Chocolate Brownie (Chewy)

This recipe was bookmarked I think more than a year or two.  Finally, I found excuses to get my lazy butt moving.

6 months of being inactive seriously affected my fitness level.  The wrist still hurts a teeny bit and I still cannot fully exert full body weight for push up.  The fractured toe now seems to be acting up causing a bunion appearance.  Might have to get it corrected soon.

Anyway, I was invited to a gathering from my yoga kaki.  It was such a great gathering!  Totally enjoyed the food, wine, and an awesome conversation on a lazy afternoon. 

For this gathering, I brought along this Chocolate Brownie (Chewy) recipe that despite a little hiccup, came out perfectly.   Am glad that the guests enjoyed it.

Thanks, SH for sharing. (sorry I did not have the link to credit back)

What you need:

150g semi sweet chocolate

120g unsalted butter, softened

150g light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

65g self raising flour

28g cocoa powder

40g milk chocolate chips

40g Cranberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 180℃.  Lined and greased a 7" square pan.

Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler.

Sift self raising flour with cocoa powder.  Set aside.

Whisk in the brown sugar until combined.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated.

Fold in the flour mixture.

Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts until evenly distributed.

Pour into pan and smooth out with a spatula.

Bake for 25 - 30 mins.

Cool in pan for 5 mins.   Remove and cool completely on the rack.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Banana Brownies with walnuts and sea salt

I always enjoy Barry's recipes.  He is such a talented and generous man.  So seeing some leftover bananas in the fridge and spotted his recipe.  This will be the perfect time to bake this Double Chocolate Banana Brownies with walnuts and sea salt.

Findings: Super fudgy and yummy.

Source

What you need:

A

165g unsalted butter 

150g couverture chocolate 

B

4 eggs (Grade AA)

200g brown sugar 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

C

65g plain flour (sieved) 

40g cocoa powder 

150g over-riped banana, mashed 

60g crushed walnuts

sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 ℃.  Lined an 8” square pan.

 

Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave.  30 sec burst each time and stir. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until even.

Add chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and beat until airy & fluffy.

Sift in plain flour and cocoa powder and gently fold until combined.

Pour into the pan and sprinkle the crushed walnut and sea salt.

Bake for 30 mins.

Enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Brownie

It has been a long time since I last baked.  Too many activities went on in the earlier part of 2022 and also I was coughing for the longest time early this year.   These days, I am spending most of the time exercising for a healthier body.

Now I am slowly finding back my mojo to bake since the big kid is home most of the time.  I hate it when he snacks so much and I cannot control the sugar intake.

I actually baked this some weeks ago and we love it.  This time I did a no-nuts version as my son is not a big fan of it.  I also cut down on the sugar as I feel it is sweet to pair with ice cream.  

Note: if you are not pairing it with ice cream, maybe 150g is okay.

Source

Findings: I was worried that it might be too sweet since I added in the caramel but luckily it was okay for us.

This year, son did not want a cake for his birthday as the sister is not able to be here for the joint celebration.    This is really sweet of him to do so.

What you need:

150g dark chocolate 

80g butter

2 tbsp rice bran oil

130g castor sugar

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla

80g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

80g walnut (roasted), break into small pieces (I omitted it this round)

100g chocolate chip (I added some caramel pieces and candied chocolate chips since I have it on hand) 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160℃.   Line an 8” square pan.

Combine dark chocolate, butter, and rice bran oil into a microwaveable bowl and do 30 sec each time, stir until chocolate is totally melted.  

Whisk in castor sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined and shiny.

Sift in plain flour, cocoa powder, and salt and fold until combined.

Pour into the pan, scatter the chocolate chip and walnut, and level evenly.

Bake for 25 - 30 mins.

Enjoy!

S'mores Brownie

After my not-so-pleasing attempt at this marshmallow brownie, today I try again.

This recipe is more or less the same recipe as the previous.  Only that this time around, I mixed all the wet ingredients together and then the dry.

Now I am pretty pleased with the result.

