Cream Cheese Brownies

This recipe is from a Betty Crocker cookbook that Jon's mom gave him when he moved out for the first time.  I'm not sure he's ever used it, but I live by it.  And this is my favorite recipe - Cream Cheese Brownies.

Funny story: when Jon's mom was pregnant with him she craved cream cheese brownies.  In fact, one night she made Jon's dad get up in the middle of the night and go out to get the ingredients to make cream cheese brownies.  When he came back, she was asleep.  I think it was meant to be - my love for these cream cheese brownies.  Like my love for the goon sitting next to me, eating Ramen Noodles.

Anyways, back to the cream cheese brownies.  Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees and greasing a 13 x 9 x 2 pan on the bottom and sides with some shortening.

I actually have no idea how big this pan is, but it looks just right.

Another fun fact - baking is the only time that I follow recipes.  I can't stick to any recipe when I cook, but something about baking scares me.

Here is what we'll need for the brownies:
1 cup butter or stick margarine (I use the 65% vegetable oil instead; you know, because THAT will save me from the high cholesterol that follows)
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
Cream Cheese Filling
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Cream Cheese Filling:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened (I actually usually just buy a 16-ounce contained of soft cream cheese or Neufchatel to trick my mind into thinking these really aren't that bad.  This time I'm using the full-fat cream cheese.  Cuz I'm daring this morning)
0.5 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Here we are.  And this is my butter and cream cheese sitting on a heating stove to make sure they're nice and soft.

I obviously shop at Stop & Shop.  Also, I buy store-brand items.  Because they're cheaper and I have a house that eats all my money.

And like I said, I'm daring today; hence - real butter.  I'm making these for 9 girls ready for a fun bachelorette night out.  As evident, I also left out the nuts in case someone drinks too much.  Nuts are really delicious going down, but kind of a pain when they come back up.  Now are you ready for the brownies or have you walked away, shaking your head in disgust?

Oh! And I use these.  Somehow I got these from my mom a really long time ago.  I love them - they are the ultimate mixing bowls - they let absolutely nothing stick to them.

So, with the oven preheating, start by melting the butter and chocolate in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.

Try not to pay any attention to the large amount of butter you're about to consume.  Just think of the chocolate.

The dark, delicious chocolate.  Once everything is totally melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Now make the Cream Cheese Filling by beating all the ingredients together until smooth.

I love when the cream cheese has a nice shape to it.  It's like building a sand castle.

And here is my favorite mixer that my mom gave us as an engagement gift.  I heart it.

Perfect.  Set aside.

Beat the chocolate mixture, sugar, vanilla and eggs in another large bowl with your electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute.

 Look away from the big mound of sugar that you are about to consume.  

 Mmm I love the smell of vanilla extract.

Eggs- less exciting.

Okay, I know it doesn't look that great all dumped into a bowl like that, but trust me, it'll be delicious.

Mix it all together, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Then beat in flour and salt on low speed for 30 seconds and then on medium speed for 1 minute.

 It should look nice and smooth.

This is where you could stir in some nuts, but we're going to skip right over that part.

Spread about 1/2 of the batter in the pan.

Then make cute little mounds of cream cheese filling on top.

Then spread them out to make a nice little layer of cheesy goodness.

Now drop the remaining batter in more cute little chocolate mounds randomly over the filling.

Wipe mouth to prevent the drool from going right into the brownies.  Then spread it out carefully to cover all the cream cheesiness.

Stick in the oven for 45-50 minutes.  You can check if it's ready by inserting a toothpick in the center and watching it come out clean.  If it's not clean, try to gain the strength to put the brownies back in the oven rather than eating the raw batter.

Also, try not to sit over the oven and watch the timer.  It doesn't make the brownies cook any faster.  Trust me.  I've tried.

I'd post the finished product, but I ran out of time and didn't get a chance to take the pictures before the girls dug in.