This Dessert Cheese Ball (brownie batter dip) is a no-bake treat thatโs perfect for an easy dessert or entertaining guests.
Dessert Cheese Ball
I love a good cheese ball or a savory veggie dip, like this Baked Potato Dipโso why not enjoy dessert cheese balls too?!
Thatโs where this brownie batter dip comes in. Itโs got all the fun elements of a cheese ball but in dessert form. Instead of savory cheeses, this one uses sweet cream cheese.
This is one of my favorite desserts to bring and share. Itโs a total showstopper and always the first thing to disappear!
Rich, sweet, and packed with texture from toffee bits and mini chocolate chips, itโs perfect for dipping all kinds of treatsโjust like Chocolate Fondue.
Ingredients
- Full-fat cream cheese: Make sure itโs fully softened to room temp.
- Unsalted butter: Use room-temp butter to blend well with the cream cheese.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Sift the sugar if itโs clumpy to avoid gritty spots in the dessert.
- Chocolate fudge brownie mix: Heat-treat the mix to eliminate any risk.
- Mini chocolate chips: Creates a crunchy, chocolatey coating.
- Toffee bits: Adds a sweet, crunchy texture.
How To Heat Treat Brownie Mix
This dessert uses a boxed brownie mix with โrawโ flour. If youโre worried about bacteria, heat-treat the mix to make it safe. Here are two easy ways:
Microwave Method: Put the brownie mix in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in 30-second bursts, stirring after each one. Check the temperature with a thermometerโit should reach 165ยฐF. If it hasnโt, heat for another 30 seconds.
Oven Method: Preheat the oven to 300ยฐF. Spread the brownie mix on a parchment-lined baking pan. Bake it, stirring every 1.5 minutes, and check the temperature until it hits 165ยฐF.
Quick Tip
Make sure you give the brownie mix time to cool to room temp before using in the dessert cheese ball.
Dessert Cheese Ball Tips
- I recommend full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. When using lower fat cream cheese, it doesnโt hold together as well and can actually get a bit watery.ย
- Since the brownie mix does have salt in it, I recommend using unsalted butter so the total amount of salt in this Dessert Cheese Ball can be managed.
- Use a fudge brownie mix. We like Pillsburyยฎ chocolate fudge brownie mix or Betty Crockerยฎ fudge brownie mix (neither sponsored). Avoid brownie mixes with chocolate chips in them if you are heat-treating the mix.
- Toffee bits are a game changer! We add milk chocolate English toffee bits and they bring such a great flavor and texture to the dessert.
- Use room-temperature cream cheese and butter. Itโs really important that the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. You donโt want to melt either of them, or this dessert cheese ball wonโt set up properly. Leave cold ingredients out for 45 minutes to an hour, or use some of these tricks to bring them to room temperature quicker.
- The whole ball gets rolled in a delicious coating of miniature chocolate chips, but you could also roll it in the toffee bits if youโd prefer that.
Dessert Cheese Ball Dippers
While Iโm partial to a nice big spoonโฆhere are a few of our other favorite things to dip into this dessert cheese ball:
- graham crackers
- Oreos/Oreo thins (basically any variety of Oreoยฎ cookies are delicious!)
- pretzels/pretzel thins
- vanilla sandwich cookies
- fresh fruit
- animal cookies
Quick Tip
When wrapped and stored correctly, this Dessert Cheese Ball will stay fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days. Because of the dairy in this dessert (the cream cheese), it is not a great candidate for freezing and thawing. The chocolate chips and toffee also get too soft and mushy.
More Brownie Treats
- Brownie Trifleย with vanilla cream and berries
- Peppermint Browniesย with chocolate ganache topping
- Cosmic Browniesย with fudge sprinkles
- Miniature Brownie Bites
- Mini Brownie Bites with Rolosย using a brownie mix!
Dessert Cheese Ball
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese full-fat
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter equivalent of 1/2 cup or 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-1/2 cups fudge brownie mix dry
- 1-1/2 cups mini chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 cups toffee bits
- Dippers of your choice
Instructionsย
- Itโs important that the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Leave cold ingredients out for 45 minutes to an hour, or use some of these tricks to bring them to room temperature quicker. Do not melt either; soften in the microwave for 10โ15 seconds if needed.
- In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Add in the vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and dry brownie mix (see note 1). Mix until completely smooth.
- Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and the toffee bits. Mix until incorporated. The mixture will be fairly soft/wet/sticky, but donโt worry; it firms up a lot during the chilling process!
- Spread out a very large piece of plastic wrap. Using a spatula, scrape and scoop all the mixture into a ball on top of the plastic wrap. Wrap around the dessert ball, form into a ball, and place in the fridge to chill for 3โ4 hours or until completely firm.
- Spread 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips on a large plate. Unwrap the cheesecake ball and put on top of the chocolate chips. Use the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips to coat all the rest of the cheesecake ball.
- Serve with dippers of your choice.
Recipe Notes
- Heat treat in the microwave: Add brownie mix to a heat-safe bowl. Microwave on high in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring between each burst. Take your time, stirring well to make sure none of the flour burns. Use a thermometer to test the flour in a few places to make sure it has reached 165ยฐF throughout all the flour.
- Heat treat in the oven: Preheat the oven to 300ยฐF. Line a large sheet pan (with sides) with a nonstick liner or parchment paper. Spread the brownie mix on the pan. Bake the brownie mix, removing and stirring it every 1 and 1/2 minutes. Every time you remove the brownie mix, test it with the thermometer. As soon as it reaches 165ยฐF, itโs safe to use.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is simply AMAZING. I made a half recipe to try and will make another half recipe for new years eve! Perfect dessert! Thank you
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Alaina!
Wow, this Dessert Cheese Ball sounds incredible! I love the combination of brownie batter and cream cheese. Perfect for parties or a fun family dessert night! Canโt wait to try it out!
Thanks so much!
This brownie batter cheese ball looks absolutely delicious! I canโt wait to try it for my next get-together. Love the idea of pairing it with pretzels and fruits for that perfect sweet and salty combo. Thanks for sharing such a fun and creative recipe!
Iโm so excited for you to try it!