What you need:

150g chocolate (75%)

80g unsalted butter

22g oil

150g castor sugar

2 eggs (A)

1 tsp vanilla

80g cake flour

25g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

milk chocolate chip

biscoff, break them to smaller pieces

marshmallow, cut into half

Method:

Preheat oven to 160℃.  Lined a 7” square pan.

In a pot, on low heat, melt chocolate, butter, and oil until chocolate is completely melted.

Whisk in castor sugar until sugar is slightly dissolved and the mixture is slightly warm.

Whisk in eggs, salt and vanilla until the texture is glossy and thick. (Important step if you want a shiny crust but for this recipe, you don't have to)

Sift in the cake flour, cocoa powder and fold until flour mixture is incorporated.

Bake for 20 mins.

Arrange the marshmallow, stick in the cookies, sprinkle the smaller pieces of cookies around, and scatter the chocolate chips.  Bake top heat for 5 mins or until marshmallow is golden.

Remove and cool in pan slightly before transferring to cooling rack.

 

Enjoy!

Marshmallow Biscoff brownie

Went to a cafe with some friends and saw this marshmallow brownie pie.  It sure looks good but for a small piece at S$8+ exclusive of taxes, I think I can try to replicate it at home.

Since the son is working from home, I think this will be nice to serve as tea time snack.

Here is my effort for this Marshmallow Biscoff Brownie.

Learning: Despite the short 10 mins bake time, the brownie leans towards the cakey type.  I still need to figure how to embed the marshmallow without burning it.  

Okay I still have biscoff and marshmallow, I can do another round this weekend till I am satisfied with it.

Strangely both hubby and son likes it.  The only thing the marshmallow wasn't sticking to was the brownie!  

 

Adapted

What you need:

200g chocolate (70%)

100g unsalted butter 

100g sugar

40g brown sugar 

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs 

80g plain flour 

25g cocoa powder 

½ tsp vanilla 

Marshmallows 

Biscoff biscuits

white chocolate (melted)

Method:

Preheat oven to 170℃.  Lined and grease a 7” baking pan.

Melt chocolate with butter,

Combine sugars and eggs and whisk until combined.

Sift in plain flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Mixed fully incorporated.

Add in vanilla and mix well.  

Add in melted chocolate mixture and mix until smooth and glossy.

Pour into pan and bake for 20 -25 mins.

Arrange marshmallow and bake again on the highest rack, top heat for 3 mins or until marshmallow is brown.

Remove and immediately arrange Biscoff cookie around and drizzle the chocolate sauce.

Let it cool completely and cut with a warm knife.

Enjoy!

Blackout Brownie (Cakey version) and Bite

After the success of the Blackout brownie, today, I shall try another version, the Blackout Brownie (cakey version).

Not planning properly, I cannot find the base of my cake pan.  Left with no choice, I had to bake this into two tiny loaves and thus explains the flat out brownie.  Whatever size it may be, this is good.  Just need to watch the baking time carefully so that you won't dry out the brownie.

I kept forgetting that this recipe yield only a small portion so I bake this the second time, as hub and I finished it up the first round, leaving nothing for the kids.

This time, I found another baking tin and turned it into a brownie bite.  Yes, they do look ugly right?  But trust me, the taste and texture are far from it.  

This is going to be part of my pot luck item.  Easy peasy.

Source

Remember to double the recipe for a full size

What you need:

65g melted unsalted butter

90g castor sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 egg, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

15g Valrhona cocoa powder

20g black cocoa powder

½ tsp instant coffee powder

1/8 tsp baking powder

12g water, room temp

25g plain flour

Fillings:

Nutella

Chopped hazelnuts

Sea salt flakes

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180℃.  Greased and line a strip of baking paper on the tray cups.

Combine espresso powder and butter and melt the butter in the microwave.

In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, sugar and salt.  Whisk until combined.

Sift in the cocoa powders, baking powder and mix until well combined. (do not whisk)

Mix in the egg, water and vanilla extract until well combined.

Fold in the flour until just combined with no flour lumps.

Spoon batter into each cup until it is filled 3/4 of the way to the top and topped with peanut buter or fillings of your choice.

You want to ensure each cup is only filled to ¾ of the cup.

