Cheesecake brownies: A decadent dessert for the holidays

With the holidays nearly here, it’s time to dust off the mixer, pull out the food processor, and embrace the inevitable: it’s baking season!

But while some of us may be Martha-like (“Why yes, I churned the butter myself!”), many others fear any recipe requiring precision and parchment paper. Regardless, it’s always great to find a recipe that can impress with little fuss. These cheesecake brownies are easy (great for helpful kids), decadent, and can be whipped up the morning before a party or the night before a (surprise!) school bake sale. We’d recommend a double batch – they freeze beautifully for up to two months.

While your oven preheats to 325˚, cube one 8 oz. block of cream cheese (room temperature) and place in a food processor.

Once the cream cheese is smooth, you add in 1 egg, ¼ cup of the sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla.

Then whirl the ingredients again until smooth (the mixture will be slightly runny).

Now it’s time to focus on the brownie. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the sugar (1 cup) with the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt (a fork works well to stir). Then whisk 2 eggs with the ½ cup of melted butter, 3 tbsp of milk, and remaining 1 tsp of vanilla in a separate bowl until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until mixed. Remove a ½ cup of the batter and stir in the last 1 tbsp of milk (set this aside). Finally, add your chocolate chips to the large bowl of batter.

Turn the chocolate chip batter into your baking dish (don’t forget to lightly oil the pan first) and smooth the top. Then pour the cheesecake mixture on top and smooth its surface. Take the small bowl of batter and spoon large drops onto the cheesecake surface (this is perfect job for mini kitchen helpers).

Take a butter knife and swirl the batter into the cheesecake mixture. Have some fun here – perfection not required!

After you’re happy with the state of your swirls, pop the dish into the centre of your heated oven for about 35-40 minutes. The brownies are done when the edges pull away from the sides of the dish and only moist crumbs cling to a toothpick.

Cool slightly (if you can wait), and enjoy!

Shopping list:

• Cream cheese

• Eggs

• Vanilla

• Unsalted butter

• All-purpose flour

• Unsweetened cocoa powder

• Baking powder

• Salt

• Milk

• Chocolate chips