Cream Cheese Brownie Buttercream

No joke.

Cream Cheese Brownie Buttercream.

To me, one of the very best brownies is a cream cheese brownie.  Fudgy and tangy and sweet and…not on my diet but, well, maybe it’s on yours.  I also love my version of homemade buttercream, which is made mostly of butter, and umm, cream.  Sugar, butter, cream.

So…I set about to combine the two, when a giant box of Pillsbury products showed up on my porch.  I’ve not been hiding it – you probably know I have been working with Pillsbury over the past couple of years, and I love being given opportunities to take their products and twist them into something a little different.

Cream Cheese Brownie Buttercream is different.

Making the Cupcakes

You won’t believe how easy it is, either.

Perhaps you are stuck tonight or tomorrow having to make some kind of sweet treat for Halloween, but you don’t want to do anything too tough (I know I don’t) – this, my friends, is just what you need. 

For my cake, I took the Pillsbury Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix (actually, 2 of them) and baked it into cupcakes.  Personally, I like mine just a little richer, and their mixes are so easy to modify.  I reduce the amount of water by 2 tablespoons, and add one additional egg to each box mix, along with an extra teaspoon of vanilla.  You?  You can follow the box, of course, do it my way, or do it your own way.

Cream Cheese Brownie Buttercream

Now, for the buttercream….you just sit tight.  I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with this easy idea.

Butter. Cream Cheese. Brownie Mix. Vanilla. Powdered Sugar. Cream.  Done.

Seriously!  A whirr in the mixer, and I was in possession of a rich and brownie-like buttercream that played perfectly with the vanilla cupcakes.  I sprinkled the tops with a little bit of Halloween decoration (you can do way better than I did) and voila – Halloween Treats in under an hour, start to finish.

I couldn’t even drive to the store, buy pre-made ones, and be back home in that amount of time.  AND?  I look like supermom for creating a buttercream from a box mix.

Now you can, too.  Tell everyone it was your idea.  I’ll never tell.

Cream Cheese Brownie Buttercream

makes enough for 45-48 cupcakes, or one large layer cake

Ingredients

• 4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 box Pillsbury Family Size Fudge Brownie Mix (about 3 cups of mix)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add in brownie mix, 1/4 cup at a time, until well incorporated, about 5 minutes.
2. Add vanilla and sugar, and mix on medium high speed until incorporated, about 3 minutes.
3. Finally, add heavy cream in a steady stream, and mix on medium high  speed until whipped and light.  Lower speed to medium low, and continue to beat for 2 minutes, in order to reduce any air bubbles.  Place in piping bag and use as desired.

Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored by Pillsbury.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.