How to Make Cheesecake Brownie Bars

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By eddybles
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Make Cheesecake Brownie Bars

With its firm grip on the whole of Western civilisation, cheesecake thrived in a myriad of forms. Since cream cheese is a relatively new invention, popular ingredients of the time were cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and the French cheese Neufchatel. This is the cheese that American dairymen were attempting to recreate in 1872 when they stumbled upon something even creamier, cream cheese. When James L. Kraft invented pasteurization in 1912 and began marketing Philadelphia cream cheese to the masses, cheesecake became a whole new velvety animal.

I'm sure the fact that the Greeks invented cheesecake a few millennia ago is disturbing to New York Cheesecake devotees who would like to believe that it was yet another hometown invention of pioneering New Yorkers, but even though cheesecake has thrived without the assistance of New Yorkers for centuries, they did help to perfect the cheesecake. The ideal New York Cheesecake exists on its own merits, without adornment or flourish, comprised of nothing more than cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs and sugar. Arnold Reuben, owner of the legendary Turf Restaurant on 49th and Broadway, claims to have been the first to make a cheesecake using cream cheese in 1926. His recipe was so popular that it won a gold medal at that year's World's Fair and most importantly, it sent countless customers into that state of mind we are all longing for, cheesecake nirvana.

The following recipe should do the same for you; each creamy bite provides a little slice of cheesy heaven and when matched by the richly moist, chewy brownie, you just might find yourself leaving a little offering to the gods in your kitchen temple.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

For the brownie layer
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarse chop
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarse chop
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup cake flour
For the cheesecake layer
Six 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

Step 1

Lightly grease two 8 x 8 inch baking pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Step 2

To make brownie layer, combine butter, brown sugar, semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a double broiler (a bowl sitting over a pot of boiling water). Over medium heat, stir occasionally until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Add granulated sugar, eggs and cake flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
Step 3

Scrape batter into prepared pans and spread in even layer. Cover pans with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least one hour or overnight.
Step 4

When ready to make the brownies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 5

For cream cheese layer, combine cream cheese and sugar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with a paddle and mix on medium speed for one minute, or until smooth. Scrape down edges of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each one before adding the next. Pour cream cheese batter on top of brownie layer and spread in an even layer. Using a spoon, decorate the surface of the brownies by drizzling melted semisweet chocolate in a loose design.
Step 6

Place pans on middle rack of oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cream cheese layer is golden brown and set. Cool for a few minutes and then place in the freezer for one hour. Remove the brownies from the pan and cut into serving pieces. Eat immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Yield: two 8 x 8 inch pans or 16 large brownies

Comments

Lovejosh1 said

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on 8/22/2008 I have the same question as Kris.... How many eggs for the brownie layer? How many for the cheese layer... This sounds sooo good to eat... I want to try it but I need to know about the eggs please.. Thanks

kris727 said

on 6/20/2008 Okay the ingredients say 4 eggs, you dont say how many eggs to put in the brownie layer you just said eggs... then in the cream cheese layer you said to add the eggs one at a time...what eggs??