Marbled Cream Cheese Brownies

I have high standards for brownies.

I like them a certain way: thick but not cakey, fudgey but not mushy, chocolatey but not too sweet. Chewy and rich yet easy on the taste buds and the stomach. Easily cut, easily wrapped, and easily gifted in a jiffy.

And these pretty treats meet all my expectations. 

This brownie recipe deserves an A+, a crazy kitchen dance, and a batter bowl licked super clean. 

I love giving these brownies as gifts. The cut pieces keep their shape so well, and they're a fast treat to make and give in bulk. I haven't met anyone who didn't absolutely love these brownies. They're a godsend on an exam day, or on a huge research paper day. Aw heck, any day you need a little bit of sweetness.

Add a lot of fun. Add a lot of love. Share. Repeat.

Thank you very much.

Intimidated by the marbling?

Don't be- it's surprisingly easy.

First, make your fudge brownie batter...

Oh, goodness. So shiny and glimmering and beau-ti-ful even under the horrible kitchen light in the middle of the night. Note that this base alone makes for a wonderful pan of yummy fudge brownies.

Now, take your cream cheese mixture, and, using your spoon, drop dollops of it on the batter.

Don't worry about perfect or equal drops. In fact, the more imperfect the better. You'll see why in the next step.

Take your knife, and gently swirl it around the batter pan, You can marble the batter as intricately as you want!

*Sigh*

Beautiful foods help make for a more beautiful world, in my opinion. Oh, and the beautiful people like you who make them, of course.

To the oven it goes. Get ready for some serious chocolate aroma in the kitchen.

I'm not kidding. 

The finished brownies!

I thank the good Lord for beautiful foods. I really do.

A close-up. Do you see the shiny, crackled brownie top and the firm texture of the cream cheese mixture? It's good stuff, right here.

Now I leave you beautiful peeps to make these beautiful treats yourselves. ^^

Thanks for reading!



Marbled Cream Cheese Brownies

*makes one 9x13 inch pan*

Ingredients:

For the brownie batter:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

For the cream cheese mixture:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
• 1 large egg white

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

2) Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth. 

3) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips. That way the chips won't melt before going in the oven.

6) Meanwhile, make the cream cheese mixture: in a bowl, combine cream cheese, flour, sugar, and egg white. Make sure there are no lumps visible. 

7) Spoon the brownie batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

8) Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Using a knife, gently swirl through the cream cheese mixture to make the marble designs.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour