choc chip cheesecake brownies

This is my friend Jean. Me and Jean like to eat. We meet to eat. Pretty sure the first time we ever met we ate an enormous lunch, then a bucket of sorbet. Then probably ate more. Whenever I want to go to a new restaurant, I dream of Jeanie.

Sometimes I want to bake alongside somebody. Especially if they like stuffing their face as much as I do, and I knew Jean would appreciate brownies covered in cheesecake. Who the flip wouldn't? Pretty sure I don't need to explain to you why cheesecake and brownies go together. These are so easy to make that we managed to make them while drinking wine, looking at photos of the Chelsea flower show and googling who played the hunky guy in Ps. I love you (not hunky Gerard, the other one).


To make enough brownies to make you feel sick you'll need:

8 tbsp dairy free margarine
2 x 100g bars of dark chocolate
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp soy milk
1/2 cup  chocolate chips

(for the cheesecake top)

8 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature

5 tablespoons icing sugar

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate and margarine over a low heat in a saucepan, then pour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, soy milk and vanilla and mix until combined (brownies are easy).

Line a baking dish with foil.

Pour in your brownie mix.

Sprinkle with your chocolate chips.

In another mixing bowl, beat the cream cheeze, sugar and vanilla until combined, then put big dollops of it all over the brownie mix.

Skillfully act like Jean and drag a knife loosely across to marble the top.

Put into the oven at 180C/350/gas mark 4 for around 35 minutes, until the cheesecake is golden and an inserted knife comes out clean.

You have to wait for them to cool before you can cut them. So let Jean do the washing up while you take pictures.

Stare wistfully out of a window.

Then stand around while she whips you up a bowl of carbs to offset the future diabetes from the brownies (I like that logic.)

When they're cool, cut 'em up and share those brownies with someone who loves them as much as you do.

Thanks Jean!