Chef Stephanie's January Treat: Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

This picture speaks for itself! Here is what Personal Chef Stephanie Ito of Nourish has to share about January's best recipe.

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

This month I’ll share another sweet item with you – partially because I have been making and consuming a lot of sweets even after the holidays this year (darn sweet tooth) and partially because they were such a hit last night when I took them to a friend’s house for dessert. And who doesn’t love dessert?

Generally speaking, I prefer a fruit-based dessert which some of my friends claim isn’t even dessert. They say that if there is no chocolate in it, then the dish doesn’t properly qualify as dessert. But, I do love a good mint-and-chocolate combination, so these brownies were perfect. Lately I have been really enjoying York peppermint patties and mint M&Ms – so these fit the theme well.

The brownies aren’t too dense, and stay nice and moist and gooey in the middle – just how I like them – but with a chewy corner crust. The cheesecake swirl lends some lovely mint flavor but also a nice creamy texture to the brownies. AND, believe it or not, these come from Cooking Light (one of my very favorite sources for recipes) so they can’t be that bad for you. Though I do admit that I didn’t cut the brownies into the 16 pieces that the recipe says you’ll get – I got nine very generous servings. Bon appétit!

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

CHEESECAKE BATTER:
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

BROWNIE BATTER:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.