Frozen Cream Cheese Brownies - August, 2017.

Cream cheese, whether schmeared on a bagel or an ingredient in cheesecake, is divine.  Like most New Yorkers, I love it.  When I bake brownies at home, sometimes I put this perfect fat (cream cheese) in between layers of brownie batter.  It’s a delectable dessert to wow friends and family. 

Remember to freeze after baking and don’t microwave before serving.  Let the brownies come to room temperature slowly (approximately 30-45 minutes).   So before you sit down to dinner, take the brownies out of the freezer.

The recipe can be found on pages 40 - 42 of Fat Witch Brownies cookbook.

• Ingredients
• Brownies
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• Cream Cheese
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg

• Directions
• Grease a 9” x 9” baking pan with butter.  Dust the pan with flour and shake out the excess.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
• To make the brownies
• First melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir frequently until melted.  Take off the heat and set aside to cool. 
• Now make the filling
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg and set the mixture aside. 
• Back to the brownies
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and 3 eggs together until smooth.  Add the vanilla and chocolate/butter mixture and mix until well blended. 
• Measure the flour and salt.  Sift them together into the chocolate batter.  Mix the batter until combined.  Do NOT overmix.
• Spread ½ to ¾ of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the brownie batter.  Then, gently pour the remaining brownie batter over the top of the cream cheese mixture.  Spread it evenly with a spatula. 
• Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean or with only crumbs, not batter on it.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 1 ½ hours.  Cut into small pieces and freeze.  You can also freeze the entire pan.  Thaw slowly in room temperature (NO microwave) before serving.  Anything uneaten, wrap in plastic or foil and return to the freezer. 
• Makes 12-16 brownies