Chocolate cream cheese brownies

If your current plan in this quarantine is to eat more chocolate, no judgement here. I've got you covered with these absolutely decadent chocolate cream cheese brownies. You're welcome. ⁣⁣

Few things offer a better smell than chocolate baking in the oven. If that wasn’t enough, adding chocolate ganache just pushed them over the top.

This recipe was inspired by something I saw online, and it was suggested for this type of recipe that it’s a good idea to make these brownies with high quality ingredients. I have to agree with that. These brownies are all about the chocolate, so use the best kind you’re willing to buy. Good quality chocolate is becoming more and more available these days. Most grocery stores will offer something besides Hershey’s, Baker’s, and Nestle. While my stock is usually from the US (😬🙏🏼) , my local grocery store now has a great variety of chocolate in the baking aisle. I also used Hintz cocoa powder, which is dutch processed (alkalized) to lower the acidity and to make it neutral. It is gluten free and this is the best cocoa powder in my opinion. ... If you want unsweetened cocoa that doesn't taste like tar, this is it.

I made these brownies last night, as I am sure most of you saw from my Instagram stories. The wonderful aroma that filled the kitchen was just heavenly. Also FYI, 3/4 of it is already been demolished by my lovely family🤦🏻‍♀️.

For all you chocolate lovers, these are a must for your recipe collection.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BROWNIES:

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter (plus more for preparing pan)

  • 3 ounces (85g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/2 cup (113g) cream cheese, softened

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE GANACHE:

  • 6 ounces (170g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream

  •  3 tablespoons unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking pan and set aside.

  2. Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating. Continue until both are completely melted.

  3. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/chocolate mixture. Beat in (by hand) the cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in the flour and salt.

  4. Pour the batter into pan and spread evenly.

  5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. There is also a huge variety of different types of ovens, so I can’t stress enough to go by your oven type and keep an eye on the pan. Time can vary significantly across all ovens.

  6. Cool in the pan on cooling rack.

TO MAKE THE GANACHE:

  1. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.

  2. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture is almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Then, stir until smooth.

  3. Pour the ganache over cooled brownies and spread evenly.

  4. Allow the ganache to firm before cutting brownies.

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