cheesecake-marbled brownies

Rumor has it that pregnanc y doesnt just lead to swollen ankles , an ins atiable need for peanut butter and a belly that cau ses what I will h ave to ass ume are otherwis e polit e people to as k if youre having twins. Rumo r has it that pregnanc y quite often leads to teacu p humans, and those teacup human need t o be delivered from one world to anot her. Oh my god, I am going

to have to birth a baby, arent I?!

Fortunately for all of us, t his is not the kind of blog where I would subject you to the details of delivery, in part bec ause I plu g my ears and say la la I cant hear you when anyone brings them to my attention and in part because Im in the practice of encouraging appetites and well you know.

I am also , or at least currently, in the pract ice of bribery; shameless , unapologet ic, unequivocal bribery. I am Deb, I publish the Smitten Ki tchen, and if I cannot make brownies good enough that no labor and deliver y nurse would even consider pass ing my room by when Im ringing a buzzer , then I might as well turn in my URL right now. I might not have a crib or changing table for this baby (4 we eks! or so!*), any great skill in the u nbitchy -whilefunctioning-without-sleep department and I might (might! I admit nothing!) have demanded that my epidural request be put on file the day my third trimester began but I have made killer cheesec ake-marbled brownies, in dividu ally wrapped them in the freezer and added the item B aked Goods Bribery For Nurses Station to my hospital pac king list . This I c an do right. Theyll be a h it. * And yes, I know that newborns dont actually need a crib or changing tabl e, or so the Internet t ells me, which is why w e have lin ed an empt y dr awer with s oftly shredded newspaper to use in the in terim.

One year Two years Three years ago: Giardin iera Cheesecake-Swir led Adapted from Gourmet, June 2007

ago: Braised Romano ago: Apple-Yogurt

Beans Cake

Brownies

Its true, I have made th ese before. Well, not these , a different rec ipe an d theyre good, great even, but Ive always wanted to fix it up a litt le. That brownie rec ipe is wonderful, but not simplified enough for a two -step process and there was never enough chees ecakiness (oh yes , it is a word) to balance it. Also, my mother has always made her s with chocolate chips swirled into the cream ch eese and although I feel that a good brownie should not need extra chocolate in the form of frosting or chips to make it work, it sure cuts fantas tically through the cream cheese swirl. Thus, three changes an d a new recipe w as warranted. M ake thes e instead. I added the aforementioned chocolate chips and more unsweetened chocolate to the brownie recipe, as commenters s eemed to feel it w as not chocolaty enough. I dont think an yone could make the s ame argument a bout these. Makes 16 2-inch squar e, th ick brownies Brownie 1 stick (1/2 cup or 3 ounces 1 2 1/2 teaspoon 2/3 cup all- purpose flour batter piec es chopped sugar eggs extract

ounces) unsweetened cup large pure

unsalted

butt er, cut chocolate,

into

vanilla

Cheesecake 8 ounces cream 1/3 1 large 1/4 teas poon pure vanilla extract Plus 1/2 cup sem isweet chocolate chips

cheese, cup egg

well

batter softened sugar yolk

Make brownie batt er: Put oven rack in middle posit ion and preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan . Heat butter an d chocolate in a 3 - quart heavy saucepan though I did mine double-boiler st yle, placing the mixing bowl I w as using o ver s immering wat er, thereby creat ing one less dirty dish an d melt ing the chocolate more gent ly o ver moder ately low heat, whis king occas ionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and w hisk in sugar , eggs , vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combin ed. Whis k in flour until just combined an d spread in baking pan. Make ch eesec ake batter: Whisk togeth er ch eesec ake batt er ingredients in a s mall bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batt er, th en swirl in with a knife or spatula. [I actually like usin g a but ter knif e bec ause the tip o f it is round enough that you can use it to fold bits of the brownie batter over the cheesec ake batt er for a more visibly marbled effect. Tr y it!] Sprinkle chocolate chips over chees ecake/brownie batter swirl. Although it might be more logical to just mix them into the cheesecake batt er (and feel free to do this, it will have no i lleffect) I thought it might interrupt the swirl - abilit y of it. Bake brownies: Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve w arm or at room temperature.

Slicing t ip: I like to chill my brownies until theyre almost frozen before cutting them. It makes it much easier to get a clean slice. I also like to eat my brownies super - cold, but thats just personal t aste.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/09/cheesecake-swirled-brownies/