Raspberry Ricotta Brownies; rich and fudgy chocolate brownies swirled with ricotta cheesecake and sweet raspberry preserves.
As if a) last week’s Burnt Basque Cheesecake recipe wasn’t enough, and b) this website doesn’t have plenty of brownies recipes already…today we’re combining cheesecake and brownies!
However, not in the usual super-sweet and heavy way that cheesecake brownies can often be made. These Raspberry Ricotta Brownies are somehow both light, refreshing, rich, and indulgent all at once.
Dense and fudgy chocolate brownie base, bold with deep cocoa flavour. Swirling blobs of light and creamy baked ricotta cheesecake. Fresh and tangy raspberry preserve marbling, adding sweetness and sourness together.
These Raspberry Ricotta Brownies are ideal for this time of year, when one day is heavy with cloud and rain, and the next is warm with sunshine. This is a similarly multi-faceted dessert, designed to cover all cravings and comforts. Also it’s a wonderful excuse for me to play with the exceptionally delicious fresh cheeses that Italy always has to offer.
Admittedly, they’re slightly more fiddly than your everyday brownie recipe. If a bit of creative liberty with swirling the back of a spoon through brownie batter counts as fiddly. However, it not only quickly jazzes up the appearance of your finished batch of brownies but also makes for a beautiful balance of flavours.
Ricotta is the cheese of choice as it’s airy and milky in flavour, without the tartness or creaminess you get from other soft cheeses. If you have trouble finding it though, using cream cheese or mascarpone wouldn’t be the end of world! Similarly, feel free to mix up the kind of fruit preserve swirled into these brownies. Raspberry preserve makes for a nice sweet-sour combination, but something lighter like apricot jam or something stronger like orange marmalade would make for a fun creation too!
Love brownies? You can check out my classic triple chocolate brownie recipe here!
You can even store them as you like. I’ve found these Raspberry Ricotta Brownies are truly delectable when stored and eaten straight from the fridge. The cold amplifies the cheesecake-effect of the baked ricotta topping. It also develops a glorious chewiness in the brownie base, making it feel like a well-balanced chocolate fudge. If you prefer though, keeping them out of the fridge makes them feel more dessert-like, heightening the flavour of the fruit preserve and giving the brownie base a chocolate truffle texture.
Take some time this weekend to whip up a batch (exercising as much patience as possible during baking and cooling) and you’ll have a delicious dessert for the rest of the week.
I hope you love these Raspberry Ricotta Brownies as much as we have, and thanks as ever for popping by!
Want to save these Raspberry Ricotta Brownies for later? You can pin the image below:
To make these Raspberry Ricotta Brownies, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 200g (7 oz) milk or dark chocolate
- 180g (12 tbsp) salted butter
- 65g (½ cup) plain flour, plus one teaspoon
- 60g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs, beaten together
- 200g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125g (½ cup) fresh ricotta
- 90g (¼ cup) raspberry preserve (ideally with minimal added sugar!)
- 30g (1 oz) dark chocolate chips, to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven – 160°C / 140°C fan / 325°F / gas mark 3.
- Grease and line a tin to bake the brownies in, both 20x20cm (8x8in) or 20x30cm (8x12in) tins have worked well for me.
- Chop up your butter and chocolate and melt together gently in a heatproof bowl either in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until smooth.
- While the chocolate and butter melt, weigh your 65g of flour and the cocoa powder into a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together ¾ of the beaten egg with the sugar and vanilla until just combined.
- Once melted, pour the butter/chocolate mixture into the bowl of egg mixture and whisk to incorporate.
- Tip in the flour and cocoa mixture and gently fold together with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta with the remaining beaten egg and the remaining teaspoon of flour until smooth.
- Use a couple of teaspoons to blob and gently marble the ricotta mixture through the brownie batter.
- Repeat the same process with the raspberry preserve.
- Scatter the chocolate chips over the top, if using.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until the brownies are no longer wobbly in the middle when the tin is shaken.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing (this isn’t a quick bake, but it’s so worth it!). These are delicious at room temperature or chilled in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not try this recipe with marmalade or with apricot jam instead?
These Raspberry Ricotta Brownies will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, but are best enjoyed fresh!
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