Cream Cheese Brownies

When I found this recipe from JoyOfBaking I wanted to try this immediately. So I baked this the same week end. I have never tasted brownies till then and never knew the taste of brownies. But when I baked these, I was overwhelmed with the result though they were little too done. These cream cheese brownies are that finger licking good :-)

Though the name may look fancy it is such an easy dessert. This doesn't require any artificial leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. The trick to make a dense and fudge like brownie is to reduce the amount of flour and to incorporate less air as possible while mixing the batter. So an electric mixer is not required for mixing the batter except for softening the cream cheese. Now, here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Unsweetened chocolate - 4 oz
Sugar - 1 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2
All Purpose Flour (APF) - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp (Skip this if using salted butter)

Cream Cheese Layer:

Cream cheese - 8 oz, at room temperature

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Egg - 1 

Method

1. Preheat oven to  325F i.e 160C. Line a 9 inch square cake pan with aluminum foil. The foil should ideally cover the bottom and two sides of the pan, with a two inch over hang on the two sides. The over hang will help lifting the baked brownies from the pan easily.
2. Take butter and the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Place this bowl in a large sauce pan with simmering water. Heat stirring occasionally until smooth, this may take approximately 2-3 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat vigorously until you get a smooth and glossy batter.
4. Remove and reserve some, say 1/2 cup of the batter and set aside. Spread the remaining of the brownie batter evenly onto the prepared pan.
5. Take another bowl and beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. You can use your food processor or hand mixer for this purpose. Add the egg, sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy. 
6. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer. Spoon 16 small dollops (4 rows with 4 dollops of brownie batter in each row) of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling.
7. With a knife or a skewer gently swirl the brownie batter and the cream cheese filling to get a marble effect.
8. Bake until the brownies are set and the cream cheese is just beginning to brown or a tooth pick inserted comes out with few moist crumbs. This might take around 45-50 mins. 
9. Allow the brownies to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan with the help of the overhangs and place in a wire rack to cool down completely. Cover and refrigerate until they are firm enough to cut into nice squares, that is for a minimum of 3 hours or upto overnight. 
10. Once chilled remove the aluminum foil and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut into 16 equal squares. Wipe your knife with a damp cloth between cuts for a perfect square. However you serve, cold or at room temperature, these cream cheese brownies are to-die for!!