Sweet Treats Saturday: Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Ohhh these brownies are good.  When Annie's Eats listed these as one of her top recipes of 2011, I knew I had to try them.  They sounded so decadent! Brownies... cheesecake... peanut butter... yummmm.

Ok, enough drooling.


These seem like standard peanut butter swirled brownies, but I think the trick is the cream cheese that is also in the brownie base.  I think it adds to the moisture to make these the ultimate fudgy brownies.  Seriously. Give these a try. Pronto.


Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Recipe from Annie's Eats
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Ingredients:
For the brownies:
14 tbsp unsalted butter
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
6 oz cream cheese, at room temp
6 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour


For the peanut butter cheesecake swirl:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temp
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  


2. To make the brownie batter, combine the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.  Remove the bowl from the heat.  Whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, eggs and cream cheese until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the vanilla and salt.  Add the flour to the bowl and whisk just until incorporated.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a spatula.


3. To make the peanut butter cheesecake portion, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.


4. Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture over the brownie batter in the pan, creating a cobblestone appearance.  Use a knife or wooden skewer to gently swirl together the peanut butter mixture and brownie batter.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until the center is just set.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled before slicing and serving.

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