Cream Cheese Brownies

My Dad hates Brownies.  Mom loves Brownies.  This has been a long standing point of contention.  Growing up, almost every Sunday we would have dessert.  This became known as Brownie Sunday because Mom liked brownies and therefore with great frequency made them, much to Dad's disappointment.   My favorite was the Pillsbury Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies.  I have not been able to find that box in the store lately and I have been craving some so I made my own.  This is actually my third attempt.  The first two recipes failed, but this one worked, so here it is.  It should be noted that when I brought them over to my parent's house this past Sunday that Dad actually ate one and said they were good.  Then I told him they were brownies and my dessert was immediately downgraded from "good" to "okay" and he further denied ever saying the word, "Good."  

Chocolate and Cream Cheese Brownies

Chocolate Brownies

• 2 oz of Unsweetened Chocolate
• 1/3 cup Shortening
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Melt together chocolate and shortening.  Add to sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix that all together and spread out in a greased pan.

Cream Cheese

• 8 oz (1 package) of Cream Cheese, softened or room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Beat together until smooth.  Add to chocolate brownie and swirl in.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes.

Melt shortening and chocolate together.  I have done this using both the microwave and on the stove top.  Either one works.

Mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla separately.  Then add the chocolate/shortening slowly so the eggs do not bake.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir that all together.  This is your standard chocolate brownie mix.  Spread this out in a greased pan.

For the Cream Cheese swirl add together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix it really good with a beater until smooth.  Dollop out the cream cheese on top of the chocolate and make a pretty swirl pattern.  

I failed to make the pretty swirl pattern and it all turned to tan mush.  Tasty tan mush, but not pretty.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Brownies, all brownies, are best enjoyed warm out of the oven with ice cream.

The Allosaurus lived during the Jurassic period (155 - 150 million years ago) while the Tyrannosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period (67-65 million years ago) until the extinction event.  The Velociraptor is also from the Cretaceous period (75-71 million years ago).  Therefore the movie should have been named Cretaceous Park since the dinosaurs featured were from that period.

K.