Cheesecake Brownies

Dessert

Posted by Emily Tags: baking, brownie, cheesecake, chocolate, chocolate chips, cream cheese, sweet

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I was really craving some chocolate last Friday night. My usual standby is brownies, because they are simple to whip up, but plain old brownies sounded so boring. I went and searched for brownies at one of my favorite recipe sites and as soon as I saw the name of these brownies I was already drooling.

They did not disappoint at all. Simple to make and they turned out so rich and fudgy. I’ve made a ton of brownie recipes and this is definitely one of the best. The recipe has chocolate chips in it, but I don’t think they were even necessary. They made the brownies almost too rich, so I don’t think I’ll be adding them next time.

My boyfriend is usually not a fan of brownies (which I can’t even fathom), but he loves cheesecake, so he liked these. He’s so picky about desserts (which is probably a good thing or I’d make them a lot more often), it’s great finding something he’ll actually eat!

from David Lebovitz

Ingredients

6 tbsp. butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Cream Cheese Mixture

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp.vanilla extract

The Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease a 8 or 9-inch square pan or line it with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides and grease lightly.

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the sugar, then the eggs.

3. In a bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in chocolate mixture, then add 1 tsp. vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the pan.

4. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tbsp. of sugar, and 1/8 tsp. vanilla until smooth.

5. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight or nine dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and gently swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set. Let cool and cut into squares.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

11 Responses | TrackBack this entry | RSS feed for comments on this post

November 18, 2008 at 11:17 pm

Hungry minds think alike! I made these same brownies today. I agree, the chips are an unneeded extra, but the cream cheese, oh so good.
http://catchingpennies.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/david-lebovitz-cheesecake-brownies/

Kristine

(Reply)
November 18, 2008 at 11:44 pm

these look wonderful! and it’s a combination of my two favorite treats-YUM!

megan

(Reply)
November 18, 2008 at 11:53 pm

@Kristine: Yours look nicer than mine, more separation between the chocolate and the cream cheese. I definitely overmixed mine when I was swirling it around. Next time I’m not going to swirl it so much.

Emily

(Reply)
November 19, 2008 at 12:18 pm

doesn’t like brownies!?!? eh, more for me. these look terrific. easy on the eyes and belly.

grace’s last blog post..different strokes for different folks

grace

(Reply)
November 20, 2008 at 10:39 am

I am on a quest for a brownie recipe my husband like more the one from a box. I am adding this one to my list to try!

Danielle

(Reply)
January 4, 2009 at 3:19 am

lol! I was just stumbling on Stumble Upon and came upon your site! How cool is that!?

Mary

(Reply)
February 23, 2009 at 10:21 am

I made these Friday night. Found them by searching tastespotting for a cheesecake brownie. They were wonderful. I am linking to your recipe on my blog.

Thanks for posting the recipe.

Holli T.

Holli T.

(Reply)
April 24, 2009 at 6:08 am

I’m the only one in this world. Can please someone join me in this life? Or maybe death…

lizadyappophy

(Reply)
May 6, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Ok, maybe I’m missing something but the process lists adding the Vanilla twice, is it safe to assume the 1 tsp goes into the cocoa mix and the 1/8 tsp goes into the cream cheese?

Ryan

(Reply)

May 6, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Yeah, you are right. 1 tsp. goes into the brownie batter and the 1/8 tsp. goes into the cream cheese mixture. I just edited the ingredients list and process to make this more clear.

Emily

(Reply)

June 17, 2009 at 2:37 am

How can you not like brownies!? But this is an amazing cheesecake idea, mixing brownies and cheesecake. I hope to have time later this week to bake it! Do you know of a healthier alternative to regular cheesecake?

Bob - Cheesecake Recipes

(Reply)

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