Brownies are the perfect picnic food. I wanted chocolate, I wanted a brownie, but I wanted something a little different. I thought a cream cheese brownie would be great but didn’t have cream cheese. However, what I did have was some goat cheese. I thought, what the heck…I am going to experiment.
I used the brownie base for David Lebovitz’s (Ready for Dessert) cheesecake brownies, but swapped the cream cheese for goat cheese and added a touch more sugar (to compensate for the tartness in the goat cheese).
I also omitted the chocolate chips from the actual brownie base and instead took a skinny bar of Valrhona and did a rough chop. After swirling in the cheese mixture, I dotted the top of the brownies with the chocolate chunks.
This ended up being a delicious experiment!
Chevre Brownies
Adapted from David Lebovitz
Yield 16 brownies
Ingredients:
Brownies:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate chunks
Goat-cheesecake topping:
8 oz. mild goat cheese, room temp
1 large egg yolk
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the inside of a 9″ square baking pan w/cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving some overhang. Lightly spray the parchment.
For the brownies, in a medium saucepan melt the butter, then add the 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, melt over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the 2/3 cup of sugar, followed by the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the chocolate chunks. Using a small off set spatula, spread evenly in the prepared pan.
For the cheesecake, in a medium bowl, beat all the ingredients until smooth and incorporated. distribute the cheesecake mixture in dollops over top of brownie batter. With a butter knife, swirl the cheese mixture into the brownie. Don’t mix and swirl as you will end up with a muddy mess. You want it to look streaky. Dot the tops of the brownies with the chopped bittersweet chocolate, distributing evenly.
Bake until brownies are set in the center, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before removing.
I stored these in the fridge.
Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.