Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

When this popped up in my google reader, I knew I had to make it... stat.  The time came last night, when there was some time for Little Man and I to get er done.  These came from Cooking for Seven, and they were outstanding!  I love chocolate and raspberries, and my husband loves cheesecake.  Seemed like a perfect fit!

They involved a lot of steps, and made a lot of mess, but were so worth it.  Yummy!!

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

From Kayotic Kitchen

Printable Page

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 7 oz butter, cut into pieces
• 7 oz dark chocolate, chopped  I used a mix of milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 oz raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 14 oz cream cheese, room temperature  I used Neufchatel
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 eggs, room temperature

Directions:

For the brownie batter:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 8″x 12″ baking tray (I used a 13″x9″ glass baking dish). Line with baking paper.
2) Beat the softened butter with 1 cup of sugar until slightly fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3) Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool slightly. Stir into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the sieved flour and carefully fold it in.

For the cheesecake batter:

4) Put the cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the 2 remaining eggs, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat until it’s a smooth, creamy mixture.

Putting it all together:

5) Spread 2/3 of the chocolate mix on the bottom of your baking tray. Pour the cream cheese on top and spread it out evenly. Now drop little pieces of chocolate mix on top of the cream cheese. Lightly work it in with a fork—like you’re marbling a cake. Push the raspberries into the cream cheese.
6) Bake at 350°F (175C) for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake feels set when gently touched in the center. Let the brownies cool off completely, preferably overnight, before cutting them in squares.