Cheesecake Brownies

My sister Hayley's family birthday dinner is tomorrow evening and we're having her favorites. Does this mean decadent roast duck with crisp skin and succulent pink meat? Or maybe, juicy chunks of crystal lobster grilled with garlic butter? Alas, no. We're talking cocktail frankfurts, nuggets, party pies and sausage rolls. Do i care? Hell no! I'm looking forward to it! I was tasked with making one of the desserts, so i decided to trace back to what my sister loved when we were kids, the cakes, slices, trifles and cookies that my mum used to make. Thinking through them, there was one clear stand out: cheesecake brownies.

Whoever thought of cheesecake brownies is clearly a person of high genius: How can one obtain, in a single mouthful, the gooey rich chocolatey goodness of a brownie, with the tangy, creamy soul of cheesecake? Mix them together!

Ingredients (makes 15 small brownies)

Brownie Mixture

• 200gm dark chocolate
• 125gm unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup plain flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake mixture

• 250gm cream cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Line and grease an 8 inch baking tray.

Combine the cheesecake ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Mix heavily until well combined and smooth.

Set aside.
Finely chop the chocolate.

Combine the chocolate and butter over a double boiler and melt.
Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, salt and eggs until pale and creamy
Add the chocolate mixture in 2 goes, folding carefully each time

Add the flour, folding gently through
Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and spread over the base
Dollop the cheesecake mixture ontop and barely mix through (you want marbling and chunks of cheesecake)

Put into the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove and let sit in the tray for 10 minutes before turning onto a board and cutting.

Serve at room temperature; the brownies will taste better the next day