Description
Rich chocolate brownies featuring creamy pistachio cheesecake swirls create a luxurious dessert sensation. Mediterranean flavors blend seamlessly, delivering complex layers of nutty sweetness and deep cocoa notes you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cups + ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup pistachio butter or pistachio paste
- 2 ½ tsps vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 12 drops green food coloring (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios (for topping)
Instructions
- Prepare Pan: Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring complete bottom and side coverage for effortless brownie removal.
- Chocolate Base Creation: Whisk melted butter with granulated and brown sugars until achieving a silky, homogeneous mixture that forms the rich foundation of the brownies.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Blend eggs and vanilla extract into the sugar mixture, stirring until a smooth, glossy consistency emerges that binds all components harmoniously.
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl, eliminating potential lumps and ensuring uniform dry ingredient distribution.
- Batter Assembly: Delicately fold dry ingredients into wet mixture using a gentle cutting motion, maintaining the batter’s lightness and preventing overmixing.
- Batter Placement: Spread the velvety brownie batter evenly across the prepared pan, creating a consistent layer that promises uniform baking.
- Pistachio Cheesecake Swirl Development: Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until achieving a smooth, creamy texture, then strategically dollop across the chocolate base.
- Marbling Technique: Employ a knife or skewer to create elegant swirls, artistically intertwining the chocolate and pistachio layers with sweeping, fluid motions.
- Baking Process: Position the pan in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven, baking for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center reveals a few moist crumbs, signaling perfect doneness.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow brownies to cool completely within the pan, enabling flavor melding and texture stabilization before precise cutting and serving.
Notes
- Control Mixing Technique: Fold ingredients gently to maintain batter’s light texture, avoiding overmixing which can create dense, tough brownies.
- Temperature Precision: Ensure cream cheese is at room temperature for smooth, lump-free cheesecake swirl that blends seamlessly with brownie base.
- Swirl with Finesse: Use a clean knife or toothpick to create delicate marble patterns, making minimal strokes to prevent over-mixing the two layers.
- Cooling Strategy: Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan to set properly, preventing crumbly texture and helping cheesecake layer stabilize.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 17
- Calories: 367
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg