A decadent, super fudgy gluten-free brownie bite, topped with light and fluffy cream cheese frosting and sweet cherries. The best of brownies and cherry cheesecake in one bite! A great bite-sized dessert!
I use my oat flour brownie batter and a mini muffin tin to create these super fudgy gluten-free brownie bites. Then top them with a whipped cream cheese frosting and sweet cherry pie filling.
If you love cherry cheesecake and brownies, you'll love these cheesecake brownie bites!
This bite-sized dessert is also great for cocktail parties. Perfect for the holiday season!
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Ingredients
Brownie Bites:
- butter
- chocolate, semi-sweet
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- espresso powder
- oat flour, certified gluten free
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and Cherries (not pictured):
- cream cheese, brick type
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- salt
- whipping cream
- cherry pie filling
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Oat flour: If you want your brownies to be gluten free, make sure your oat flour is certified gluten free. During processing, oats are often contaminated with gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, rye); therefore, it’s important to make sure you’re only using certified gluten-free oats. Certified gluten-free oats are harvested, stored, transported and processed in dedicated gluten-free facilities and tested for purity. For more information on adding oats to your gluten-free diet, please refer to the Canadian Celiac Association’s Oats Statement.
You can buy oat flour or you can also make it yourself. To make, just put old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten free) in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until they form a fine flour.
Chocolate: You can use chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
Cocoa powder: I use dutch-processed cocoa powder for this recipe.
Espresso powder: You don’t taste any coffee flavour in the finished brownies, the espresso powder just intensifies the chocolate taste. You can leave it out if you prefer.
Cream cheese: Use a brick-style original cream cheese.
Whipping cream: In Canada, whipping cream is generally sold with a 33% or 35% milk fat – if elsewhere, try to find a cream with a similar fat content.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a mini muffin tin. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, using 20 second intervals, stirring between each. Generally, 40 seconds total is sufficient. Set aside to cool.
- Into another large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), add the sugar and eggs.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 – 5 minutes.
- Stir the melted chocolate mixture, vanilla and espresso powder into the egg and sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- Sift the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, gently stir the mixture until no clumps remain.
- Using a small cookie scoop, or 2 tablespoons, add a tablespoon of batter to each mini muffin cup.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan on cooling rack.
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), and using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add in the sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the cold cream. Once combined, increase the mixer to high and whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To assemble, pipe or dollop and tablespoon of frosting onto each brownie and top with a cherry.
Top Tips for Perfect Cheesecake Brownie Bites
- Nice and fudgy: To ensure a fudgy brownie, make sure you don’t overbake them. When testing for doneness, you should have a few moist crumbs clinging to the cake tester / toothpick.
- Make ahead: You can bake the brownies up to a day ahead. Prepare the frosting and assemble just before serving.
Substitutions
Oat flour: You can replace the oat flour with an equal amount of a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Just make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information.
Cherry pie filling: You can replace the cherry pie filling with another fruit of your choice, such as raspberry.
Variations
Double chocolate brownie bites: Replace the whipped cream cheese frosting and cherries with dark chocolate ganache.
Cherry cheesecake brownie bars: If you'd like bars instead of brownie bites, bake the brownie batter in an 8-inch square pan, and increase the bake time to about 25 minutes. Top with the whipped cream cheese frosting and cherries. Chill for 1 hour before slicing into bars and serving.
Storage
Serve the cherry cheesecake brownie bites the same day they're made. You can bake the brownies a day in advance, but don't make the frosting and assemble until ready to serve.
Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Cherry Cheesecake Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ⅔ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, semi-sweet
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, extra-large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- ⅔ cup oat flour, certified gluten free
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, dutch processed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and Cherries
- 4 ounces cream cheese, brick style
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 1 can cherry pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a mini muffin tin. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, using 20 second intervals, stirring between each. Generally, 40 seconds total is sufficient. Set aside to cool.
- Into another large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), add the sugar and eggs.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 – 5 minutes.
- Stir the melted chocolate mixture, vanilla and espresso powder into the egg and sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- Sift the oat flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, gently stir the mixture until no clumps remain.
- Using a small cookie scoop, or 2 tablespoons, add a tablespoon of batter to each mini muffin cup.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan on cooling rack.
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), and using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add in the sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the cold cream. Once combined, increase the mixer to high and whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To assemble, pipe or dollop and tablespoon of frosting onto each brownie and top with a cherry.
Notes
- Nice and fudgy: to ensure a fudgy brownie, make sure you don’t overbake them. When testing for doneness, you should have a few moist crumbs clinging to the cake tester / toothpick.
- Make ahead: You can bake the brownies up to a day ahead. Prepare the frosting and assemble just before serving.
- Oat flour: You can replace the oat flour with an equal amount of a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Just make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information.
- Cherry pie filling: You can replace the cherry pie filling with another fruit of your choice, such as raspberry.
- Double chocolate brownie bites: Replace the whipped cream cheese frosting and cherries with dark chocolate ganache.
- Cherry cheesecake brownie bars: If you'd like bars instead of brownie bites, bake the brownie batter in an 8-inch square pan, and increase the bake time to about 25 minutes. Top with the whipped cream cheese frosting and cherries. Chill for 1 hour before slicing into bars and serving.
- Serve the cherry cheesecake brownie bites the same day they're made. You can bake the brownies a day in advance, but don't make the frosting and assemble until ready to serve.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
See full disclaimer here.
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