Cream Cheese Brownies.

I wasn't going to tell you about these. I didn't make them specifically so I could tell you about them like I do with most of my baking. It's was just a "*gasp*, it's the weekend and there are no baked goods for pud" sort of moment, so I whipped them up out of pure greed.

I wasn't going to tell you about them because, although they were successful, I still don't really feel like I've nailed the whole brownie thing (epic mistakes are well documented). It's a bit strange because they're meant to be simplepimple and the sort of things you make with kids or real novices but I just don't feel like I quite get there...I might have to make it my mission.

But the thing that persuaded me to show you them was the phase "It goo-ed up my mouuuuff", professed by my dessert indifferent official tester with a mouth full of brownie, meant with big positive connotations. 

Such words from such a person means that they must be bloomin' good, and they really are. But don't just take his word for it, go forth and make brownies. With Love and Cake.

Cream Cheese Brownies.

A Nigella recipe, from How to Be A Domestic Godess, tweaked a bit.

A few notes:

• When I make these again I will use a smaller tin because I was a bit sad a bout how thin they turned out, even though I did exactly as Nigella told me. Below I have specified the tin I would use, rather than the tin I did use.
• To compensate for the flatness, I heaped on clotted cream and a homemade chocolate sauce...remind me to give you the recipe sometime...but they are lovely just as they are too.

Makes 9 big brownies

You will need

1 x 8 inch/20 cm square cake or brownie tin, lined

125g dark chocolate

125g butter

2 eggs

200g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g plain flour

pinch salt

200g cream cheese, fridge cold and sliced as thinly as poss

• Preheat your oven to 180°c.
• Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium sized saucepan, over a low heat.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.
• When the chocolate had just melted, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a minute or 2 before beating in the egg mixture.
• Finally fold in the flour and salt.
• Pour half the mix into your prepared tin, and top with the cream cheese slices.
• Pour over the rest of the chocolate mixture, spreading it around a bit to ensure all the cream cheese is covered.
• Bake for 20-25, after which time the top should look a bit paler and dry but there should still be some squidge beneath.
• Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.