Bread!!!!!

Okay folks, Passover is over. No more not eating bread. Or pasta. Or rice. Jeez, that sucked.

So to celebrate, here's a post about yummy yummy brownies that have cream cheese in them! I'm kind of obsessed with cream cheese lately. Especially desserts that have cream cheese in them - it makes my heart so happy (if not my stomach).


These are easy to make, but kind of hard to make look pretty (at least for me - I'm not that artistic).

Cream Cheese Marbled Brownies!

First make the batter from here. Just add an extra egg (and don't add mini-eggs. Obviously).

In a separate bowl, beat an 8oz pack of cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, one egg and 1/4 cup flour.


Plop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter and swirl it with a knife. The less you swirl, the prettier it is. I think I swirled too much.....


I threw some white chocolate chips on top (regular chocolate would have been better, but I didn't have any).


Bake for 35-40 min at 350 degrees.


Cut them into squares and bring them to your friends while you eat sushi and watch Gossip Girl. Everyone will be happy.

Yup, they're good

Cadbury Mini Eggs were made by the devil. I love them. You know that. My previous attempt at baking with mini eggs was satisfactory, but still not the ultimate in baked goods. But if at first you don't succeed, bake some brownies and call it a day.

The basic brownie recipe is from the Baker's chocolate box. I don't care. I love it.

Mini Egg Brownies

4 squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
one large bag mini eggs (if you eat some first, I won't tell), broken into bits

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil and butter it. Don't skip this and just grease the pan. This is so much easier. Genius.

Microwave the chocolate and butter together for 2 minutes (or you could use a double boiler on the stove. But this is way easier). Stir until the chocolate is melted and add the sugar.


Don't eat it yet. It's grainy and sugary and wonderful. But don't eat it.

Add the eggs and vanilla and blend well. Mix in the flour.


Now you have brownie batter!


Don't you love brownie batter? I sure do.

Mix in some of the mini eggs. Yum yum yum. Pour into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the eggs over the top.


Pretty pretty. Don't eat it yet! Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Let them cool (if you can) and cut into squares. Try not to eat them all in one sitting because it will make you sick.

These brownies might kill you

So, last Friday, I was out with my friend Danny and he mentioned that he wanted to make brownies, but the kind with hard chocolate across the top and a graham cracker crust. Oh, and he didn't want them to be too "cake-y." I didn't really have a recipe in mind, but I wanted to be accommodating (I have a foodie reputation to uphold here) and so I adapted my regular brownie recipe to fit his demands.

And I came up with this:



1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I like to take graham crackers, put them in a sealed plastic bag and whack them with a hammer or a fork or something - or use your hands)
3 Tbs sugar
1/4tsp salt
1/2 stick butter, melted

Editing note: Danny said that there was too much graham cracker mixture - so maybe make 3/4 of a cup of crumbs....and the same amount of butter probably wouldn't kill you.

Combine the ingredients above and press into the bottom of you 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour

Melt chocolate and butter in small saucepan on very low heat, stirring constantly. You can also zap it in the microwave. Do it 30 seconds at a time. Take it out and stir the chocolate after each time until it's melted. Cool slightly.

BEAT eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with a hand mixer. Add chocolate mixture; beat on low speed until well blended. Gradually add flour, mixing until well blended after each addition. Spread into greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

While the brownies cook -

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips (I like bittersweet, but milk or semi sweet would be good too).

Another note: I usually use Mexican chocolate here - it is intensely sugary and amazing. But Danny was worried that he wouldn't be able to find it in the Brooklyn supermarket. So I adapted.

Heat the cream over low heat until it's hot but not boiling. Pour on top of the chocolate chips. Let sit for a minute and then stir until it's smooth.

Spread the chocolate/cream mixture over the finished brownies. Put in the fridge until the chocolate hardens. Cut into pieces and serve.

Danny very nicely sent me back the photos that you see and this email:

So I made it tonight and here's what I've figured out --

1) That's a ton of sugar.

2) I think I put too much graham cracker crust in the bottom, or my pan isn't that deep and stuff overflowed a bit

3) I cooked it for 45 minutes and I still don't think it's super done, but I'd rather it be a little undercooked as opposed to overcooked.

4) It's effin' delicious.



I think that's a check in the victory column, don't you?