how I like my baked goods.

ingredients you’ll need for goat cheese swirled brownies

  • Chocolate. The most important part of any brownie recipe. This recipe has a base of melted chocolate + the addition of a little cocoa powder. I like to use the Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus Chocolate Baking Bars because they are quality-chocolate at an affordable price. You can either use dutch-processed or dark cocoa powder for this recipe—the darker the better in my opinion.

  • Butter. This recipe uses butter as our fat source and it’s melted with the chocolate in a double boiler. Because we’re using it in a melted form, if you want to play around with flavor, you could experiment with olive oil or coconut oil for a slightly different flavor.

  • Espresso Powder. Espresso goes beautifully with chocolate. You can use espresso powder or instant coffee granules in this recipe.

  • Eggs. This recipe uses 6 eggs in total, 5 in the brownie batter and 1 in the goat cheese mixture. Egg yolks provide fat and emulsification, while whites contribute to the structure of the brownie. In the brownie batter, we are using 3 whole eggs and 2 of the egg yolks, while the remaining 2 egg whites are whipped with sugar to create our crackly brownie crust.

  • Brown Sugar. I love the sticky, caramelized flavor that brown sugar adds to this recipe.

  • Granulated Sugar. Half of the granulated sugar in this recipe is whisked directly into the brownie batter and half is whipped into the egg whites to create a meringue that will give us a crackly, brownie crust. We’ll use another 2 tbsp to sweeten the goat cheese mixture.

  • Flour. We are using one cup of all purpose flour in this recipe.

  • Goat Cheese. The star of the show, we are using 8 oz of plain goat cheese for the swirl layer.

  • Salt, Heavy Cream, and Vanilla. A pinch of salt is added to both the brownie batter and the goat cheese mixture. A splash of heavy cream can be used in the goat cheese mixture to help loosen it and make it a “swirl-able” consistency. I scraped the vanilla bean seeds from one vanilla bean pod for the goat cheese swirl, but you can substitute 2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Goat Cheese Swirl Brownies
Yield 16 brownies
Author Anna Ramiz
Prep time
45 Min
Cook time
30 Min
Total time
1 H & 15 M

Goat Cheese Swirl Brownies

These thick, fudgy dark chocolate brownies swirled with sweet, creamy goat cheese are like cheesecake brownies only better. Made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and tangy goat cheese.

Ingredients

for the brownie batter
  • 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar
  • 5 eggs (3 whole, 2 separated)
for the goat cheese swirl
  • 8 oz plain goat cheese, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 1-2 tbsp heavy cream, if needed

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9x13" baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
  3. Combine chopped chocolate, cubed butter, and espresso powder in a large heat-proof bowl and set it over a pot of simmering water. Heat, stirring often, until mixture is completely melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
  4. When the chocolate has cooled a bit, whisk in the brown sugar and half of the granulated sugar.
  5. Add the 3 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition.
  6. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients, mixing with a rubber spatula until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Set batter aside.
  7. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin whipping the 2 egg whites on medium speed. When the whites are frothy, gradually stream in the remaining half of the granulated sugar. When all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until medium peaks form.
  8. Working in two additions, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the brownie batter, mixing gently until completely combined, no white streaks remain, and all of the batter is one consistent color. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and set aside while you make the goat cheese swirl.
  9. To make the goat cheese swirl, combine goat cheese, egg, sugar, salt, and scraped vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until smooth, adding a splash or two of heavy cream to loosen if needed.
  10. Dollop the goat cheese mixture over the top of the brownie batter and swirl with a knife or skewer. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top of the brownie is set and a knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
  11. Let the brownies cool completely before serving. For clean slices, chill the brownies for at least an hour and preferably overnight before slicing.

Notes

You may have extra of the goat cheese mixture, but I'm not into writing recipes where you have to use 1/2 of an egg. If you want a little extra goat cheese, you can add a layer to the middle of the batter in addition to swirling it on the top.

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Hot Chocolate Cookies

Warm and cozy chocolate cookies, filled with puddles of dark chocolate and gooey marshmallows.

I don’t know whether to blame the frigid weather, the many inches of snow covering our yard, or the baby growing in my belly, but I have been VERY into hot chocolate this winter. I’ve been making it plain from scratch, making Martin’s abuela’s avena, and keeping a box of Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa packets in my pantry for grabbing in a pinch. I just can’t get enough.

