Yet more practical science from your host, Sasa, whose life’s work it is to unravel the mysteries of physics, chemistry and biology into layman’s terms we can all understand and apply to our day to day living! Well, along with preventing you all from descending into the pit that is hangrrr, of course. God, I’m so busy. I hope you appreciate me.
It was a school night and there’s only two of us in this household so I figured that since I was making Beef Broth with Semolina Dumplings, this Steirisches Saures Rindfleisch, mayonnaise-y potato salad and sauteed Barba di Frate for dinner, dessert ought to be a rather restrained affair. Sensible, like.
I had some cream cheese in the fridge that needed using up though, and ever since I tried cream cheese brownies at Foodoo in High Street when I was twenty (not more than a few months ago I think that was) they have haunted me in my dreams; whispering to me, cajoling me, beckoning me tantalisingly and so forth. But I held out. Until I stumbled across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and broke down. OK, I didn’t exactly “stumble,” in fact you got me, I searched it, but I was just browsing and it was the photos that did me in. The photos, I tell you!
However, like I said, I’m a sensible lass, so I thought if I halved the recipe and took out the chocolate chips, it would make the whole thing far more…lite.
So, there you have it – how to transform what should rightfully be a once a day treat into something you can consume after even the most enormous meal, with your friend Sasa, and science. Here, have one.
So, do you appreciate me? ;P
Diet Cheesecake Brownie
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Gourmet
For the Brownie Bottom
56 grams (1/4 cup) butter
85 grams (1 1/2 ounces) dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
100 grams (scant 1/2 cup) sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
40 grams (scant 1/3 cup) flour
Preheat the oven to 180 celsius or 350 fahrenheit and line a loaf tin like in the picture above so a bit comes up at each end. This will make it easier to lift out.
Break up the chocolate and cut the butter into cubes, and place in a bowl which is then set over a pot to make a double boiler. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water and that the bowl fits snugly because you don’t want the steam to touch the chocolate or it will seize and become a grainy, unappetising mass.
Whisk until just melted, remove from heat and whisk in the egg, sugar and vanilla until well mixed.
Fold in the flour and pour into the tin.
For the Cheesecake Topping
200 grams (7 ounces) cream cheese
1 egg yolk
55 grams (1/5 cup) sugar
Beat together and dollop over the chocolate mix. You can swirl but I like the look of dollop.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until no longer jiggly in the middle and set looking at the sides. The skewer rule does not apply here; try it and you’ll get rockies instead of brownies.
Cool in the tin and chill in the fridge before slicing. Deb suggests freezing for a while and this worked well for me.
Leave a comment, make my day!
great recipe, great appreciation.
x
*Your* appreciation was tangible ;P
Mmmmh, my sort of diet, it seems :-)
Of course we appreciate you (we as myself, me, and the one on a diet).
Tee hee! Found the name of the greens too – my very good at Google friend Banana found it put for me: Agretti, aka Salsola soda, aka Barba Di Frate, do you know them?
Diet cheesecake. Is there a better combination of words? :)
Magda
If there is, I don’t know it ;P
Hahaha! Diet food, to be sure. But did they taste good, and were they worth the calories that were left in them?
They were awesome, and worth every one :)
Haha. Not really sure why you would need diet brownies but maybe after having consumed quite a bit of alcohol on the weekend you had a guilty feeling trying to compensate the alcoholic calories with less calories in brownies. But comparing it with Mark’s way of getting rid of some calories you have definitely choosen the better one ;-)
I appreciate you. For singing and laughing and drinking and cooking and eating (even the food I “cooked”) and hanging out and sharing sunbeams.
Aw…It was really a great weekend wasn’t it! Thanks again for all the great hospitality :) Also, this may have just popped your commenting cherry; isn’t it your first?
You almost lost me at “diet”, but I figured there must be a tongue lurking in that cheek, somewhere. Glad I stayed on — I’ve been searching for a superb cheesecake brownie for years. Hope you’ll forgive me if I toss the chocolate chips right back in.
My tongue has left permanent indentations in my cheekal region…Toss them in, I take no responsibility if you aren’t hungry for dinner young lady.
Yay -guilt-free brownies – I need these. Only trouble is, by the time I’ve eaten the whole pan since my partner won’t eat brownies, they might not be quite so “guilt-free”.
Sue
Oh no, the recipe is designed so you can eat the whole pan and nothing bad will happen…jk.
They DON’T look diet. So that’s great. YUM. Damn swimsuit season. I’ve been busy stuffing my face so bad…
The older I get, the more appreciative and thankful I become for ruvrey friendos rike you xxx
I am currently on a pseudo-diet…nothing official, like, but cutting out fats and cholesterol rich foods (was told by dr I must permanently lose at least 3-5kg this year). Eggs and butter are big no-nos. So, alas, no brownies for me – diet or not :(
Now that’s a weight loss plan I could stick to. Let’s face it, low fat stuff sucks so this is more my style. These look delicious, although surely I might eat more of them at one sitting feeling virtuous ;-) Also this is an important post for me, learning about hangrrr.
Hehe I did a double take when I saw the title-I thought that a diet cheesecake brownie was impossible! So yes I do appreciate you! :D
diet? brownies? who cares, I will take brownies like these diet or not!
Those look really awesome! Light, but nonetheless scrumptious!
Thanks for passing by. You are welcome at the picnic…
Cheers,
Rosa
I like your way of thinking Sasa; am wondering if I can apply that thought process to the pan of semifreddo in my freezer? You rule!
I think this is a rule that can basically be extrapolated to anything ;P
You had me at Diet. And then again at Cheesecake. And then at Brownies.
Its 8:52am…. im hangry…..and reading your blog was not a good idea.
These caught my eye and now i WANT them.
Is it wrong to crave chocolate as soon as I wake up… lol
Well, it’s ok on a Sunday!
made these last night!
the cream cheese icing was what initially caught my eye (and the reason i started baking) but alas, shops were closed cause of anzac day holiday and couldn’t get any…sob.
so instead, used white choc and made a double layer. an adaptation, but was yummy nonetheless. L is currently nomming out on em.
Ooh, white choc! Sounds great – do try the cream cheese at some point though because the slight tang is awesome.
Clearly your views on “lighter” fare are similar to mine! ;P I’m definitely feeling appreciative!!
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