Marbled Cheesecake Brownies

I listed this recipe a few days ago on the Chocolate, Chocolate, and more Chocolate post with very high hopes of deliciousness.  Brownies are one of my favorite things ever.  Cheesecake is another of my favorite things.  Put the two together and I should be in dessert heaven.  Unfortunately, these brownies fall short.  I promised to post all 365 recipes whether they were successful or not, and here is my first disappointment. 

As I prepared all my ingredients I was sure this would be another successful recipe. But even before it went into the oven, I didn't have a good feeling not good at all.  The cheesecake mixture was runny, maybe the cream cheese was too soft when I combined it with the other ingredients, and it wouldn't "marble" into the brownies creating a pool of raw cheesecake on top of a raw brownie batter base.  Honestly, knowing what I know now that the brownies are baked and cooled, I should have just eaten the batters with a spoon and not messed with the finishing the recipe.

The final product was a cakelike brownie, a little on the dry side with a dry cheescake swirl mixed in all topped with jam, which just didn't quite work.  I hope if you decide to try this recipe you have better luck than this cook did. 

Marbled Cheesecake Brownies
Recipe Source: Betty Crocker

1 box Betty Crocker® Supreme walnut or triple chunk brownie mix
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 jar (10 oz) raspberry spreadable fruit

1. Heat oven to 350°F for shiny metal or glass pan (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom of 9-inch pan.

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, water, oil and 2 eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until creamy; beat in sugar, vanilla and 1 egg until well blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls over brownie batter in pan. Cut through batter with knife several times for marbled design.

3. Bake 38 to 42 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is light brown. Immediately spread fruit on top. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store covered in refrigerator.

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