Bake for 8 - 10 mins.

Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and cooling on the rack.

Enjoy it slightly warm or room temp.

Fudgy Black out Brownie

A few weeks ago, my friend told me she attempted this Fudgy Blackout Brownie and her kids love it.  Since I have some black cocoa powder, I decided why not give it a shot.

The author was trying to replicate the Bundt by the backyard bakers' brownie. In fact, she has two versions for us to try.  One cakey and the other is fudgy.  From research and some videos posted, the texture looks more like cakey than fudgy.  

Although I had never tasted the real McCoy before but since we are a fan of brownie.  So now, I shall test it out and see whether this will add to my family's favourite list.

Learning experience:

As normal, brownies are easy to bake.  Just don't over mix.  

Initially, I used an ice cream scoop and added a little too much and then I realised that I don't have enough batter to go round so next time, I should start off with just 2 tsp batter, spread round add fillings and top up the remaining to make it ¾ filled.

I did only a tsp filling, next time I will add 1¼ or 1½ more to it.  

Overall, the delicious is really good.  Fudgy and not too sweet.

Definitely a keeper!

Thanks for sharing this recipe. 

I am supporting my friend DG as she is also hosting the Kitchenaid Countertop Oven give away.  So here is my submission, hope to be the lucky one.

Adapted (see detail)

What you need:

Yield: 6 pcs

90g salted butter

55g dark chocolate (70%)

50g castor sugar

50g brown sugar

1 large egg, chilled

16g Dutch cocoa powder (dark)

16g black cocoa powder 

½ tsp instant coffee 

½ tsp vanilla extract

26g plain flour

Toppings:

Nutella

Chocolate chips

Sea Salt Flakes

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.  Prepare a 12 cavities muffin tray. (grease only 6) and lined with a strip of baking paper across the cavities so that you can remove the brownies easier.

Melt butter and chocolate at 30 sec burst interval.  Stir to combine thoroughly.

Add in sugar and salt.  Stir until temp reached 60⁰C.  (sugar should still be a little grainy).  

Add in chilled egg and stir until fully incorporated.

Gently whisk in the cocoa powders, instant coffee and vanilla and until smooth. 

Gently whisk in the flour and mix until just combined.  Stop once flour no longer visible.

Fill batter into tray ¼ way, add your fillings and top off with batter. (¾ filled)

Bake for 11-12 mins.

Insert a skewer, it should still have some wet crumbs stick to it.  Do not over bake.

Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and cooling on the rack.

Enjoy!

Chewy Brownie

Circuit Breaker Day 28

Been thinking about baking brownies for the last one week but never gotten to do it till now.  I always bookmarked nice brownie recipes as I have a chocolate lover at home.  

Since I have just completed my project, and have some time before I embark onto the next project.   I shall try this Chewy Brownie as a snack for the family.

Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Source

What you need:

125g butter

150g chocolate (65%)

3 eggs

150g brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g cake flour

30g cocoa powder

100g walnut/pecan/almond, toasted and crush small

Method:

Preheat oven to 175°C.  Lined an 8X8” square pans.

Using double boil method, melt chocolate and butter together.  Put aside to cool.

In a med sized bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract.

Add melted chocolate into the egg batter and beat for 5 mins.

Sift in the plain flour and cocoa powder and add in the nuts, mix well.

Pour into pans and bake for 30 - 35 mins. (when a skewer comes out clean)

Keep the brownies in the pan in the fridge overnight.

Cut the next day.

Enjoy!

Snickers Brownie

Saw some snickers in the fridge and since I have not baked a brownie for quite some time, I am sure hubby will be delighted to have it.

So here is my Snickers Brownie, baked to the way we like it.

What you need:

85g unsalted butter

60g dark chocolate buttons (80%)

15g cocoa powder

80g castor sugar

50g brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extra

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

40g plain flour

20g Chocolate chips

2 bars Snickers, chopped roughly

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Line a 7X7” square pan.

Melt butter and pour the hot butter onto the chocolate buttons.  Let it sit for a few mins and whisk until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, castor sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add in salt and vanilla extract and mix well.

