We are rapidly closing in on my all-time favorite holiday: Shavuot. As I confessed last week, the reasons for my love are largely gastronomical: I am ALL about the dairy, so Shavuot is a special kind of heaven for me.
When it comes to dessert, my husband sadly doesn’t like cheese cake (I know, the inhumanity!), but my chocolate cream cheese brownies seem to go down without too many complaints. So that’s the one I am choosing to share with you today.
In addition to being indulgently delicious, these brownies are crazy easy because you get to cheat by using a box mix for the brownie base. Shhhh… It’s okay – I won’t tell anyone that you cheated!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies
Adapted (barely) from the Original Betty Crocker recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 3 T sugar
- ½ t vanilla
Brownie Base
- 1 box brownie mix + water, vegetable oil and egg per back of the box
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch glass pan. I really recommend using this smaller size pan, as it makes the brownies a bit more dense than a 9×11 pan – and in this case dense = delicious!
3. In small mixing bowl, beat together the filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
4. Make the brownies per directions. Pour ¾ of the batter in the pan.
5. With a large spoon, plop globs (I know, appetizing!) of the cream cheese filling across the top of the brownies base.
6. Spoon out the remaining batter over the cream cheese filling.
7. Marble the top with a cold butter knife (I just dip my knife into a glass of cold water before I start marbling.)
8. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
9. Bake 40ish minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.
10. Unlike regular brownies, which you can store on the counter top, any leftovers of these brownies (hahahah) need to be stored in the fridge.
By the way, if you are looking for even more dairy inspiration, here are some of my absolute favorites:
Now it’s your turn! PLEASE share your favorite (dairy) recipe for Shavuot. And if you’re lactose intolerant, you’re welcome to throw something pareve into the mix.
B’tayavon!
Indeed, I’m lactose intolerant, so I’ve devised some Shavuot menus that appear to be dairy but are actually parve. One of my favorite recipes is the Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding that Mark Bittman provided in the NYT two years ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/201mrex.html?scp=1&sq=Mexican%20chocolate%20tofu%20pudding&st=cse
Wow! Thank you, Paul 🙂
Paul, my husband is also lactose intolerant, and I just wanted to share that this brownie cheesecake recipe comes out great when you substitute toffuti pareve cream cheese for the regular dairy one!
Oooh – that is so good to know, Dvora! That suddenly makes it an option for meat meals! Thank you.
Also, his article about it is at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20mini.html?scp=3&sq=Mexican%20chocolate%20tofu%20pudding&st=cse and there’s a video at http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/05/15/dining/1194840179889/mexican-chocolate-tofu-pudding.html?scp=2&sq=Mexican%20chocolate%20tofu%20pudding&st=cse
Thank you – this looks heavenly!!!
This is a different type of lasagna with not much cheese and lots of veggies so it is really healthy. I got the recipe from Weight Watchers online.
1 medium raw eggplant, (1 pound), peeled and sliced 1⁄4-inch thick
1 medium zucchini, (8-ounces), sliced 1⁄4-inch thick
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz diced tomatoes with their juice
10 oz mushroom(s), sliced
1 large green pepper(s), or 2 frying peppers, finely chopped
parsely to taste
8 oz. tomato paste
no cook lasagna noodles
Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray. Arrange the eggplant and zucchini slices on the baking sheets, overlapping a few slices, if necessary. Spray the tops with nonstick spray, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and bake until tender, 15 minutes or more if necessary. Set aside (leave the oven on).
Heat a large nonstick skillet. Swirl in the oil, then add the garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, frying peppers, parsley, and another grinding of the pepper; cook over medium-low heat until the sauce is bubbling then add tomato paste and mix until thickened. Remove from the heat. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead at this point; just transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.)
Spread 1⁄2 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with 1 or 2 lasagna noodles (depending on the size pan you are using); top with one-fourth of the eggplant and zucchini slices, then top with another 1⁄2 cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Repeat the procedure to make 4 more layers, ending with a layer of noodles topped with sauce. If any sauce remains, pour it on the top and around the edges of the lasagna. Be sure to use all the sauce (it’s needed to cook the noodles). Press down gently on the lasagna with a spatula to help the noodles absorb the sauce; the lasagna will compact as it cooks.
Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until all the sauce has been absorbed, about 10–15 minutes.
We eat alot of fish on Shavuot. My husband loves lasagna and pizza, but he has to limit his carbs because he’s diabetic. So I do a fish pizza. I put everal pieces of salmon or tilapia filet on the bottom of a pan, pour a bottle of either pizza sauce or marinara sauce over it, and sprinkle with mozzerella cheese. This is one way that the kids will eat fish too!
Thanks for this roundup. I love Shavuot too! I linked up a wonderful potato gratin recipe that’s a favorite with adults and kids.