We hope that everyone has had a safe and wonderful holiday. With “Resolution Season” just around the proverbial corner, we figured we would close out the season—and the year—with one final decadent, indulgent sweet treat. We promise. Back in April, we featured a gluten free adaptation of dessert maven Alice Medrich’s infamously delectable, extra fudge-y Cocoa Brownies. They’ve been featured on a number of food sites—including Smitten Kitchen—and even made it onto Food52’s Genius Recipes list, so they already boast a pretty impressive resumé and appropriately devoted following. Given Kyle’s newfound addiction to Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, however, we wanted to give them another go. The results did not disappoint. They did, however, disappear.
This version is even richer and more deeply chocolate flavored than its predecessor and features a fabulous twist. Actually, it’s more like a swirl. A simple, elegant, cheesecake swirl that strikes a perfect balance of creamy, sweet, velvety, and lightly tangy, amplifying every already glorious thing about these brownies. While they look impressive and complicated, they are deceptively easy to make, and the swirl waltzes the line of rendering them a “holidays only” treat. They’re that good.
The cheesecake batter is a simple combination of cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and a hint of salt, and it’s made in the same bowl that was used to combine the dry ingredients for the brownie batter, paring this down to a two-bowl recipe.
In this instance, no on will complain if a little gluten free flour and dark cocoa “contaminate” the cheesecake mixture. (Extra, literal brownie points for efficiency, btw.) The recipe is also doubled here to fill a 9X13 baking dish, because “Duh!” You can go big and go home—with snacks.
The only even marginally fussy thing about this brownie batter is Medrich’s technique of completely combining the wet and dry ingredients, then stirring them exactly 40 times with a sturdy wooden spoon. It seems oddly specific, but as we learned the first time around, some strange dessert alchemy occurs in the course of those final strokes that turns this batter into a silky, dense pool of dark ambrosia. The end results are not to be trifled with. (OOOOO, trifle…*makes mental note*)
There is also something wonderfully relaxing about swirling together the top cheesecake and brownie layer before the dish goes into the oven. It’s like a zen garden for your inner fat kid.
Once the brownies have baked and cooled to room temperature, Kyle likes to pop them into the fridge for about 30 minutes. This sets them a little further and gives you a much cleaner cut, preventing the swirl pattern from getting muddled or cracked. Why ruin your beautiful work at the finish line?
We should probably issue a little warning at this point: You’re going to want to make sure to cut these brownies into SMALL portions. They are ridiculously dense and fudge-y. Did we mention that they border on being relegated exclusively to the holiday season? No joke, unless one of your new year’s resolutions is to get acquainted with a defibrillator, you might want to pace yourselves.
We also recommend storing the brownies in the refrigerator, because the simple pleasure of enjoying a chilled brownie with an equally cold glass of milk is one of those little joys that we all deserve every once in a while. Everyone have a safe and happy new year. We’ll see you—and continue to feed you—in 2017.
Brownie batter adapted from Alice Medrich.
- For the brownie batter:
- 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (If flour blend does not already contain it)
- 20 tablespoons (280 grams) vegetable oil
- 2½ cups (500 grams) sugar
- 1¾ cup (130 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, cold
- For the cheesecake layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
- Combine flour blend and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
- Combine the oil, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon. Spread ¾ of the batter evenly in the lined pan.
- For the cheesecake layer, mix all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Spread of the brownie layer in the pan. Dollop remaining brownie batter by the spoonful over the cheesecake layer. Run a small off-set spatula or butter knife through the top brownie layer and cheesecake layer, creating a swirled effect.
- Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes to make cutting even easier.
- Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into small squares and serve.
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