Mix in chocolate/butter mixture and blend well.

Sift in plain flour and cocoa powder.  Gently fold until just combined.

Add in chocolate chips and chopped snickers (leave some for the top).  Fold to distribute evenly. 

Pour into pan and spread evenly.

Scatter remaining snickers on top.

Bake for 20 – 25 mins.  (check at 20 mins mark, do not overbake)

Cool in pan before transferring to rack.


Enjoy!

Classic Brownie

I have been thinking about baking a brownie but with such hot weather, I really have no mood until I saw a fellow baker baked this Classic Brownie and she gave a good review on it.  

That motivates me and so I went for it to beat the blues. 

It is really good and just our kind of brownies that we like.  Fudgy and really chocolatey considering even though not that much chocolate used.

Learning experience: I added 70% dark chocolate as I like it that way.  Since I don't have that size pan, I baked mine in 7" and 8" pans.

I would prefer a taller brownie but since it is so fudgy, I think this thickness is good too.

The initial thought is that it might be sweet but I decided against reducing to 200g which is my standard for all bakes.  Luckily I did not as this turned out just nice.

Thanks J for sharing.

Source

What you need:

Brownie:
325g unsalted butter
125g couverture chocolate 55% or 60%
5 eggs
260g castor sugar
160g plain flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
50g cocoa powder

150g walnut, toasted and chopped

Frosting:

200g cooking cream
200g couverture choc

Method:

Preheat oven to 160°C.  Lined a 10X14” pan. (I used 7 and 8" pans)

In a pot, bring cooking cream to a boil and add to couverture chocolate, stir till smooth, set aside to cool.

Melt butter till almost boil and add to couverture chocolate, stir briskly till all chocolate is melted and smooth, put aside to cool till slightly warm. 

Whisk eggs and sugar in a mixer till fluffy (do not overwhisk).

Pour in butter mixture while the mixer is on low.

Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Mix in walnuts evenly.

Pour mixture in a baking tray and bake for approx 30 mins.

Spread cooled and thicken frosting over cooled cake, put tray in the fridge for a few hours.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Brownie (Air Baked)

We couldn't get enough of the brownies, and so today I baked another batch.  This time round, I wanted a Double Chocolate Brownie.

As I am too lazy to clank up the oven, I went for air baked instead.  Am glad that this turned out really well though I would have prefered it to be more chewy as I wanted it to be.


If you like intense chocolate in your brownies, this will definitely be the one for you.

Findings: I wanted this to be chewy but I didn't really pass the mark.  Nevertheless, it is moist and chocolatey enough for me to revisit this recipe again.

I should have churn out a tub of Vanilla Ice Cream to go with this.  Well, this recipe definitely going to try it again.  

Next time I shall try plain flour instead.

What you need:

190g castor sugar
75g unsalted butter
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, cold
1 tsp vanilla extract

70g vegetable oil
80 unsweetened cocoa powder
60g bread flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch
A pinch of salt

140g chocolate chips (your choice of semi sweet or dark) (reserve some for toppings)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line and grease a 6.5 X 6.5" pan with parchment paper.

Mix oil and cocoa powder to form a paste.

In a big bowl, melt butter and sugar over low heat.  Remove.

Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla.

Stir in the cocoa paste until well blended.

Fold in the bread flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into the pan and spread evenly.

Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a cake tested inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook.

Cool completely before cutting.

Serve plain or with a scoop of ice cream.


Looking forward to your weekend?  I do.

Fudgy Mochi Brownie

They said chocolate tends to lift up low spirit and I think I needed some.  Since my warabimochi attempt,  I have been yearning for mochi and as we have not had any brownies of late, I thought this will be a welcome for the family.

What you need:

Mochi:

100g of glutinous rice flour

60g sugar

140g water

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

Brownie:

150g of unsalted butter

120g semi-sweet/dark chocolate

80g sugar

100g brown sugar

100g corn syrup

2 tbsp coco powder

3 eggs

1½ tsp of vanilla extract

¼ tsp of sea salt

110g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Method (Mochi):

Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar and water in a shallow.  Sieve.

Steam for 10 - 15 mins.  

