Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

MONSTER had hookworm and had to eat rice and cottage cheese for a week. He didn't really want to go back to regular dog food after eating people food.

So now every time you make chicken noodle soup, he thinks it's rice for him.

But now he's feeling better.

And the MONSTER sleeps in the kitchen.

Especially when he knows I'm cooking. MONSTER has a touch of separation anxiety. Go figure.

It asks for 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract. I used a 1/2 teaspoon instead. I'm daring like that. But I really like peppermint.

Beat the cream cheese mixture.

Keep beating it. You want it smooth.

But I don't have the patience to make it smooth. Did you know that if you beat the cream cheese first it'll be even smoother? I just learned that on Martha Stewart this morning. I like Martha. And I also like crocheting.

Mix the dry ingredients for the brownie batter.

And look at the mess I made. Bimmer Man is studying in the back ground. Did you know that he helps me photograph occasionally? He's an awesome assistant.

And then realize that you only have two bowls clean that are big enough to use the mixer with. And both are in use. So dump the dry ingredients into the smallest bowl possible and just, um, well, go on with the recipe without cleaning the bowl. What can I say? I'm a realist. I don't always wash the bowls. Oops, I let the cat out of the bag!

See? There's the dry brownie batter ingredients. They're hiding. From my mixer.

Finally. Dump the wet brownie ingredients into your dirty dry ingredient bowl.

But prepare a square baking dish. I have 4 square baking dishes and couldn't find one. I am The Organized McTatty, right? No. I'm not organized. At all. In fact, on the other side of the island, my bills are getting spattered by batter, cocoa powder and peppermint extract. I've found that cleaning releases tension.

See, look. Cheesecake mixture.

More cheesecake mixture.

And mmm... more... I could eat it out of the bowl...

Now look closely. I didn't wash these either. I'm trying to be eco-friendly by not wasting water. It's going in the same pan, right?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Mmmm.... Chocolate....

Drip. Drip.

This is my most favorite tool in the kitchen when it comes to desserts. A rubber spatula. But use a butter knife to swirl the batter - it works better!

Whoops, I forgot to take a picture of the finished brownies! Well, that's ok - there's a picture in the link...

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1 bar)
Ingredients

Cheesecake batter:
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Brownie batter:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Enjoy!

PSH