This Sweet Trader Joe’s Dip Is the Secret to Making Cheesecake Brownies

We’re no strangers to a good Trader Joe’s dip. Savory, sweet—we’ve tried them all and liked a lot of them, even when they’re confusing. As Sporked’s managing editor, Gwynedd Stuart, recently said of TJ’s somewhat perplexing Sweet Cannoli Dip, “I literally never buy sweet dips. I don’t really know what they are for.” Well Gwynedd, thanks to a tip on Reddit, I know exactly what it’s for!

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Doctoring up brownies, that’s what!

Cheesecake brownies are a delicacy we’re simply not celebrating enough. Maybe that’s because regular ol’ regular brownies kind of rule and thanks to the wide variety of really good brownie mixes at the grocery store, we’re happy eating them without any extra sprucing up. And making your own cheesecake batter to swirl into a batch of brownies sounds like a bit much, admittedly.

Skip a few steps with a tub of Trader Joe’s Sweet Cannoli Dip

Is a cannoli dip baked into a brownie a cheesecake brownie? Well, no. But then again, we fudge (no pun intended) all kinds of foods out there if it makes life a little easier. While swirling Sweet Cannoli Dip into a batch of boxed brownies may not be its intended use, it’s a pretty cool shortcut.

Here’s how it’s done, according to the OP: “Added semi sweet chips to the batter and swirled in the cannoli dip to the top, then baked as normal. Turned out pretty good!!!”

And the photo they shared is pretty compelling proof: The ersatz cheesecake swirl stays on top of the brownie mix, giving the final product a marbelized effect that’s really lovely.

As one commenter asked the OP, “Does the canoli dip taste like cheesecake when baked?” The answer: “In my opinion, yes! But I found the cannoli dip a little cream cheese heavy taste wise anyways.”