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Tuesdays With Dorie: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe was Espresso Cheesecake Brownies, chosen by Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell.

cheesecake brownies 1

I don’t like cheesecake (although I did not-hate the Tall and Creamy Cheesecake last December). I don’t like sour cream or cream cheese (although the latter was awesome in the rugelach dough).

But I made these, because we were going to have dinner with friends, and when I mentioned the phrase “espresso cheesecake brownies” at least half of the couple seemed intrigued.

The recipe says to mix the brownie batter and then set it aside and mix the cheesecake layer, but I left the flour/baking powder/salt aside to mix in right before baking. I’m glad I did, because I think that kept my brownie batter from getting as thick as it might have (and as other bakers encountered). The only change I made to the brownie batter was the addition of ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.

The cheesecake batter was much thinner than I expected — like pancake batter — and that worried me, but it worked out fine. When I started to pour it over the brownie batter in the pan, though, I poured too fast, and it forced up a bit of the bottom layer. All’s well that ends well, though, and the marbling worked fine; when the brownies came out of the oven they had a lovely dark swirl on top. Which I promptly covered with frosting.

cheesecake brownies 3

The recipe clearly says to frost the brownies in the pan.

So I flipped them out onto a plate, then back onto another plate, to improve the setup for photographs.

But I broke two corners, which made me sad.

And then I actually read the instructions for the frosting and discovered that they involve melting the sour cream with the sugar and then pouring it on brownies.

So I put them back in the pan.

I made the frosting, and it tasted like sour cream. (I can’t imagine why.) So I added ¼ cup of cocoa powder and another ¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar, and it tasted slightly less like sour cream. I was happy.

The brownies looked great, and they were a big hit. One friend was left speechless and could only make little moans of pleasure. His 14-year-old daughter said: “I don’t like cheesecake, but it’s really really yummy.”

My 12-year-old son said: “The brownie could be chocolatier, the cheesecake is awesome, and the frosting could be a little less sour creamy [amen to that]. Other than that, yum.” And then he ate a second one.

My husband said this was his favorite Dorie in a long time. I ate a whole brownie.

So I think they went over well.

cheesecake brownies 2

There will be many variations on this theme among the Tuesdays With Dorie bloggers, and if you’d like to try these lovely brownies yourself, buy the book or visit Life in a Peanut Shell.

See you next week!

5 replies on “Tuesdays With Dorie: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies”

Well, I think the youngun who ate the second brownie probably was smart knew a good thing, right? I think your brownies look delicious and ooey gooey. Great job, glad you had some as well. Sometimes these recipes are surprising.
AmyRuth

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