Jazzed-Up Brownies from a Box

The best part about being stuck inside all day while it’s storming outside – baking! And thanks to Hurricane Irene, we spent the better part of the day in our house. We made some delicious muffins for breakfast and then made a batch of our homemade sauce for freezing, but still needed a little dessert…

So, we grabbed a mix of Double Chocolate Godiva Brownies from our pantry and made a delicious addition to turn them into Cheesecake Brownies. It couldn’t be easier, here’s how:

Cheesecake topping
adapted from Foodnetwork.com

8 Oz reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 C sugar
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Make brownies as directed on the back of the box. Then make the cheesecake topping – in a medium bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the sugar and the vanilla until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until well blended. Set aside.

Spoon brownie batter into a greased and floured 8 x 8 pan, reserving a few tablespoons. Pour the cheesecake mixture evenly over top. Drop the reserved brownie batter in large dollops over the topping. Draw a butter knife through the two batters to create a swirled effect. Bake as directed by the back of the brownie mix, may need additional baking with cheesecake layer.

Enjoy!