Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies

On Saturday, Brian and I were invited to a friend's house for dinner. When I asked her a few days prior what she'd like us to bring she said she'd appreciate dessert, maybe brownies or cheesecake which are her two favorites. And so I thought to myself that I would bring cheesecake brownies and thus combine the best of both. I've never made them myself and I wasn't particularly in the mood to bake so I intended to buy them from a bakery. There's one near us that usually has delicious cheesecake brownies but this time they did not. I headed to another nearby bakery that had them but theirs looked stale and dry. Sigh. I guess I'm baking cheesecake brownies.

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies
I didn't have a recipe but I knew I'd pinned and bookmarked at least a dozen. So, how different could each recipe be for the same thing? Surprisingly, quite different. Most agreed on the ingredients (with a few exceptions) but none agreed on proportions. Sigh. So I took a risk and did a mix and match of recipes based on what seemed logical to me. I figured whatever came out couldn't taste that bad and, worst case scenario, I'd just bring a tub of ice cream to put on top of them.

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies
Well, what came out was absolutely delicious.  Light, tender, perfectly sweet without being cloying and much tastier than the ones I'd had from the bakery, as a matter of fact. Aesthetically though, they probably need some tweaking. The cheesecake layer was a tad too large in proportion to the chocolate layer although I should add that I personally liked it that way. But it sank a bit in the middle so that I got an even chocolate and cheesecake ratio at the sides but more cheesecake than chocolate in the middle.

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies
Brian, who might be the only person who likes chocolate more than I do, also felt that the chocolate flavor could be deeper. Again, I rather liked it this way but I would acquiesce next time and add a bit of cocoa powder to kick up the chocolate flavor a little. In the end, while these may not be the most perfect looking cheesecake brownies, I would make them again in a heartbeat. In fact...since they're all gone... :) Enjoy!







Ingredients

Chocolate Brownie Layer:
4 oz. Semisweet chocolate *
1 Stick unsalted butter
2 Eggs
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/8 Teaspoon salt

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler or microwave oven and allow to cool. Beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth, add in the cooled chocolate/butter mixture and continue to beat until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until all the flour is incorporated.

Cheesecake Layer:
16 oz. Cream cheese
1 Egg
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Teaspoons vanilla

Blend all the cheesecake ingredients together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer or food processor.

Heavenly Cheesecake Brownies
Line a baking dish with parchment paper and pour in the chocolate mixture. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top and, using a butter knife, swirl so that some of the chocolate mixes with the cheesecake batter. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool before removing from the pan and slicing. Makes approximately 12 brownies.


* Next time I make this recipe I will add a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

24 comments:

  1. Yummy...so rich and conforting!Yhey must be irresistible!

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  2. This is a great combo of flavors-yum! As far as the ratio, I do prefer that they are more cheesecake than brownie. I guess it is all in what you are craving at the time. The note about adding cocoa is a good idea too. Decadent and delicious little bars, thanks for posting this!

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  3. You'd certainly be welcome to bring those to dinner at my house any day! With or without playing with the proportions a little!

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  4. yum! I love cheese and brownies, looks like you did a great job for your first time making them!

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  5. Mmmm - can't go wrong combining two great things like these! These are too tempting to be around for long...

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  6. These look heavenly alright - so rich, dense and fudgy :D
    Great recipe!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  7. Oh, these look fabulous, Anita. The recipe I use swirls in the cheesecake...one of my favorite combos, too!

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  8. These look delicious! I'd happily indulge in a cheesecake brownie! I've never tried it before but I can't imagine not liking a combo bite of two amazing desserts!

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  9. I am the friend that reaped the benefit of this cheesecake brownie as I had the Hungry Couple for dinner on Saturday... Two of my favorite things, cheesecake and brownie. The only thing that might have made it more fun would be to smother it in hot fudge and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thanks!

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  10. These look absolutely delicious! I love brownies. I love cheesecake. Must make these!

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  11. Cheesecake brownies...mmm.. ::drool:: Anita these look unbelievably irresistible. Wow. Wish I could have this for my birthday =] Have a good one! <3

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  12. They sound delicious! Combining 2 great desserts can never go wrong!

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  13. These look great! Coincidentally, I made a "German" version of this dish a couple of weeks ago, check it out here: http://germanfoodie.com/food_blog/2012/02/18/german-cheesecake-brownie-bars/ (hope you don't mind the link; I just bookmarked yours!). It is made w/ ricotta, not cream cheese, but just as yummy. And as Erin said, combining two great desserts is sure to be a winner! :)

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    1. From you, Sofie, I'll allow the link, and I'll go check out those ricotta bars because they sound yummy. My German father was always dragging my Russian mother to German cafe's for pastries and he'd bring home little marzipan treats for me :)

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  14. Who needs dinner when you can have Cheesecake AND brownies ;)

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  15. Hi I am a fan of cheesecake and with this combination I do really love to taste it...I smell it here

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  16. I can never say no to cheesecake brownie and this sounds like a great recipe.

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  17. it has been years since i have had a cheesecake brownie, but now i am totally craving one! your recipe looks fantastic!

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  18. Mmmm, I love cheesecake AND brownies, so this is perfect for me!

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  19. Anita, cheesecake brownies are one of my go to favorites for dessert and yours look delicious!!! Please come make me a batch...or twelve :-P

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  20. Wow, these look maddeningly delicious!!! Now, If only I could eat them:(

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  21. Anita, do you think I could incorporate chunks of Toblerone into the cheesecake portion (if so, how much)? Then melt some toblerone to drizzle on top, along with caramel? I'm to bring a dessert to a church Christmas banquet...thought this would be a real treat!!! TFS

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  22. Hi Nona,

    I love Toblerone and I'm sure the flavor would work well here. My only concern about mixing it into the cheesecake is that it might sink into the chocolate brownie layer. But I don't think there would be anything wrong with that, if it did. Still delicious. As for drizzling on top, a little chocolate drizzle couldn't hurt but I'd worry that caramel might make it too sweet. It's quite a rich, decadent dessert already. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it would be quite welcome at the Christmas banquet. Do let me know what you ended up making. :)

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  23. I love dessert recipe it is very tasty and delicious.

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