Sheet Pan Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting are rich, sweet and are perfect for those chocolate cravings! They are perfect to feed a crowd and are the perfect sweet treat for parties, picnics, and any gathering!
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I love brownies! I prefer a soft, chewy, fudgy brownie and these brownies deliver just that! Then they are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting, and a chocolate drizzle! I am in heaven!
I knew I wanted to make this recipe to be a sheet pan brownie. It makes more for a party and feeds a crowd. They needed to be fudgy, not like chocolate cake! I set out on my mission…and finally nailed it!
I have the BEST Homemade Brownie Recipe on the blog! Give it a try if you are looking for a smaller brownie recipe (and you can even frost them with the frosting!)
The Half Sheet Pan
I have posted about half sheet pans many times! I love the size of the pan and that they feed a crowd!
Did you know that a half sheet pan is actually a little different than a jelly roll pan? It seems like everyone says jelly roll pan and many times they mean a half sheet pan.
There is actually a bit of a difference. The jelly roll pan is typically a sheet pan or baking sheet that is rimmed and measures about 10×15 inches. While a half sheet pan (what I always use- I don’t even own a jelly roll pan) is rimmed and measures about 13×18 inches.
If you use a jelly roll pan, don’t add the entire bowl of batter or you may have a mess on your hands. I am guessing that the brownies will fill the pan and them some and will bake over the sides. I don’t even own a jelly roll pan so I am just guessing what will happen if you use one!
See below for the half sheet pans I have and love!
For this recipe, grease your half sheet pan and set it aside!
Here are some other delicious recipes on the blog using a half sheet pan: My Sheet Pan Apple Pie, Peanut Butter Fingers (you must try these), my Texas Sheet Cake, The BEST Banana Bars (don’t ever use ripe bananas for banana bread…try these Banana Bars), Sheet Pan S’mores, Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting, Lemon Sheet Cake , Carrot Cake Bars, or for a dinner idea try my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas!
The Sheet Pan Brownies
This recipe for Sheet Pan Brownies follows my recipe for Homemade Brownies but it fills a half sheet pan. These sheet pan brownies do not disappoint!
You will need just a large bowl…no mixer needed!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
I use milk chocolate chips. If you prefer semi-sweet those will work too!
First, melt your chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Melt them in 20-30 second intervals so they don’t burn.
Stir them in between the 20-30 seconds until they are completely melted! Set aside.
Next, melt your butter in a microwave safe bowl. It is ok if it is not completely melted as long as its on the verge of melting and super soft. I let mine melt in the microwave for about 45 seconds. (You can see in the photo below mine is not fully melted).
In your large bowl you will add your melted butter (yes, it seems like a lot), and your brown sugar and white sugar. Give it a good mix!
Then add your eggs and vanilla, and mix it again.
Next, add in your melted chocolate chips, and mix it again.
Last add your flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
Mix it just until the flour and cocoa powder is mixed in fairly good.
This means, mix only until it is mixed and there are no dry spots in the mix. Sometimes there are some little cocoa spots that I can’t get to mix in. I just ignore them. You do not want to overmix your batter. It may be lumpy, that is ok!
In my other brownie recipe I added extra chcolate chips to the batter at the end. I decided to ditch the extra chocolate chips added to the batter, but you can certainly add them if you want some extra rich chocolate. For me, once the frosting was added, the extra chocolate chips were too much (dare I say that?!). So I left the extra chocolate chips out!
Pour your batter into your greased half sheet pan.
Spread it evenly in your pan.
Baking the Sheet Pan Brownies
Into the oven your brownies go. They will need to bake for about 35 minutes. Each oven cooks different so start checking them at about 30 minutes.
The edges will start to crinckle a bit and you can tell they are almost done. The center will get that shiny brownie top (YUM). The center always bakes and puffs up a bit, only to fall after I take them out of the oven. But you want this to happen so your frosting can go on perfectly. See the photo below for what mine look like fresh out of the oven.
You will know they are done with the edges are baked and crack a bit, when the center is set and shiny and a toothpick comes out pretty clean (some chocolate may stick but it should look cooked, not runny).
Mine bake for 35 minutes exactly and come out perfectly soft and a bit on the fudgy side but not raw and uncooked. Yours may be done at 30 minutes or they may need a few extra minutes (especially if you don’t like them super soft and extra fudgy).
To Frost or Not To Frost?
You do not have to frost your brownies. They are super yummy just as a regular brownies, and bonus you just made them in a sheet pan so they will feed a crowd!
You can use unfrosted brownes for ice cream sundaes and can make a yummy chocolate sauce (try my Homemade Chocolate Sauce) to pour on top!
If you are going for just plain brownies that are delicious, no need to make the frosting or chocolate drizzle!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Your brownies need to cool completely before frosting. I make the frosting while mine cool.
I use my stand mixer with my whisk attachment for the frosting, but you can use a hand mixer or mix by hand!
In your bowl, add your softened butter and softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix them together until smooth and creamy. You can add more powdered sugar as needed if you want a thicker frosting. I add 3 cups powdered sugar and it is perfect in my opinion.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are really softened or your frosting will come out lumpy. It will still taste yummy but will be lumpy.
I let my butter and cream cheese sit on top of my stove while my oven is hot and baking the brownies, this helps soften them perfectly.
