Easy Dessert – Cream Cheese Swirled Or Marbled Brownies

I thought I might continue with my Christmas Baking posts series with an utterly delectable and super easy chocolate treat.

I first got the idea for cream cheese swirled brownies from the Good Housekeeping Desserts book. Cream cheese and brownies, you say? Yum, right?! Well, it is extremely easy to put together, especially if you use a store-bought brownie mix. Just by adding a cream cheese and sugar mix to the brownie batter, you end up with this delightful dessert. I love the marbled look too. So festive!

You will need:

Packaged fudge brownie mix and required ingredients (Or find a simple fudge brownie recipe here)
Cream cheese – 8 oz
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp

How to:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 deg.F and grease a 9×13 baking pan thoroughly.
Prepare brownie batter as per package instructions on the mix or make them from scratch.
On medium speed, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
Pour around 2/3rd of the brownie batter into the baking pan and smooth all over the bottom of the pan. Dot with large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top. Spoon the remaining brownie batter in between. Run a knife or fork through them in a swirly pattern to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or till the brownie leaves the sides of the pan slightly.
Cool completely and enjoy. This will not keep at room temperature like regular brownies for a long time because of the cream cheese. But you can refrigerate them for a few days and warm them in the microwave for a bit before serving.

Look at those lovely swirls!

Variations:

If you are a die-hard cheesecake lover, there is another version made by adding a very generous layer of cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter. Just remember to double or even triple the cream cheese mix. Smooth it all carefully over the brownie batter and bake for rich and gooey cheesecake brownies.

But I rather like the swirled look.

It is highly recommended that you find someone to share these brownies with. I don’t need to tell you what happens when you try to gorge on them on your own. And trust me, if you have these at home, the brownie tin will keep calling your name constantly!

Of course, they are perfect for Christmas! And so easy to make. Everybody will think you spent an awful lot of time on them. Just remember to chuck the carton of brownie mix before company comes over!

Take a look at more luscious homemade treats for the Holidays.

Delicious healthier oatmeal cookies.

Rich chocolate cake with chocolate glaze.