Cheesecake Brownies

There is little that needs to be said about these brownies, except that they are delicious and very easy to make. Enjoy.

Cheesecake Brownies

Makes approximately 24 brownies

Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, chopped
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (62-68%), chopped
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 eight ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- canola oil, for greasing the pan


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.
Melt the chopped chocolate and the butter together in a double boiler or in the microwave. Be careful not to over heat and burn the chocolate. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the cheesecake filling, place the soft cream cheese in a bowl fitted for an electric mixer, or use an electric hand mixer, and cream the cream cheese with 1/3 cup of sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Set the cheesecake mixture aside.
To finish making the chocolate brownie batter, add the sugar to the cooled chocolate and butter mixture and stir until combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time mixing until combined after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract. Sift the flour and salt over the chocolate mixture and gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Pour the chocolate brownie batter into the greased pan. Drizzle the cheesecake batter over the chocolate batter. Use a knife to gently swirl the cheesecake batter into the chocolate brownie batter. Do not over mix the two batters or it will look like a real mess. Bake for about 40 minutes. The cheesecake part of the brownies should turn light golden brown and will slightly puff up. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Cut into desired sizes and serve. These brownies can be made a day ahead of time, but cut the brownies the day you plan to serve them.