Cheesecake Brownies with Oreos

Marbled Fudge Brownies - made February 4, 2012 from Great Chefs, Great Chocolate, edited by Julie M. Pitkin (book #190)

My niece was visiting me last weekend and, as has become our tradition when she spends the night, we eat and we bake.  Besides the apple pie we made, we also baked these brownies for her to take back to her friends.  Because I can't resist tinkering when it comes to brownie recipes, I also added chopped up Oreos to the chocolate batter, partly because I like Oreos and partly because it gave us an excuse to snack on a few while she was chopping them up to add to the batter.

Because the ratio of cream cheese batter to chocolate batter was nearly 1:1, I would consider these to be more like cheesecake brownies than simply "marbled" brownies as the original name declares.  I also didn't marble them much on purpose just to keep the two batters distinct.  I liked the addition of the Oreos because it gave the brownies a little crunch.  The recipe calls for making them in four 4 x 1" round pans but I used an 8 x 8-inch pan which I lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, thus eliminating the need for dusting with unsweetened cocoa.  The 8-inch pan made the brownies of a nice thickness.

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa for dusting (didn't use)

Fudge Mixture

9 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch salt
Oreos, chopped (use as much or as little as you like), optional

Cream Cheese Mixture

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1.   Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Butter four 4 x 1-inch round molds (I used one 8 x 8-inch pan, lined with foil and lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) and dust with the cocoa.  In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring to combine thoroughly.  Set aside to cool slightly.

2.   In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined.  Add the chocolate mixture and stir well to incorporate.  Stir in the flour and salt until blended, but do not overmix.  Add the chopped up Oreos if using.

3.   Cream cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, beat  the cream cheese and sugar until well blended.  Add the vanilla and egg and continue to beat until smooth.

4.   Fill the prepared molds (pan) three-fourths full with the chocolate mixture, then top off with cream cheese.  Using a fork, swirl the layers 2 or 3 times, using a folding motion.  Be careful not to overmix or to scrape the sides or bottom of the pan, or the brownies could stick.

5.   Bake the brownies for 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the centers are somewhat firm.  Let cool on a wire rack and unmold.  Serve with chocolate sauce and your favorite ice cream or dust with confectioners’ sugar.