So of course my hot cocoa cravings have spilled over into my recipe development where these cookies were created. I used my brownie-like fudgy chocolate cookie base from my Chocolate Orange Cookies and adapted it slightly to create these ooey, gooey hot chocolate cookies, filled with puddles of dark chocolate and miniature marshmallows to keep you warm all winter long.

how to make hot chocolate cookies

This recipe is very simple and needs minimal chilling time—both wins in my book. We start by melting chocolate and butter over a double boiler. While the chocolate is melting, whisk together your dry ingredients and set them aside. Meanwhile, combine sugar, eggs, and extracts in the bowl of a mixer and whip them for about 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy and a thick ribbon forms when you pull the whisk out of the bowl. Then we incorporate the dry ingredients, followed by the melted chocolate and butter, and finally fold in the chopped chocolate and mini marshmallows.

This batter closely resembles brownie batter, so it will be too loose to scoop right away. Pop the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes and then scoop cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on cookie size, until the edges are set and the tops are dry. Let them cool slightly on the pan before digging in!

what you need to make hot chocolate cookies

  • Chocolate. Use high-quality dark chocolate for this recipe because it’s really the star. I like the 72% baking bars from Trader Joe’s. You’ll need 12 oz for melting and another 4 oz chopped for stirring into the batter.

  • Butter. I always bake with unsalted butter, as the salt amounts varies from brand to brand. If you choose to use salted butter, cut the amount of salt in the recipe in half.

  • Sugar. Plain, white granulated sugar for this recipe helps our cookies spread just a bit and gives us that crunchy, crackly exterior.

  • Eggs. Use large eggs, which weigh about 50 grams each. The high egg quantity in this recipe makes the cookies extra fudgy.

  • Vanilla Extract. I like the subtle rounded-out flavor that dark vanilla extract gives to the cookies.

  • Cacao Extract. For Christmas, my aunt brought me cacao, cinnamon, and coffee extracts from Tanzania and I was looking for ways to incorporate them in my baking. If you don’t have an aunt who brings you African cacao extracts, just leave it out—no big deal.

  • Flour. All purpose flour is used in this recipe. Be sure to weigh your flour for the most accurate results.

  • Salt. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt in all of my baking and cooking. If you are using Morton’s, cut the salt amount in half as they are much smaller grains.

  • Baking Powder. Baking powder does most of the leavening in this recipe and keeps our cookies from becoming puddles when baking.

  • Baking Soda. The baking soda contributes a little to the leavening in this recipe, but it’s big job is to counteract the acid in the chocolate here.

  • Cocoa Powder. Good, dark cocoa powder provides richness to our cookie.

  • Miniature Marshmallows. You can’t have hot chocolate without marshmallows. Grab your favorite mini marshmallows for mixing in.

Hot Chocolate Cookies
Yield 24 large cookies, or about 40 small cookies
Author Anna Ramiz
Prep time
30 Min
Cook time
12 Min
Inactive time
30 Min
Total time
1 H & 12 M

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Warm and cozy chocolate cookies, filled with puddles of dark chocolate and gooey marshmallows.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cacao extract, optional
  • 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 90 g (about 1 cup) miniature marshmallows

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip sugar with eggs and vanilla (and cacao extract, if using) on medium-high speed until the mixture is lightened in color and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. (You should be able to pull the whisk out of the bowl and it should leave a ribbon-like mark in the mixture.)
  4. Switch to the paddle attachment on the mixer and gradually add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides to make sure that no dry streaks remain.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, stream in the chocolate mixture and mix until completely combined and batter is all one color. Fold in the chopped chocolate and miniature marshmallows. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using either a medium or large cookie scoop, portion cookies onto tray, leaving space between them because they will spread a little.
  7. Bake for 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies, 10-12 minutes for larger cookies. Cookies are done when the edges are set and the tops are dry to the touch. Let cookies cool at least 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

If you don't have cacao extract, just omit it.


The longer you chill the dough, the more it sets up and the less your final cookies will spread. If I let the dough chill for longer than an hour, I like to let the cookies rest for a bit at room temperature before baking so that they still have a little spread.

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A Collection of Christmas Cookies

It’s Cookie Week around here which simply means that we’re spending the whole week talking about cookies and only cookies. If you haven’t checked out Monday’s brand new biscotti recipe, hop on over and give it a read and add them to your cookie baking list too.

Christmas cookies are especially fun to make (and enjoy) because usually, they are little crunchy works of art. Here are a few of my very favorite holiday cookie recipes from the blog.

You can go directly to each of these recipes by clicking on the corresponding photo.

And because any cookie can be a Christmas cookie if you just believe, you can browse all of my cookie recipes here.