Recipe Saturday: Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

Last Friday a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to a recipe for Nutella Cheesecake Brownies.

Yes, you read that right.  Nutella.  Cheesecake.  Brownies.

Never before have three more beautiful words been uttered together.

And lo and behold, I happened to have all the ingredients in my house.  Which is kinda funny because that never, ever happens.  It was kismet.

The result?  Pure deliciousness.  Cheesecake.  Brownie.  All graced with the hint of hazelnut-y cocoa-y essence of Nutella.

Don’t believe me?  Then try it for yourself.

Here is what you need:

Nutella, eggs, cocoa, butter, sugar, flour, cream cheese, four year old very eager helper.  You don’t actually need salt.  I got it out from habit. 

Make a funny face.  For real.  It’s required.  The brownies won’t taste nearly as good without a funny face.

Mix together melted butter, eggs, sugar and Nutella in a bowl.  What, can’t see the Nutella?  It sunk.  So here’s a better picture.

 

Oh.  My. Goodness.

Add in the flour and cocoa and mix well.

Line a 9×9 (or 8×8 if that’s all you have) pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  I highly recommend doing this, it will make the brownies come out of the pan so much easier.

Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.

Next beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar and more Nutella.

Pour on top of brownie batter and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until cheesecake is set in the middle.

Let cool.

Now do a little happy dance that you used the foil lining, and lift the cooled brownies out of the pan.  Cut into pieces.

Hello, lover.

My pictures do NOT do this brownie justice.  In fact this last picture is pure crap, but I wanted to show you what they looked like cut into pieces.  I promise I’ll try better next time.  I’m certainly not in the running for a job as a food photographer at Gourmet magazine.  Also I bet they have much fancier titles than “food photographer”.

Anywho, the brownies are rich and indulgent, however the tanginess of the cream cheese layer helps cut the super sweetness of the brownie layer.  But I recommend eating at least half a pan before judging for yourself.

Here are the specifics on the ingredients.  Enjoy!

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:

For brownie layer:

• 10 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder

For cheesecake layer:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temp.
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment.

To make the brownie layer, combine melted butter, Nutella, eggs, and sugar in a bowl; mix well. Stir in flour and cocoa powder and mix until well combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

To make the cheesecake layer mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, eggs and Nutella until well combined. Pour over the brownie batter.

Bake at 325F until the cheesecake looks set, about 40-45 minutes. Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan before cutting.