The Brownie Part:
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tbsp cocoa, plus a little more if you like it that way.
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder if you want them cake-y. (I used this for the raspberry cheesecake version, but I don't just for regular brownies. If you leave the baking powder out, they're more like fudge that is cake.)
- 1/2 to 1 tsp (scant) cinnamon (optional, if you like it spicy.)
- pinch cayenne pepper (ditto)
Melt butter with cocoa, sugar, and vanilla over low heat. Stir until uniform, then turn off heat. You're really just melting the butter here, not cooking anything. Beat eggs slightly, then stir into mixture. Add flour and stir just until smooth. (At this point, if you want plain old brownies (and there's nothing wrong with that) scrape batter into pan and bake for about 20 mins at 350 degrees F.) Otherwise, forge on, dear reader.
Melt about 6 oz of raspberry preserves or all fruit or some such and drizzle over the brownie batter, reserving maybe two tablespoons or so.
The Cheesecake part:
- 8 oz Neufchatel or cream cheese, room temperature. (Here, I'm talking about the American kind, not the Frenchy kind. I didn't even know there was a Frenchy kind until I read this. I thought it was just some weird pseudo-French thing.
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 egg
Cream sugar and Neufchatel cheese. Add vanilla and slightly beaten egg and beat until uniform.
Spread over brownie/raspberry layer. Artfully blob the rest of the jam on top and swirl around with a toothpick. Bake for about 20-25 mins or until slightly puffy and just a touch brown. If you don't want these to fall apart when you cut them, you should let them cool completely.
