Cream Cheese Brownies I Made It Ii

Cream Cheese Brownies

Cosmicmother 5 years ago
~Made for February 2019's "Chocolate" recipe challenge~

Cream Cheese Brownies posted by Choclytcandy

This is a Cook's Illustrated tested recipe, so ya know it's gonna be good! :D
This is their 1999 version, they did a revamp of it in 2014. The revamp version has an identical brownie base, minus 2oz of chocolate. And the cream cheese base is half the cream cheese, no egg yolk and 1/2 cup of sour cream. Here's a link to it in case you are interested in the revamp recipe:
http://heatherhomemade.com/2014/06/cream-cheese-brownies/

The brownie base is soft but fudgy and hardly sweet at all with the unsweetened chocolate, so I wouldn't try and lower the sugar more. The cream cheese swirl is nice and tangy and balances out the slight bitterness of the chocolate. This is the least sweetest brownie I've ever had, perfect for me and the kids still loved it!
I cooked it for 45 minutes instead of 50-60 minutes because when I checked the center it came out with moist crumbs, which is usually a sign the brownie is already overcooked! After cooling and cutting the bars, it looked as though it could have used another 5 minutes of bake time. But the edges were lightly browned and pulled away from the sides-- and it didn't have a raw taste. So I'm still glad I removed it early-- better than overcooked, dry brownies! ;)
My only complaint with the posted recipe is that it doesn't define that the sugar and vanilla are divided in the ingredient list, and that the directions could be cleaned up so it's not so long and easier to read. So, just make sure to follow the directions well and not rely on the ingredient list!
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DIZ3 5 years ago said:

OMG! Cosmicmother, you've got me craving chocolate with those photos! YUM! I've never been a very good brownie baker. These sound really good and easy. I don't know what it is, but I always have to watch the bake time any time I bake. You're right, nothing worse than an over baked brownie.

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Thanks Diz! :)
My kids wouldn't turn down an overcooked brownie!; but I like it moist and fudgy so I set the timer 10 minutes early to check. I like it dry around the edges and moist in the center. And I leave it in the pan for a good hour on top of the stove-- to let the residual heat finish cooking the inside before removing it and cooling completely. :)

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mommyluvs2cook 5 years ago said:

Sooooo many posts!! I love it!! Went out of town so I have a lot of catching up to do lol!! My family would devour these, shortlisting it for sure :)

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LindaLMT 5 years ago said:

Wow, not only are the photos great but the recipe looks incredibly indulgent!! Shona.

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Welcome back Michelle!! :)

Thanks Linda! Yes, very indulgent, you only need a little square! I'm not really a fan of chocolate, but I liked this since the cream cheese breaks up the chocolate a little bit! :)

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