Have A Brownie for a Special Treat

Wither or not you want to celebrate National Have a Brownie Day or National Cream Cheese Brownie Day, it all comes down to the same thing – Brownies! These awesome bites of goodness have been around since the World’s Colombian Exposition in 1893. (World’s State Fair in Chicago).

Believe it or not, the first pre-packaged food mix was sold by Sears and Roebuck in 1897. These were to let home cooks make Brownies. Brownies were so popular that Kodak Camera Company introduced their early hand-held camera, the “Brownie”.

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Although Brownies were originally marketed as a Lady’s Dessert, I have yet to meet a man who doesn’t appreciate a warm chocolate brownie. And let’s face it, you can’t celebrate Have A Brownie Day if no one bakes a brownie, right? So let’s get to baking.

Cream Cheese Brownies
Chew Brownies
4 large Eggs
4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
1/2 cup Butter, cubed
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups Flour

Place 4 eggs on the counter and allow to warm to room temperature.

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Coarsely chop chocolate, set aside. Cube butter, place in a microwave safe bowl. Add chocolate, place in the microwave and warm for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to melt together in 10 second intervals until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Gradually add flour to chocolate mixture. The batter will become thick as the flour is added. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling
2 (8 oz) packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

In a small bowl, beat filling cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy.

To assemble: Spread half of the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Gently spread filling over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over the cream cheese filling, spread to cover.

To bake: Place brownies in the heated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing.

Once fully chilled, cut into bars. Stack on a serving platter and enjoy.

Note: Due to the cream cheese, any leftovers need to be refrigerated.