This shop {Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust} has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeHolidayGoodness #CollectiveBias
I might sound like a broken record, but the holidays are truly some of the best times out of the entire year. I’m sure if there was a month long festive celebration during the summer that we would learn to love and appreciate that time of the year more too.
Can you think back to some of your favorite holiday memories? I have a slight inkling that there may have been some delicious food and/or desserts around the table during those celebrations. Baked goods and homemade meals are always the cornerstone to a memorable and fantastic holiday.
Every Christmas Eve, my aunt makes these incredible homemade pierogi - something I’ve totally been meaning to do but never find myself with time leftover during the week to sit down and crank out a few dozen delicious pierogi. Year after year, I find myself looking forward to her pierogi(es) and the fantastic dessert spread she always puts out. Someone always makes a homemade cheesecake, and let me tell you this, I can never pass up a slice of homemade cheesecake. It’s just too good and is hardly offered any other time of the year.
This year, I’ve vowed to be the person who makes the homemade cheesecake for family gatherings. Come join me in being the most loved guest during the holidays by making this adorably festive and super delicious chocolate chip cheesecake with a brownie crust. People won’t be able to contain their love for you once they have a bite of this cheesecake.
While I was doing some routine shopping at our local Walmart, I stumbled across this display that had just about everything I needed to bake up a brownie bottomed cheesecake. I grabbed a stash of these amazing NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Holiday Morsels, NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk and a can of Libby’s® 100% Pure Pumpkin for good measure. Libby’s® is my favorite for making pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin donuts and pumpkin muffins. Talk about a one-stop-shop for all of my baking supplies!
A few aisles over, I spotted a box of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Brownies and More Baking Mix and knew it had to be a part of this delicious cheesecake. I took all my baking goodies to checkout and we made our way home, happy as can be.
Now, usually I do all of my baking and cooking alone - it’s not always ideal, but that’s the life of a food blogger. Thankfully, I had some helping hands for this cheesecake. I love when my family comes together to help make memories while we bake together. NESTLÉ made all of this possible by providing us with the baking ingredients we know and love to create a fun new twist on an old family favorite.
This cheesecake isn’t difficult to make at all, but the company and extra helping hands makes the time pass so quickly. And the faster the time passes, the faster I can put that cheesecake in my mouth eat cheesecake with my loved ones. You can skip the store bought cheesecake this year and opt for this simple and delicious homemade version. Homemade always tastes a little better, and you know exactly what’s going inside of your baked goods.
I know everyone is so busy during the holiday season and it can be especially difficult to balance family schedules, but don’t let that be an excuse to not create something homemade and delicious! This cheesecake takes a little bit of patience and easily turns into a wonderfully impressive dessert that will have your friends and family begging you for the recipe. You'll have more than enough time to keep up with family demands AND throw a fabulous holiday party featuring this delicious cheesecake.
The addition of Carnation evaporated milk really enhanced the flavor of this cheesecake. It made the base texture so incredibly smooth and creamy. I don’t think I’ll ever make another cheesecake without it ever again!
Arguably, my favorite part of this cheesecake would be the holiday morsels. They are simply adorable. I love that I can incorporate red and green in a way that is classy and contemporary. It’s not every day you see a red and green chocolate chip brownie crust cheesecake grace the table at a family gathering. NESTLÉ makes it really easy to show my friends and family how much I love them. Nothing quite says “I appreciate you and all you do for me” like a homemade cheesecake on the dessert table during the holidays.
Don’t let homemade cheesecake intimidate you - it’s really simple to make and a water bath isn’t required for this recipe. Although you’ll virtually prevent any cracks by baking the cheesecake in a water bath (or by baking it with a shallow pan of water in the oven nearby), this recipe takes care of any pesky imperfections by covering the top layer with a generous sprinkling of holiday morsels.
Garnishing a slice of this delicious dessert with a whirl of whipped cream and a few extra holiday morsels will convince anyone you spent a ton of time on it. The best part is that nobody needs to know just how simple it is. Unless you decide to share the recipe with them 🙂
Searching for more baking inspiration? Check out the Nestlé social hub for a ton of delicious treat ideas!
