Almond Cheesecake Brownies: The Somewhat Healthier Version

I felt guilty earlier; realising that I hadn't posted an actual recipe in such a long time, so I decided to whip up some brownies. Plus my awesome neighbour took my oldest for a bit in the afternoon so I felt like my batteries were all a-raring to go.

This is a recipe I've used for years, but I found myself horrified looking at the ingredient list, I mean, as if I am going to use a whole half cup of butter! As IF! TWO CUPS of white sugar???? Perhaps I could just inject it directly into my heart? Anyway, this is my first renovation but I can see there is a little more work to do. Will update then, but for now, enjoy this incarnation!

You will need:

1 1/4 c all-purpose unbleached flour (obv room for movement there)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter, unsalted (always!)
4 oz semisweet chocolate (I use Chipits but not all chips will melt properly, know thy chocolate!)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, 4 squares
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c white sugar
5 large eggs (5!!)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 8 oz pkgs cold light cream cheese (12 oz)
3/4 tsp almond extract

Prep! Measure everything, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with oil. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl or in say, a two-cup measuring cup.

Save dishes!

Melt the butter and two chocolates in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low heat. LOW heat. To make this faster, you could and probably should chop up the unsweetened squares, but then some of that chocolately goodness would not be in your belly. Up to you. My choice is clear:

In the belly it is

 Stir until all melted together and smooth. Remove from heat. V important, no scrambled eggs.

Stir in the brown sugar.

Add in four of the eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla.

Slowly add in the flour mixture just until blended.

Goo! Chocolate goo!

Place the cold cream cheese in a mixer, blend for 30 seconds then add in the half cup of white sugar.

Add in the last egg, almond extract and last 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, mix until just blended.

Pour half of the brownie mixture into the greased 13 x 9 pan, spread to cover.

Using a large scoop, spoon out the cheesecake mixture in 6 large dollops on top of the brownie layer.

Dump on the rest of the brownie mixture, spread to cover.

Use a knife, dragging it along the length to mix the layers together, creating a marbled effect.

Marble-y!

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, remove to baking rack to cool.

Cut into 32 pieces (4 slices one way, 8 the other), it works out to 133 calories each, which is not terrible, but I would still like to see if I can get a decent brownie texture with whole wheat flour. Maybe a whole wheat pastry...next time! Enjoy these for now!

Warmed with whipped cream would be amazing I bet!

Monday Bonus: Brownies

These are my favourite brownies to make; very simple one pot cocoa bundles of goodness. They are also so fast that I used to make them while preparing supper and they would be ready for right after supper.

You will need:

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (not kosher)
1/2 c butter (one stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; use a small fork, it works awesome. Ly. Melt the butter in wide sauce pan, then remove from heat. Do not let the butter brown, as that is a completely different recipe and flavour. Add in the cup of sugar, and make sure it is completely mixed well or you will end up with some sweet, sweet rich scrambled eggs.

Looks gross, but will be amazing

Add in the eggs, one at a time, completely mixing each in before adding the next.

No scrambled eggs!

Add in the vanilla and then gently stir in the flour / cocoa mixture until completely combined.

Gently gently

Stir in the cup of chocolate chips and scrape into a square 8 x 8 pan. I like glass because I can cut the brownies up like a mofo without scratching a pan. Glass browns a bit better, but it's not like you can tell with these particular treats.

Ready to gooo

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees; cool on a rack for about half and hour and dig in! Really awesome warm with vanilla ice-cream.