I realized something last week which was utterly shocking and embarrassing, and needed to be remedied immediately. I haven’t posted a chocolatey recipe since June. JUNE. That is a really long time. It was actually Andy’s Classic Chocolate Birthday Cake and I vividly remember having to cover my face with a dish towel during the frosting of it because my first trimester and chocolate didn’t go together very well. The smell did horrible things for me, but since he wanted chocolate cake I made it happen for him. I suppose that memory kept me far away from chocolate all during the rest of my first and second trimester too, until last week when I really wanted some and realized that it has been so long. (PS- I am going to be in my third trimester in a couple weeks. That absolutely blows my mind.)
Ok- I just remember I did made chocolate croissants a few weeks ago, but those just had a small amount of chocolate, and last week I was craving something rich, fudgy and worthy of a 25-week pregnancy craving. Peanut butter cheesecake swirled into brownie batter seemed like the perfect way to go and I’m so happy with how these turned out. The pan didn’t last long and it sure hit the spot when I really needed something rich and decadent. Peanut butter cheesecake batter is swirled into a great basic brownie recipe and topped with chocolate chips for an extra chocolate-y punch. These would be a sure-fire crowd pleaser for anyone who loves the classic flavor combo, (and really how could you not??)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 ounces high quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (dark is best)
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray or butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Fashion a double boiler by resting a large heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter and chopped chocolate and whisk occasionally until melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour and cocoa powder until just combined, and pour into prepared pan.
- Mix together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Drop over brownie batter, (getting it all the way to edges, which I kinda failed at,) then swirl in with the back of a knife or skewer.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the swirled batters. Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. (You can serve these warm or room temperature, but I prefer them cold- and they slice much easier that way!)
Annie @ Annie's City Kitchen says
#1 That’s SO impressive that you haven’t posted a chocolate recipe since June. It speaks to your variety! And #2, you may have me rethinking pregnancy! I don’t ever want to be disgusted by chocolate.
Becca - Cookie Jar Treats says
Oh my. These really do look like the perfect chocolatey treat after not having it for 25 weeks! Looks so delicious!
Rochelle @ Oh So Sweet Baker says
These sound scrumdidilyumptious
Jennifer | Bake or Break says
I dialed the chocolate back this summer, too, because of all the wonderful fresh fruit I was getting. But, it’s on now! Love these brownies! I’ll take chocolate and peanut butter any day.
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Glad you met your chocolate demand with some peanut butter too!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
Oh my gracious, these brownies. So much deliciousness going on!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
Oh my, I need these in my life very soon!! Chocolate and brownies are my biggest weakness, and these look like heaven!
Coco in the Kitchen says
Audra doll, make sure you save a square for yourself.
I ate a Haagen-Dazs bar every day when I was pregnant w Daisy…..til the doctor put a stop to it, of course.
A happy mommy makes a happy baby!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Yesssss please! These sound awesome! Anything cheesecake has me swooning :)
Ash-foodfashionparty says
What is not to love about this one, cheesecake, chocolate brownies, oh yummmm.
Mimi @ Culinary Couture says
This would satisfy all my cravings at once! Love it!
Baker Momma says
All my favorites in one square? Wow – can’t wait to try this one!
Catherine says
These look amazing! I promised to bake for a meeting I have tomorrow and wanted to do something special that didn’t take a lot of time – this recipe has saved the day! I’ll definitely be trying this out tonight. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow too so I might even make a special batch just for him.
Do you think it would be possible to add banana to them somehow? x
Audra says
Hey Catherine- I’m really not sure, I do have a couple recipes for banana caramel brownies on the blog though if you wanted to do something like that instead! :)
Catherine Makes says
Thanks Audra, I’m going to make a few batches tonight – after having a bit of a scout round then internet I think I’m going to try and mix a couple of mashed bananas into the brownie batter of one batch and see what happens. Will let you know :)
Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe says
I read your post yesterday and liked these brownies so much that I immediately ran to my local grocery shop (which is just around the corner, fortunately!), bought all the ingredients needed and whipped them up by dinner time! They were a huge hit, so much so that my dad asked me to bake another batch for him to take to the office and share with his colleagues! Thanks for this amazing recipe :)
xo, Elisa
Audra says
Oh I’m so glad to hear that Elisa! Thank you for letting me know!:)
Joanne says
Girl, you definitely deserve a serious amount of brownies for your 25 week pregnant self! And these look seriously ideal. Peanut butter cheesecake swirl? I’m so in.
tara says
Okay, I’m not a big brownie fan, but these actually sound AMAZING! And the fact that you didn’t want chocolate while pregnant makes me so curiously excited. What if I hate popcorn??? No way. Not possible :)
Courtney says
Oh man. Peanut butter is one of my weaknesses (along with chocolate and coffee). As soon as our kitchen renovation is over, I’m making a batch of these to celebrate! Can’t believe you’re already so far along! What an exciting time.
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate says
These look too good. Peanut butter and cream cheese were meant to be together!
Recipe Peanut Butter Cheesecake says
Thank you baker chick for sharing with us your experience. I hope you have a cute little baby and a safe delivery. Thanks so much for sharing with is your very own recipe of peanut butter cheesecake.