What will you be baking up this holiday season? I hope you kick off the start of the holiday season with something delicious!
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust
This Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust takes a little bit of patience and easily turns into a wonderfully impressive dessert that will have your friends and family begging you for the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 package NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Brownies and More Baking Mix, prepared according to box
- 3 8 ounce bricks of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces NESTLÉ® CARNATION® evaporated milk
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup NESTLÉ® Holiday Morsels, + extra for garnishing
- Whipped cream, optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9” springform pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Prepare brownie mix as according to package. I baked the Brownies and More Baking iIx for 16 minutes at 325°F and let cool slightly before adding cheesecake mixture.
- Preheat oven to 300°F. In a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add evaporated milk and beat well. Add vanilla, sugar and eggs and beat on medium speed until mixture comes together. Using a rubber spatula, gently mix in Holiday Morsels.
- Evenly spread cheesecake mixture over brownie crust. If desired, you may add more Holiday Morsels to the top of the cheesecake. (I opted to add them after the cheesecake cooled.)
- Although not required, a water bath will prevent the cheesecake from cracking. Fill a roasting pan with about 1” of water. Cover the bottom of your springform pan in aluminum foil so that the pan does not come into contact with the water.
- Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. After you turn the oven off, leave the cheesecake undisturbed for another hour before removing it. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature before moving it to the refrigerator.
- If garnishing with additional Holiday Morsels or whipped cream, apply these directly before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
This recipe was adapted from Allrecipes.
Looking for more baking inspiration? Check out NESTLÉ's Flavorful Moments Pinterest Board!
marcie
Combining brownies and cheesecake is one delicious idea, and I love how festive those chocolate chips make this dessert!
Jessica
Thanks, Marcie! It was a delicious idea indeed...perhaps too delicious 😉
Amanda
Making pierogi sounds so fun! I've never tried that before. This cheesecake has me in such a festive mood now. I love the colors and it sounds delicious!
Jessica
Thanks Amanda 🙂 I've actually never made pierogi on my own but I totally want to now! Turn up the holiday music and get your holiday baking on!!
Stephanie Czako
Jessica, this is such a fun, festive cheesecake! Anytime you can add some chocolate to basically anything, my family is completely on board 🙂
Jessica
Thank you, Stephanie!! Your family and I sound eerily similar 😀
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
I do love the holiday season, but I kind of hate all the craziness and demanding schedule. Feels like there just isn't time to breathe, ya know? That's why I am SOO into holiday baking!! Not only does your house smell amazing, but you can eat your stress away. hahaha. 🙂 LOVE this cheesecake, girlfriend!! The chocolate chips with the brownie crust sounds just perfect! Worth every single calorie! Cheers!
Jessica
This sums up my thoughts on the holidays pretty much perfectly. Although I try to cut out some of the craziness by doing 95% of my shopping online bahaha. Holiday baking is what gets me through the stressful parts of the holidays too 😀 have a lovely rest of your week, Cheyanne!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
i definitely think that this is a favourite time of year! And it definitely feels like a month long celebration, starting with that chocolate advent calendar, of course 😉 When i think about it, one of the best things about the holidays is all the various meals that I look forward to. Of course, there's the Christmas day turkey at my parent's place, but we also have a traditional meal here before Christmas called 'fish-n-brewis'. It's salt cod and potato based with a few other additions and it's honestly really good. I typically only have once a year and enjoy it every time. This cheesecake would definitely be something I would enjoy too. That base is perfect (brownie?? Yum!) and look how even it is! I've never used Carnation milk in my cheesecake, but I can imagine that it would be a lovely addition. And I just love how festive this is with the green and red morsels. And whipped cream would definitely not be optional....after all it is the holidays, right 😉 ?
GiGi Eats
This just looks INSANELY good - and I can't get over it!! I want 3 slices!
Jessica
Thanks so much! I cannot confirm or deny how many slice of this I actually ate...
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
A chocolate studded cheesecake on top of a brownie is my idea of an awesome dessert! Love this for a sweet ending to Christmas dinner because so festive and easy. I know everyone's going to love it too 🙂
Jessica
Thanks, Karrie! I can't wait to make another one for real Christmas!