Chocolate + Espresso + Cheesecake +Brownie = LOVE!

 What is not to love?  I love chocolate… I love coffee and I love cheesecake. Combine them into a brownie and it was  instant attraction! So much so that I got bit by the baking bug as soon as I came across this recipe while sipping a latte in the big comfy chair at my favorite coffee place.

Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
adapted from “Baking: From My Home toYours” By Dorie Greenspan

For the Brownies:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 How to:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, with a rack in the center.
• Butter a 9″ square baking pan placed on a baking sheet and set aside.
• Whisk together the first three ingredients.
• Put the butter and chocolate over a double boiler with water simmering.
• Stir until the ingredients melt, but don’t overheat so that the butter separates.
• Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside.
• Stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture with a whisk, then add the eggs one at a time.
• Beat well after each egg, then beat in the vanilla.
• Next, gently stir in the dry ingredients until they disappear. Set aside.

 For the Cheesecake:

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water ( I didnt have this so I bought a hot expresso)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

 How to:

• Allow the espresso to cool to tepid.
• With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese on medium until it’s completely smooth.
• Add the sugar and continue to beat for 3 minutes more.
• Beat in the vanilla and espresso before adding the eggs one at a time.
• Beat for 1 minute after each egg, then reduce the speed to low and add the sour cream, then the flour. The batter should be smooth.
• Pour about 3/4 of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan.
• Smooth it out, then pour the cheesecake layer over the top, taking care to make it even.
• Place spoonfuls of the rest of the brownie batter on top, and use a knife to swirl the dark and light batters together. Be careful, however, not to plunge the knife into the base brownie layer.
• Bake for about 30 minutes. The brownies should come away from the sides of the pan. The cheesecake will puff and turn lightly browned around the edges.
• Transfer the pan to a wrack to cool.
• Once it reaches room temperature, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until well chilled.
• Cut it squares.