When it is warm enough to touch, stir in the oil and knead until oil is fully incorporated into the dough.    Cover and set aside to cool.  You can dust a little flour.

Method (Brownies):

Preheat the oven on 175ºC.   Greased and lined a 9″ x 9″ square mold.

Using a leftover hot water from steamer, melt semi-sweet/dark chocolate and unsalted butter in a medium sized bowl.  

Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, coco powder, eggs, vanilla extract and sea salt until evenly combined.  

Sift in plain flour and baking powder, fold until incorporated.  Do not overmixed.

Pour brownie batter into the square mold and smooth with a spoon.  Leave some for covering the mochi.

Divide mochi into chunks.   Place mochi dough into the brownie batter.  Indent them a little and cover the mochi with the rest of the brownie batter.

Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 min.  Do not overbaked.

Cool brownie completely before cutting.



Enjoy!

Sourdough Brownies

I am into my fermentation hobby now.  The day I was given some bacteria culture, my world turn whimsical.  Each day, a group of us will update each other on our culture development.   I will talk more about it when I have succeeded.

Anyway, I over calculated and make a batch too much of sourdough.  Thus I need to use it up quickly.

Decided to give Sourdough Brownie a go as I have never tasted one before.  Since we like fudgy brownie more than cake like ones.  I chose this recipe as the picture looks really moist and fudgy.

Findings: I think I have to reduce the chocolate to 250g instead as family finds the chocolate too intense.  

The texture is moist and fudgy to what we like.  Goes really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Adapted : Source 

What you need:

300g chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet chocolate) (will reduce this to either 200 or 250g instead)
200g unsalted  butter, cut into pieces
200g castor sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temperature
40g cocoa powder
270g mature 100% hydration sourdough starter

Method:

Preheat oven to 170°C.  Line and grease a 8X8” pan (I like my brownies taller).  Leave the parchment paper overhanging the pan for ease of removal.

Melt the chocolate and butter. Stir it often so it does not burn.

Pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture into a large bowl.

Whisk in the sugar, salt and vanilla.

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine each addition.

Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate and stir to combine.

Add the starter and stir gently until it is completely incorporated.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 20 minutes then lift the parchment paper out
and allow to cool further on a wire rack.

Only cut when cool completely.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream will be the best.


Happy Women's Day!
Wishing you a day as beautiful as you are!  

5 mins Microwave Brownie

I needed a quick and easy brownie recipe for a project that I wanted to attempt tomorrow.  Yet I didn't want those quick box mix or 2 or 3 ingredients recipes type as I wanted it to taste like a real brownie.

Looking at the below recipe, it sounds fast, easy and good to eat.  Thus I have a go at this.

I did half the recipe as I wasn't sure whether we can finish up the remaining as my family just recovered from a bad flu bug.

Findings: This recipe is definitely a keeper.  It is moist and has a chewy texture.  Really good.

If you are looking for a sweet fix at the last min, do try out this recipe.   It is literally fuss free and quick.

Thanks for this great recipe! 

Source:  The Squishy Monster

What you need:

56g salted butter

43g chocolate 

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

75g sugar

47g plain flour

13g cocoa powder

¼ tsp baking soda

43g chocolate chip

¼ tsp instant coffee powder

Method:

Greased and lined a loaf pan.

Melt butter and chocolate.  

Stir in instant coffee powder.  Set aside.

Whisk egg and sugar until combined.

Sift plain flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together.

Remove a tbsp of flour to coat the chocolate chips.

Add cocoa/butter mixture to egg mixture and combine well.

Fold in flour gently in three addition.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Microwave for 2.5 min.

Remove and let it cool.

Best eaten the next day.

Stay Healthy!

Milo Slice

My kids love Milo.  They can easily finish up a whole big tin within a month if I don't stop them.  I even found out that they eat Milo out from the can!  Luckily, my kids' body is not like mine.  If I do that, I think I will nose bleed.

So with this month Little Thumbs Up's Milo event, it is easy for me to put together something.

I am going for Milo slice as I have never done this before and I think it is a good choice for my daughter's lunch box because since she fractured her wrist, it will makes life easier for her not having to queue for food in the canteen.

