Cream Cheese Batter

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbs. sugar
• 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Procedure

Place the cream cheese and the sugar in a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Blend in the flour. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, lemon juice, zest and vanilla then gradually add to the cream cheese mixture. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Brownie Batter

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• ¼cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup broken, toasted pecans

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an All-Clad 8-inch Square Baker. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Melt the butter in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Add the chocolates and remove the pot from the heat after one minute. Let stand until the chocolates are melted, stirring occasionally.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and then add the chocolate mixture, whisking to blend. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the flour over the chocolate mixture in 3 additions, folding gently with a whisk just until blended. Fold in the pecans with a rubber spatula. Remove 1/2 cup of the batter and set aside.
3. Spoon the remaining batter into the baking pan and spread evenly with the back of a soup spoon. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the top, spreading it to form an even layer. Drop the remaining batter by tablespoon, at random, over the cream cheese mixture. Insert a paring knife halfway into the batters and swirl the 2 layers together to create a marbled effect. Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is puffed and set. Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let the brownies stand for 3-4 hours before cutting into 2-inch squares.