A very warm welcome to you. Do you like my new blog? My husband and I have been working (more him than me) on the new incarnation of my blog. My Mouth is Full is now self-hosted . We are celebrating this milestone with these brownies. Why don’t you cut yourself a slice too?
I have made brownies before. From the food-purist-unanimously-frowned-upon brownies from a box. I barely baked at home before marriage. When I would read brownie recipes on food blogs, I’d wonder why anyone would go through the troubles of weighing, whisking and washing a miniature building of soiled dishes when everything could be made in a single bowl. That changed when I made these brownies. My husband doesn’t like, order or eat brownies. No can do. When I would make box brownies he’d always pass. He loves cheesecake. It was the first thing I baked for him before we got married. My then future mother in law would visit Dubai during our courting days for trousseau shopping. On a particular visit, I sent back chocolate cheesecake. The local supermarket had run out of cheesecake tubs and I had to buy individual sized portions of cream cheese. I remember the kitchen looking like it had been invaded by The Tin Foil Wrapper Battalion and Umma’s harrowed looks of the amount of cheese my future husband was about to consume in the name of dessert. The moon eyed bride-to-be continued to weigh and whip and baked and waited for it to set. When we talk about fantasy desserts, once in a while, he gushes about that cheesecake. The cheesecake which he consumed all by himself.
Then along came a brownie recipe that changed everything. My husband loves these brownies. He could polish them off straight from the pan. There was a month I had to make these brownies two weekends in a row. He’d have a slice or two after meals and he even took a few to work. This type of indulgence from a person who has a mild sweet tooth and hates brownies says a lot about this recipe.
So what’s the secret?
Dollops of cheesecake batter. It is a delicious hybrid of two classic desserts, cheesecake and brownies. The result are these decadent bites of chocolate enriched fudgilicious brownie with glossy swirls of cheesecake sprinkled with bittersweet chocolate chips slightly melted into the batter. Drooling yet? And the texture, oh the texture, the right kind of rich without being gluttonous.
So we completed two years! All the time and memories we have created with our travels, food and our lives has been terrific. So when I was thinking what to bake for our anniversary, I didn’t have to think at all. It would have to be these cheesecake brownies.
Cream cheese is possibly the only ingredient you would need to buy if you have a well stocked baking pantry. It’s a simple recipe, doesn’t need much time to prepare or in the oven and makes the kitchen smell like a dream. The process I enjoy the most is swirling the two batters. Feel free to go into a frenzy or use a delicate hand. Either way, they look pretty as a picture once they’re done. It helps to chill the brownies before cutting them to make super neat slices. I don’t like cold desserts but I love having these particular brownies chilled.
Don’t they look beautiful?
These brownies will win everyone’s heart. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I am extremely excited that her book is out and I’m looking forward to many hours of blissful baking with my oven and her recipes.
Happy Baking 🙂
Cheesecake Marbled Brownies
Original recipe by Gourmet, June 2007
Makes 16 2-inch square, thick brownies
INGREDIENTS
Brownie Batter
- 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Cheesecake batter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
METHOD
- Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Heat butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water (bain marie) over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
- Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.
- Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.
- Bake brownies until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Slicing tip: Chilling the brownies until almost frozen ensures neat slices when you cut these brownies.
Have a good food day.