Char’s Mini Egg Cheesecake Brownies

OMG!!! If you love brownies…
and you love cheesecake…
and you love mini eggs….
you will LOVE this sinful indulgence!!

‘Tis the Mini Egg eating season and I’m here for it!!

Tip: I find the easiest way to crush mini eggs is to hit the unopened bag (or place eggs in a resealble bag) with a rolling pin. For this recipe, I like the eggs to be roughly crushed (as seen in brownie picture below) – so you can see the fab pastel colours of the eggs. Great way to let out frustration too…hahaha!! Place bag on a tea towel (on countertop or flat surface) then hit the bag a few times with rolling pin (the tea towel will protect your countertop).

Cheesecake Layer

• 4 oz (120 g) brick style cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) milk chocolate chips, melted
• 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat together cheesecake ingredients until very well combined. Set aside while preparing brownie batter.

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) butter
• 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) milk (or cream)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour (gluten free flour can be substituted)
• 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) cocoa powder
• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) roughly crushed Cadbury mini eggs

Garnish

• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) roughly crushed Cadbury mini eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line an 8 X 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (see parchment paper trick at bottom of post). Note: if using a 9 X 9-inch baking pan, decrease baking time by about 5 minutes.
2. In a large glass (or heatproof) bowl, over a double boiler, melt: chocolate, butter and milk – stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Remove bowl from heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla, sugars and eggs until well combined. Using a rubber spatula stir in dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in crushed mini eggs until evenly combined.
4. Spread approximately 2⁄3’s of the batter (it will be thick) into the prepared pan. Pour cheesecake layer evenly over brownie layer. Dollop remaining brownie batter evenly over top (it will not look pretty – that’s okay! See picture below.) and sprinkle remining 1/2 cup (125 mL) crushed mini eggs over top (refer to picture below).
5. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until edges are set but the centre is slightly jiggly.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely on the countertop – then refrigerate (ideally overnight).
7. Once cooled, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container (in refrigerator) for up to 5 days. But they won’t last that long. You’ve been warned!

This is how the brownies will look once dolloped with the remaining batter. As I mentioned, it will not look pretty!

This is how the unbaked brownies will look once topped with remaining 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) crushed mini eggs – before they hit the oven

Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

Find ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ on Amazon (click here) or at one of the below retailers across Ontario:

Type Books ~ 883 Queen Street West, Toronto
Lemonberry ~ 2 Orchard Heights Blvd #10, Aurora
Fanfare Books ~ 92 Ontario St, Stratford
Casual Gourmet ~ 1027 King Street West, Hamilton
The Post Office – 18 Front St. N, Thorold
Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
Gift It Grey ~ 19492 Opeongo Line, Barry’s Bay
Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
Cedar Canoe Books ~ 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
Farmer’s Daughter – 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Kitchen Bits ~ 1390 Kingsway, Greater Sudbury

Charmaine Broughton is a Muskoka/Toronto-based cooking show host & guest expert and author of ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life‘.

‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ is on Amazon! Get your copy today!