Black Bottom Brownies

A great brownie is one of those easy sweet treats that everyone loves. The beauty of a great basic recipe is that you can turn it into so many great flavors with just a few different twists here and there.  I’m using the same recipe I used for these nutty brownies but today I made my much beloved black bottom brownies. A really easy cream cheese topping that is baked right in can either be swirled into the brownie batter as I did, or simply poured on top for a thicker cream cheese topping. This recipe comes together very quickly, and what’s even better is that you can double or triple it for larger batches without making any adjustments in the ingredients. A truly decadent and fudgy brownie that isn’t overly sweet…just perfect!

Black Bottom Brownies (makes 1-8”x8” square pan)

6 oz semisweet chocolate

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

6 oz butter, ok to use salted

1 oz cocoa powder (about 3 tablespoons), sifted

5.5 oz eggs (about 3 large eggs)

10 oz granulated sugar (about 1¼ cups)

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

5 oz flour (1 cup), sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream Cheese Topping

8 oz cream cheese (1 small box), room temperature

3 oz granulated sugar (about 3 tablespoons)

2 oz egg (a little more than 1 large egg)

.5 oz vanilla (1 teaspoon)

2.5 oz cake flour (2 tablespoons)

First make the cream cheese topping. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, begin to cream the cheese then slowly add the sugar until it is all incorporated. Next add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix again until smooth. Using your scraper, scrape down the sides and continue mixing. Lastly, add the cake flour and mix until it is all combined. Set aside until you have made the brownie mixture.

Add the butter to a medium sized stock pot and allow it to melt completely over medium heat. Then add the semisweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted. Make sure this does not get very hot or it will burn. Once melted, set aside. Add the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk well until everything has been combined. Sift all of the dry ingredients and set them aside. First add the melted butter and chocolate mixture to the egg mix and whisk well together. Lastly, add the sifted ingredients and slowly work them into the chocolate/egg mixture until you no longer see any lumps. Pour this into a well greased pan that has also been lined with some parchment paper that is cut to size but left a little longer on 2 sides to create ‘handles’ to lift the brownies out of the pan once they have cooled. Bake this for about 30-40 minutes at 350°F. The center of the batter will rise as it is baking and then settle back down, the brownies are done at this time. If you choose to use a tester, you will have a few moist crumbs attached to your tester, but don’t worry, the brownies are finished cooking and they will continue to set as they cool. Make sure they are cool completely before slicing. It’s actually better to refrigerate or freeze them before cutting them. You will achieve perfect slices to set upon your platter when they are either frozen or very cold. If these are not going to be eaten in the next few days, it’s best to freeze the whole thing, and then slice when you need them.