Once the brownies are cooled completely, frost the brownies.
The Chocolate Drizzle (optional)
I love a chocolate drizzle on top of the cream cheese brownies. This is totally optional and not necessary but it makes them look pretty!
In a microwave safe bowl add your butter and some milk chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate chips. I melt them in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until they are melted completely.
Stir the butter and chocolate together and put it in a zip top bag. Seal the zip top bag and cut a tiny corner of the bag.
You will then make lines width wise about an inch apart on top of the cream cheese frosting.
Last, starting on one end of the pan, take a toothpick and run the end of the toothpick up lengthwise through the chocolate stripes. (The opposite way of the chocolate stripes so you are running through them as you move up).
Repeat with the toothpick running it up and then down (going the opposite way each time) about an inch apart. This will leave a pretty streaked pattern on top!
If you do not want a chocolate drizzle you can add tiny chocolate chips or colorful sprinkles to go with any holiday on top!
For holidays you can also you use a gel frosting (you can buy them in a little squeeze bottle) and make your drizzle in a color to match the holidays!
Serving and storing the Brownies
Cut the brownies into squares however big you like. I usually get about 20 servings out of a half sheet pan.
These brownies are so sweet on thier own, I do not serve them with anything! Just cut and enjoy!
To store the brownies just cover them with some foil and keep them on your counter. I never put my brownies (or anything with cream cheese frosting) in the fridge and we have never gotten sick! But if this freaks you out, you can put them in the fridge.
If you liked this recipe please take the time to leave a comment and a star rating below! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
Here are some other delicious recipes on the blog using a half sheet pan: My Sheet Pan Apple Pie, Peanut Butter Fingers (you must try these), Carrot Cake Bars, my Texas Sheet Cake, The BEST Banana Bars (don’t ever use ripe bananas for banana bread…try these Banana Bars), Sheet Pan S’mores, Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting, Lemon Sheet Cake or for a dinner idea try my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas!
Check out the latest posts from the Butcher’s Wife!
Greek Chicken
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
White Chicken Enchiladas
Yummy Carrot Cake
Creamy Baked Chicken
Easy Peppermint Dip
Sheet Pan Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sheet Pan Brownies with cream cheese frosting and a chocolate drizzle are sweet, rich and fudgy. These sheet pan brownies are perfect to feed a crowd and will fix those chocolate cravings!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Ingredients
The Sheet Pan Brownies
- 4 sticks butter or 2 cups *I use salted butter but either works
- 11.5 oz. package milk chocolate chips *12 oz. package is fine too or about 2 cups
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter or 1/2 cup, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar *or more if you want it thicker
Chocolate Drizzle (Optional)
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips *semi sweet works too
- 2 tsp butter
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease your half sheet pan.
In a microwave safe bowl melt your butter. Set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl melt your chocolate chips for the brownies (11.5 oz. to 12 oz bag or 2 cups). Melt them in 20-30 intervals, stirring in between until the are fully melted and smooth. Be careful to not let them burn. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add your melted butter and both sugars. Mix well using a large spoon.
Next, add in your eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
Add your melted chocolate chips to the bowl and mix well again.
Last add your flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Mix it until all of the ingredients are mixed in. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into your greased half sheet pan, spreading the batter evenly in the pan.
Let the brownies bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. (I like mine a bit fudgy so I bake mine 35 minutes and the toothpick comes out with some cooked fudgy chocolate on it but it is not runny).
The edges will be baked and bumpy and the center should be shiny and set.
Every oven cooks different so check your brownies at 30 minutes and bake as needed from there.
Take the brownies out of the oven and let them cool completely before frosting them.
The Frosting (I make my frosting while the brownies bake)
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer or by hand, add all of the frosting ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy! Make sure the butter and cream cheese is fully softened or your frosting will be lumpy.
TIP: I put my butter and cream cheese on my stove top so the oven heats them and warms them so they are softened perfectly.
After the brownies are cooled completely, frost the brownies.
Chocolate Drizzle
In a microwave safe bowl, melt your butter and chocolate chips until smooth and fully melted. I melt mine in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is fully melted.
Scoop the chocolate into a small zip top bag and seal the bag. Cut a small hole in the corner of the zip top bag.
Gently squeeze the chocolate making lines width wise about an inch apart on top of the cream cheese frosting.
Then, starting on one end of the pan, take a toothpick and run the end of the toothpick up lengthwise through the chocolate stripes. (The opposite way of the chocolate stripes so you are running through them as you move up). Repeat with the toothpick running it up and then down (going the opposite way each time) about an inch apart. This will leave a pretty streaked pattern on top!
Cut, serve and enjoy!
Notes
You do not have to frost these brownies! They are delicious on their own and still feed a crowd! Make some Homemade Chocolate Sauce and make them into a brownie sundae!
The chocolate drizzle is optional! It is fun to add holiday sprinkles or use a gel frosting in place of the chocolate drizzle to make them for the holidays. Get gel frosting in the colors of the holiday (red and green for Christmas or red and pink for Valentines Day, etc.) and make the lines just like you would with the chocolate drizzle.
I do not refrigerate the brownies even with the cream cheese frosting. We have never gotten sick, but if it freaks you out, you can refigerate them.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Serving: 1Piece | Calories: 646kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 789IU | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg
Some other delicious shots of the brownies!
