cheesecake-marbled brownies

It's been almost A YEAR [sad face status] that I've been on a hiatus from baking. I can't really recount how exactly it happened and whether it was a subconscious choice, but it sure feels good to be back in the kitchen. Honestly, I was actually afraid to stir up the flour again because I've been away for so long, and I wasn't sure whether my abilities have diminished from a lack of practice. Well, you've heard of that age old phrase "use it or lose it." I guess I just didn't want to find out.

So I wanted to start up again with something familiar, but with a twist. Who doesn't love brownies? Who doesn't love cheesecake? And who wouldn't love this Frankenstein of a cheesecake-marbled brownie? Well, there could be a handful of those people but I sure hope you're not one of them.

And the nitty gritty of the verdict?

I sure have become clumsier and slightly disorganized in the kitchen, but I'm still as prepared as ever. I hope it's just a rough start.

The good news? I STILL GOT IT!

The bad news? I still got it...so I need to start working out more and warn everyone else to do so so they don't get mad at me for fattening them up like the witch from Hansel & Gretel. Oh but you guys, sharing is caring!

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

From Smitten Kitchen, Deb's adaptation

Makes 16 2-inch square, thick brownies

brownie batter ingredients

1/2 cup (4 ounces, or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into pieces

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

cheesecake batter ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese (or typically, 1 brick), well softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

optional

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

equipment prep:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan [I used a 9-inch one]. You can also use a baking spray, which worked fine for me.

make brownie batter:

1. Heat the butter & chocolate in a 3-quart heavy sauce pan over med-low heat, whisking occasionally, just until everything is melted and well mixed. [I actually did mine in the mixing bowl, with the bowl over a pot of simmering water. The chocolate will melt more gently when not in direct heat.]

2. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in the flour until just combined and spread evenly in baking pan.

make cheesecake batter:

1. Whisk together all the cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over the brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. [What I did was spread the cheesecake batter evenly on top of the brownie batter, and then I started swirling around with a butter knife, allowing the brownie batter to also lap over for a more visible marble effect.]

2. Once that's done, sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter. Or not; your choice. But c'mon, can you really say no to chocolate chips? I thought so.

bake:

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is set, about 30-35 minutes. You can also check with the ol' toothpick test - stick it in the center of the pan and if it comes out slightly clean (no undone batter attached, but residual crumbs), then it's set. [I apologize, as I hope that made sense. If not, trust that I am working on improving my explanations.]

enjoy:

Serve warm, at room temperature, chilled, whatever your liking. A useful slicing tip from Deb is to chill the brownies until they're almost frozen before cutting them. This will allow for clean slices. Enjoy!