Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Have you ever just had a "blah" day? A day where everything just seems mediocre. You had an okay day at work, not a great day. Your favorite character on your favorite show is revealed to be the villain, but that doesn't affect your impression of them. Maybe it is even Friday and quitting time, but you have no real weekend plans. Well, time to perk up kids. You cannot solve all your problems in one day, but maybe taking an hour to make these lovely sweet treats is a start. 

I wanted to call these my Bad Day Brownies, but that was too dramatic. Let's just call them what they are.....and here is the super easy recipe. 

 

Ingredients

1 package of cookie dough (pre-made or log) 

1 box of brownie mix (eggs and vegetable oil may be needed)

1 - 8oz package of cream cheese

1/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

1/4 of teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cup of heavy cream

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan with at least 2-inch depth sides. 

2. Press the softened cookie dough out into one even layer in the bottom of the pan. 

3. Prepare the cheesecake layer by first creaming together the softened cream cheese, sugar, the pinch of salt and vanilla extract. Once combined add in your egg and heavy cream. Pour cheesecake mixture over cookie dough. 

4. Prepare your brownie batter based off of the box directions. *This one depends on your brownie mix, and hopefully you included its additional ingredients in your shopping trip.

5. Pour or dollop brownie mixture over the cheesecake layer. Give the pan a shake to even out the entire mixture. *Use a butter knife to improve marbling if there isn't enough for your liking. 

6. Bake on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes or until the center is just set. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting. 

7. Slice and EAT!

 

Tips and Combinations

You can use any cookie dough and any brownie mix with this recipe. For those who want to recreate the recipe exactly, I used Sweet Loren's Chocolate Chip cookies for the cookie layer and Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate brownie mix for the brownie layer. Trust me when I say that the brand matters the least, but I do love that Sweet Loren's are all natural and dairy free. 

If you want three distinct layers, pop the tray into the fridge for about 20 minutes after adding the cheesecake layer. It will set up firmer which won't combine with the brownie layer. I love the mixing of the brownie and the cheesecake. 

For fudgy brownies, the 40 minutes should do it, but for cake-like brownie take it to the full 50. 

I know you don't want to eat a whole tray of brownies, so don't tell anyone you're making these and there will be no one to judge. This is definitely a nice treat to bring to work and a fun recipe to make with friends on game night. Have fun mixing and baking kids!

Cook.Discuss.Reflect

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