Cheesecakes and chocolate!

Not for the faint of heart!

I can pretty much promise you that the first bite will have you cross eyed and reaching for something to support you to stop you swooning away.

Heat the oven to 325F. Makes 16 servings although Im sure you can adjust to make ½ that amount….

For the crust: Either 18 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies crushed (about 1 ½ cups)
2 tbsp melted butter

OR: (I didn’t like that idea) I used
300gm crushed digestive biscuits (about 2 1/2 cups I love a thick base)
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup… (if no syrup try 4 tbsp melted butter)
4oz melted chocolate
Stir all above ingredients until MOST of the cookie crumbs are covered…I like the look this way, it is a preference though.  Just add butter or syrup if it seems too dry. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of a 9inch spring form pan and bake for about 10 minutes. Then cool.

Filling: 4 pkgs philly cream cheese) (8oz each)
1c granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
8oz semi sweet chocolate melted
4 eggs

Optional: a few blueberries and powdered sugar for decoration

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until blended. Stir in the melted chocolate. Add the eggs one at a time (if using a mixer use low speed) until each one is just blended in. Pour over the crust. Bake for about 55 mins to I hour until the centre is almost set… it jiggles very slightly when done. If it wobbles, it’s not done. Run a cake knife around the outside and cool before removing the cake rim.
Refrigerating for 4 hours helps it cut more cleanly, but really …. do you care!!!
Squeal yippee, do your happy dance and dig in!

Cream cheese Raspberry brownies

OMG! swirls of raspberry jam, cream cheese and a kind of dense chocolate brownie mix … make these a feast for the eyes and a “can’t miss a crumb” for the mouth.

Turn the oven to 350 f (180 c)

Brownie mix: 6oz semi sweet chocolate melted and 3 oz unsweetened chocolate melted
Or: I used 9oz of semi sweet chocolate
1 cup of butter
1 plus 2/3c sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
Melt the chocolate, allow to cool a little
Beat the butter with the sugar very well until pale and creamy, add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Stir in melted chocolate. Mix in the flour until just combined. set aside

Make the Topping next: 2 pkgs cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ c approx, raspberry jam (save for the moment)
Beat the cream cheese with 1/3c sugar until smooth, add the egg and vanilla and beat again until smooth.

Line a 13 x 9inch cake pan with parchment paper. Reserve one cup of the brownie mix batter.

Spread the remaining batter in the pan. Top carefully with the cream cheese mixture.  Spoon the reserved chocolate batter in dollops over the mixture..(see pictures) Then spoon smaller dollops of raspberry jam. With a knife – zigzag through the layers to create a marble effect.

Bake for 35 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out slightly moist.

Cool on a cake rack and then lift out with the help of the parchment paper. Cut into squares and prepare yourself for a taste of lusciousness! As above ~ Squeal yippee, do your happy dance and dig in!

How chocolate can be your teacher, go here

Try here for other recipes you might like this or this …