Brownie Twist Cheesecake Recipe

If you are like me, then when dessert time rolls around, you have a hard time choosing just one…will it be a brownie or cheesecake?

Well, fellow dessert-lovers, have no fear! I have just the dessert for you! This chocolate cheesecake, with a brownie twist, is a wonderful compromise to your dessert dilemma. Read more

Quick and Easy Brownie Recipe

Now days when is there time to bake; we need an easy brownie recipe for those of us on the go.

Family, work, school…My life can get very complicated sometimes. With so much going on it can seem like I never have time for the sweet things in life, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

This easy recipe will bring you back to the good ol’ days when you had a huge homemade brownie in one hand and a large glass of milk in the other. Plus, no matter how busy your life is…even you’ve got the time for this recipe!

I frequently make these brownies for my family and they’re a huge hit.

Do you have that neighborhood barbeque, family reunion or church dinner next weekend? Well, who’s got time to make a cake…or even cookies? You want something that taste scrumptious and is easy to make.

This easy brownie recipe is your ticket to a happy family and grateful recipients of your wonderful cooking!

Even you’ve got time for this easy brownie recipe!

Yield: 24 brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) plain cake flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into fine pieces
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 ¼ cups (15 ¾ ounces) sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped and toasted (optional)

Directions:

2) Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined. Put it aside. You’ll need it later.

3) In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of almost simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally. If your schedule won’t allow for this task, don’t worry. You can also microwave the two together in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds, then stir, and heat for 30 more. That should do the trick. If it doesn’t, just continue heating in 15 second increments until the chocolate is smooth.

4) Once melted, mix the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Add eggs (one at a time) and mix well after each addition until combined. Mix in the vanilla.

5) Add the flour mixture gradually, folding in with a rubber spatula, until the batter is completely smooth.

6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and if you decided to use pecans or walnuts, sprinkle them on top of the batter at this time.

7) Put the brownies in the oven and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. It’s very important that you don’t bake them until the toothpick comes out clean or else your brownies will turn out cakey, dry, and over-baked. This step usually takes about 30-35 minutes.

8) Once they’re done, remove from the pan and let cool for up to 2 hours… but if you can’t wait that long then cooling for about 15 minutes will work too.

9) Then…my favorite part…cut into equal squares, remove your favorite piece from the pan…my family fights over the corner pieces… and… Enjoy!!

This easy brownie recipe is delicious, simple to make, and a hit with family, friends and neighbors alike.

I hope you have as much success with these delicious brownies as I did!

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Cheesecake Brownie Recipe

This cream cheese brownie recipe is a unique twist on two old fashioned favorites; the brownie and the cheesecake. Quite possibly two of my most favorite foods on the planet!

To most people a cream cheese brownie is a regular chocolate brownie with a surprise swirl of cream cheese found in every bite! The cream cheese, as expected, is very similar to the taste of cheesecake so it’s like you have two desserts in one! Really, what could be better.

This cream cheese brownie recipe has an amazing balance of richness (from the brownies) and lightness (from the cream cheese filling). It’s an excellent choice for any occasion and my family loves them! My mom calls them simply decadent.

Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients:

Brownie Base-

• 2/3 cup (3 1/3 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
• 1 cut (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Cream Cheese Filling-

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk

Directions:

1) For the brownie base: Adjust the oven rack to be in the middle-lower position and heat the oven up to 325 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, coating it lightly. Also, if non-stick spray isn’t really your thing, you could also use parchment paper to line the pan. It gets the job done just the same, but without the grease.

2) Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Set the mixture aside.

3) In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until it’s smooth. Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat.

4) Mix in the sugar and vanilla and then let it sit and cool slightly. Mix in the eggs (one at a time) mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5) Continue mixing until the mixture is completely smooth and then add the dry ingredients, mixing until just barely incorporated.

6) For the cream cheese mixture: In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until blended.

7) Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Drop half of the cream cheese filling atop the brownie batter in the pan. Top that with some brownie batter and continue layering until all of the batters are gone.

8) Use the blade of a knife to gently swirl the two mixes together. All you need to do for that is to place the knife in the batter and move it around in an “S” motion. Be sure not to swirl it too much or you’ll get a brownie, where you can’t tell the difference between the cream cheese and the chocolate! If you do this right, it will create a marbled effect in your brownies.

9) Bake your brownies until the edges have slightly puffed up, about 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted, it should come out with many crumbs adhered to it…then you know the brownies are done!

10) Cool the cream cheese brownies for at least 5 minutes and then place them on a wire cooling rack and wait until they have reached room temperature.

11) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or 1 ½ hours in the freezer).

12) Remove from the refrigerator cut, serve, and taste the decadence!

13) Place the leftovers, if there are any, back in the refrigerator!

14) Enjoy!

This cream cheese brownie recipe is a favorite with the kids and the unique combination of “brownie meets cheesecake” will surprise your taste buds!

History of Brownies Creation

The history of the brownie is definitely an interesting one. Some say the brownie was discovered by housewives in Bangor, Maine while others claim brownies were created when a careless cook forgot to put baking powder in the chocolate cake batter recipe.

Still, a few state that the brownie’s creation is because of the mass production of chocolate in the late 19th century. Because there was so much chocolate to be had, it was no longer only enjoyed by the rich. Everyone could have some! Now isn’t that the best news of all…

With the addition of such a fine treat, it couldn’t have been long before the history of the brownie began to form. Whether one company created it or the recipe evolved from various families still remains a mystery but one thing is certain… brownies are delicious and one of America’s favorite desserts!

According to one theory, the brownie evolved from a bitter cake, like coffee. Soon it was sweetened with sugar, as sugar became more available in the late 18th century. Once it became a sweeter dessert it was not only popular with the adults, but children who happened to run across a brownie or two in their kitchen, also enjoyed it!

In 1780 a man by the name of John Hanan opened the first chocolate factory followed by the introduction of cocoa powder in 1828. After cocoa was invented it wasn’t long before the first chocolate bar made its way onto the scene. In 1842, the Cadbury Company of England developed that idea and it was an instant hit with all the locals and beyond.

In addition to the discovery of the brownie, what about that name “brownie”. It is believed that the name “brownie” was derived from… that’s right, you guess it… its color. When the brownie was first baked, same as now, it had a dark brown color in the confection which eventually led to its name… brownie.

Another interesting theory of the origin of the name “brownie” comes from a feature article in the Sears Roebuck Catalog of 1897. In this catalog, you could mail order chocolate candies that were named after cartoon elves. Yes, that’s right… I said elves. These elves were created by Palmer Cox and were displayed in a series that started as “The Brownies: Their Book” and some believe that that is how the name “brownie” was created.

Once invented and named the history of the brownie evolved even more. It went public; pictured in ads, magazines, cookbooks, and a brownie mix was even sold in the Sears Roebuck Catalog. By the 1920’s brownies could be purchased in local bakeries or made right in your own kitchen.

But really, how ever you slice it, brownies are tasty and worth every bite. The history of the brownie may be uncertain but their popularity isn’t and many people all around the world love them!