Raspberry Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup cane or granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 cup unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberry puree, about 3 oz. fresh whole raspberries
• 8 oz. block cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup cane or granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• Fresh raspberries
• Confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9X13 pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished brownies out.

2. 2

   --- Brownie Layer ---

3. 3

   To a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined.

4. 4

   Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

5. 5

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed, just until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Make sure not to overmix.

6. 6

   --- Raspberry Layer ---

7. 7

   Add fresh raspberries to a food processor and pulse until puree-like consistency. Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor, add raspberries to a bowl and mash with the back of a fork until puree consistency.

8. 8

   Add softened cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.

9. 9

   Add sugar, egg, vanilla, salt, and flour. Beat until light and smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in the raspberry puree.

10. 10

    --- To Assemble ---

11. 11

    Reserve about 1/2 cup of the brownie batter in a small bowl and pour the rest of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top out as evenly as possible. Add the raspberry layer on top.

12. 12

    Mix the reserved brownie batter with a tablespoon of water until slightly thinned out. Dollop the thinned-out batter on top of the cheesecake layer. Use a knife or a skewer to glide through the layers to create a swirl pattern. Optional, scatter some fresh raspberries over the top.

13. 13

    Bake for 30-35 minutes for fudgier brownies (if testing with a toothpick, it should come out dirty with crumbs on it) or 37-40 minutes for firmer brownies (or until the toothpick comes out clean). Brownies will continue to bake in the hot pan after removed from oven.

14. 14

    Cool brownies in the pan for about 15-20 minutes. Then lift the brownies out of the pan as a whole using the parchment overhang on the sides and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Do not try to cut the brownies while still warm or they will crumble. Once cooled, cut into squares with a sharp knife. For extra neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut. Optional, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.