Findings: My slice is pretty thick as I was too lazy to clank up the oven so I just used a 5" X 5" square that is big enough to fit into my air fryer.  I should have re look at the recipe again, instead of baking it for 20 mins, I baked an extra 8 mins.  So I think it resulted in a dryer piece of slice.  

But overall, I quite like the taste.  

What you need:

80g brown sugar
20g castor sugar

50g rolled oats

125g milo

80g self raising flour

75g plain flour
85g almond meal

1 egg

125g melted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Greased and Line a 5” baking square pan. (I used air fryer at 170°C)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixer.

Whisk the egg and melted butter until combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mixed until all is combined thoroughly.

Pour batter into a pan and level out evenly.

Bake for 15 – 20 mins.

Drizzle in melted chocolate (optional)

Am submitting to Little Thumbs Up September (Milo) hosted by

Bake for Happy Kids and my little favourite DIY 

Have fun with this.

Orange Cheesecake Brownie

Orange and chocolate are so perfectly matched that nothing can go wrong with this combination.

Ever since the last batch of brownies that I baked, I was craving for more.  So today, I decided to try this recipe.  Also to support my friend Anncoo Journal for the Little Thumbs Up event.

If you like fudgy brownies like I do, you got to try this Orange Cheesecake Brownies.

Source: Adapted from Sorted Food

What you need:

Chocolate base

140g butter

200g dark chocolate

150g caster sugar

1 tsp of vanilla essence

2 eggs

60g plain flour

60g cocoa 

Orange cream cheese filling

88g cream cheese

50g caster sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

75g plain flour
1 tsp of orange essence

zest of 1 orange  (I added one more orange)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Put the butter, chocolate and sugar into a bowl and microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds or so.  Set aside.

Beat the sugar, orange essence and vanilla essence into the cream cheese, then beat in the egg, flour and zest of the orange to create the cream cheese filling. 

Add in the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth and glossy.

Add the flour and cocoa into the chocolate mix and beat well.

Pour into the lined cheesecake mould.

Spoon the cream cheese and mix into the brownie in blobs and use a knife to move the mixture around, creating a marbled effect.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes and allow to cool fully in the mould before cutting into square pieces to serve.

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (April 2014 Event: Orange) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Ann (Anncoo Journal).

Cream Cheese Brownies

We haven't eaten brownies for quite a while and since I know my family loves brownies so for their treats, I baked them a Cream Cheese Brownies.  

This time I used Nigella Lawson's recipe as it is also a part of the Bake Along event for this month.

As I wanted a taller brownies I used a 6" square pan instead of the 9" as given.  I will reduce the sugar to 150g next round as I find it sweet but once chilled it seems okay.

I stick to the same timing as I wanted a fudgy texture and totally no regrets!  My girl wanted more but I need to keep a piece or two for my hubby. 

What you need:

125g bittersweet chocolate

125g unsalted butter
2 large eggs
180g castor sugar (reduce to 150g next time)
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g plain flour
pinch of salt
200g cold cream cheese, cut into strips

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.   Greased and lined a 9-inch square pan (I used 6").

Melt the chocolate and butter over medium-to-low heat in a heavy-based saucepan (I chose the microwave at short burst and stir until chocolate melted)

Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Set aside. 

Sift flour into another bowl and add the salt. 

When the chocolate mixture has completely melted, let it cool a little before beating in the egg mixture. 

Add the flour and beat until smooth. 

Pour half the mixture into the pan, slice the cream cheese as thinly as you can and top the brownie mixture in the pan with these thin slices. 

Pour over the remaining half of brownie-gunge, using a rubber spatula or whatever to make sure each bit of cheese is covered.

Then put in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes : the top should be slightly paled and dry, but a cake tester poked within should reveal a still-sticky center. 

Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.

This post is for Bake Along #58, an event organised by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids

This post it for Cook Like A Star 2nd Anniversary Cooking Party March & April 2014 hosted by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, Mich from Piece of Cake and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

Go for it, it is definitely worth the effort!

Cheers!