Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

This was the one and only recipe I ripped from the June 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine. (The June issue was actually a pretty good one, but since I don't have much time to cook these days and since I don't have a grill, that limited a lot of the issue's recipes.) As much as I've tried not to bake (and cook) too much so I can focus on packing and other Vancouver-related things, I just knew I had to make these (and since I had all of the ingredients on hand, there was no reason not to whip up a batch). I made the recipe as written with the exception of using 1/3-less-fat cream cheese instead of full-fat cream cheese. I also baked them for 40 minutes instead of 35 since I am not a fan of fudgey brownies. These are excellent. They are slightly fudgey in the middle but overall they are more of a very dense, chewy brownie. At first, I thought that the recipe may have called for too much cream cheese batter to swirl into an 8-inch pan full of brownie batter, but I quickly realized that the brownie/cheesecake ratio is perfectly proportioned. I like a slightly larger brownie, so I cut these into 12 brownies. Next time, I will cut them into 16 brownies, though, because they are quite rich (and filling).

If you've never made cheesecake brownies before, put some (or all) of these in the freezer and eat them straight from the freezer whenever your sweet tooth needs a "fix". This is hands-down my favorite way to eat brownies. (Note to self: Give remaining 10 brownies away tomorrow so you don't eat them all.)

Enjoy!!!

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

Source: Gourmet - Quick Kitchen - June 2007

Two adored classics come together in this dessert lover's superbrownie.

For brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make brownie batter:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 brownies.

 

Black and White Brownies for Kristen

My friend Kristen is gracing me with her presence later this evening, and since I know how much she loves brownies (and since I really had the urge to bake late last night), I knew just what recipe I wanted to make for her.

I love Lindt White Coconut White Chocolate bars. I have made other recipes in the past using them, and I figured this would be a perfect recipe to incorporate them into as well. In general, I am not a fan of white chocolate. I never understood how people simply ate it and swooned over it. Then, I tried Lindt which made me realize just how good "quality" white chocolate could be. (My friend Colleen introduced me to Milky Bars, a fantastic British white chocolate bar, which I love, too, but that's a whole different topic in itself. You can buy Milky Bars at Cost Plus World Market or you can order them here. I prefer to fly to London and buy them there. LOL.)

The original recipe below called for 1 cup of white chocolate chips. If you decide to use chips instead of chopped white chocolate like I did, look for white chocolate chips, not white baking chips. There is a big difference in taste and quality of the final product if you use white chocolate chips (although white baking chips would be fine, too).

These brownies baked up really fudgy (or is it "fudgey"?) in the middle with a shiny, crackly top. The sides of the brownies puffed up really high while baking and never came down to the same level as the rest of the pan (even after cooling completely and sitting overnight), so I did cut off about 1/2-inch around the perimeter before cutting the remaining pan of brownies into 9 squares. Of course, I had to sample the edges I cut off, and this is one fantastic brownie. The sides were chewier and cooked a little bit more than the middle of the pan. These brownies are way too gooey in the middle for me, but luckily, I know Kristen prefers them that way. I, myself, am a chewy-in-the-middle, shiny-and-crackly-on-the-top kind of girl.

Concensus: If you like fudgy (fudgey?), gooey brownies, then this is the recipe for you. If you like your brownies chewy or cakey, I wouldn't recommend this recipe, though. The chopped white coconut white chocolate adds a really nice subtle coconut flavor, so if you like coconut and can find these Lindt bars, I would recommend using them. I have found them at both Walgreen's and Bed, Bath & Beyond. If you're more of a traditionalist, you can leave the white chocolate out altogether.

Black and White Brownies

Source: Adapted from Sunset

1/3 cup salted butter
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 T. water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 oz.) chopped white chocolate bars*


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 2- to 3-quart pan over low heat, frequently stir butter and semisweet chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, water and vanilla extract. Sift flour and baking soda together in a small bowl; add to chocolate mixture and mix just until blended. Cool about 15 minutes, then stir in the chopped white chocolate. (Adding the white chocolate any sooner will cause it to melt into the chocolate brownie batter.)

Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake until edges feel firm to the touch and begin to turn a shade darker, 25 to 30 minutes.

Run a knife between pan rim and brownie. Let cool in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Cut into 9 large or 16 small squares.

Yield: Makes 9 or 16 brownies.

Notes: I used salted butter instead of the usual unsalted butter since the recipe didn't have any other added salt. If you use Lindt Excellence White Coconut White Chocolate bars, you will need to purchase two (3.5 oz.) bars to fulfill the amount needed for this recipe. (You will have some left over, so just eat it and enjoy.) I let the brownies cool completely and sit overnight wrapped in plastic wrap before cutting into bars.



 

Kurt and his townhouse

My friend Kurt has been through he!! recently in his quest to sell his townhouse. (The letter "l" has been replaced with "!" in case there are any internet-savvy toddlers surfing the web and reading my blog. Auntie Mindy only uses four-letter words in the presence of adults.) In the midst of conversation (and many laughs) tonight, Kurt and I both decided a short list of rules needed to be made, and he would like for you to keep the following in mind should you be looking to buy his townhouse:

If you cannot afford to buy a townhouse, do not waste the realtor's or Kurt's time. Heck, if you know you have a lot of debt and cannot be approved for a home loan, why are you wasting your time, too?

If you want three bedrooms and you know in advance that the townhouse you are looking at only has two bedrooms, do not expect another bedroom to magically appear just because you want a third bedroom. Again, do not waste the realtor's, Kurt's or your time.

And, last but not least...

If you think that a townhouse that is on the market for just below $200k is going to have every bell and whistle that you want your "dream home" to have, think again. Wanting a chandelier in the breakfast nook (yes, I said breakfast nook) or wanting a jacuzzi tub with a warming towel rack and a heated tile floor in the master bath is unreasonable to expect for that price. And simply not liking his furniture really doesn't matter. News flash: The furniture is going with him when he moves to Arizona.

Since Kurt's realtor had showings with two prospective buyers tonight, I decided to invite him over to hang out. We noshed on Salsa Guacamole while we talked and watched a travel show. I sent him home with a batch of Caramel-Butterscotch-Loaded Brownies to help ease the townhouse-selling blues.

Salsa Guacamole

Source: Muir Glen

Salsa
1 can (14.5 oz.) Muir Glen organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, well drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño chile, seeded, finely chopped

Guacamole
3 ripe large avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

In medium bowl, stir together salsa ingredients.

In another medium bowl, place avocados; coarsely mash. Stir in remaining guacamole ingredients. Spoon guacamole into shallow serving bowl; top with salsa.

Serve with tortilla chips as desired.




Caramel-Butterscotch-Loaded Brownies

Source: Brownie Mix Bliss

1 19.5- to 19.8-ounce package brownie mix
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water
2 large eggs
2 cups butterscotch-flavored baking chips, divided
24 caramels, unwrapped
2 T. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark-coated metal pan). Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray (or foil-line pan).

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs with a wooden spoon until just blended and all dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in 1 cup butterscotch chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean (do not overbake). Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining butterscotch chips. Return to oven for 1 minute to soften chips. Transfer to a wire rack and cool (do not spread melted chips).

In a medium saucepan set over low heat combine caramels and milk, stirring until melted and smooth; drizzle over brownies. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into squares. Makes 24 large or 36 small brownies.