March 17: Irish Cream Cheesecake Brownies

Irish Cream Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate mini chips

Brownies:
1 box brownie mix for a 9x13 inch pan, plus necessary ingredients as directed on the package

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Make the filling: In a medium-size bowl, using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar. Beat in the Irish cream. Reduce the mixer speed and add the egg whites, beating only until they are mixed in and being careful not to beat in a lot of extra air. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. Make the brownies: Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the package and pour all but 1/2 cup of brownie batter into the 9x13 inch pan. Pour the filling over the top. Drop spoonfuls of the reserved brownie batter over the filling. Bake the brownies for the length of time designated on the package. Let cool completely in the pan, then chill for 2 hours before slicing.

Addition of Irish cream

Addition of egg whites

Addition of chocolate chips

Reserved brownie batter

Bottom layer

Filling layer

Spoonfuls of batter

Undercooked...

Thoughts: I thought these had came out fine. I cooked everything according to the directions. I stuck a knife in it and it had come out clean so I packed them up and took them to work. When we started cutting into them, we realized that the center (spoonfuls of batter) were like mush. However, people still ate them and they were pretty pretty good.

January 6: Black Bean Brownies

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or extra-light olive oil
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line an 8-inch metal baking pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Puree the black beans in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, sugar, and espresso powder and process until smooth; stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. The top should appear set and the edges should have pulled slightly away from the pan. Let cool completely in the pan, then chill the brownies, if desired. Grasp the foil, lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and cut into 16 squares.

Addition of eggs and oil

Addition of sugar, espresso powder, salt, vanilla and cocoa powder

Addition of walnuts and chocolate chips

Thoughts: I used walnuts only because you can buy them at the store already chopped. I thought the walnut and espresso powder taste was very present. I couldn't taste the black beans at all.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 8/6

Here are some highlights of items that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

Blueberry Cream Pie with premade crust (of course!). There is a layer of cream cheese and cool whip underneath the blueberry filling.

Blueberry Cream Pie

Nutella brownies which took forever to make....the recipe said to bake them for 30-35 minutes, but I ended up leaving them in the oven for probably 50-55 minutes. They were pure mush when I took them out at 32 minutes.

Nutella Brownies

These were supposed to be peanut butter cheesecake cookies but I couldn't taste the "cheesecake" at all.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookies

February 10: Favorite Cream Cheese Brownies

Favorite Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients:

Filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with a fork

Brownie Base
1 1/2 cups extra dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9 inch square metal pan with nonstick foil or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with nonstick baking spray.
2. Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed of the mixer and beat in the vanilla and egg white, beating just until mixed. Set aside.
3. Make the brownie base: Put the chocolate in a medium sized, microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave, using 50% power and stirring every 40 to 60 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Reduce the mixer speed and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and melted chocolate. By hand or using the lowest speed of the mixer, stir in the flour and salt.
5. Scrape all but about 1 cup of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Spread the cream cheese filling over the chocolate mixture. Spoon the remaining chocolate batter over the cream cheese mixture. Pull a table knife through the layers of batter with a light lifting motion to create a marbled look.
6. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, then chill for a few hours, or if you have the time, overnight. Lift the foil from the pan, set on a cutting board, peel back the foil, and cut with a chef's knife into 16 squares.

I never usually use foil, just baking cooking spray

Last step in the making the filling

Exploding!

Thoughts: The biggest thing that I did differently from the recipe was using a 8x8 pan instead of a 9x9.  I don't have one and thought it was stupid to buy a pan just for this cookie (even though I did buy an angel food cake pan for the 2 co-workers that request that cake every year).  This recipe would be better suited for a 9x9 or even a 11x7.  I made the cooking time longer (60 minutes to account for the difference and was worried that the brownie part was undercooked). I also didn't create the marble look just because I forgot about it.  I put it in the fridge overnight and the center imploded in the morning.  These are definitely the best "cookie" so far. We LOVED them!