Cookie Recipes
Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 6 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
Cheesecake
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
Brownie
- Position a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan and set aside.
- Place flour, baking powder, salt and, if desired, cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a whisk to combine; reserve.
- Melt chocolate and butter together in the top of a double boiler over hot water or in a bowl in the microwave. When melted, stir to blend.
- Add the sugar and mix well, using a small whisk (it is not necessary to pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl).
- Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition until the mixture is smooth. After the eggs are added, the chocolate may look grainy, but it will smooth as you stir it.
- Blend in reserved dry ingredients. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake.
Cheesecake
- Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
- Beat cream cheese in a mixer, with a paddle if available, until it is very creamy.
- Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
- Blend in the espresso.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute.
- On low speed, add the flour and beat just until blended.
- The brownie batter will have thickened a bit while sitting, so give it a turn with a rubber spatula.
- Pour three-quarters of the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with the spatula.
- Pour over all of the cheesecake batter; it will spread by itself.
- Scatter teaspoonsful of the remaining brownie batter over the cheesecake. Create a swirl pattern by dipping a table knife halfway into the batters and drawing it back and forth across the pan. Don't disturb the bottom layer and don't go across the pan more than once.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
- When the brownies reach room temperature, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.
- Serve cold.