Have you ever been sitting in your house, just sitting, minding your own business, when you’re hit with a craving so intense and overwhelming that you feel you must satisfy that craving NOW or you will DIE? You would crawl through fire for it. It doesn’t happen to me very often, but it happened last night. I was getting ready to fold the laundry (which I’d put off for days), and I thought, “It would be nice to watch a movie while I fold these.” Innocent enough, right? Well, then the thought of brownies flitted into my mind, and it wouldn’t go away. And I didn’t want just regular, plain, ole brownies. I wanted Cheesecake Brownies!
Funny thing is, I’m not really a big dessert person. When I have a choice between real food and junk food, I almost always choose the real food, because I like it better. Blasphemy, I know, but it’s true. Usually. Not last night. I NEEDED a brownie. Blame hormones, stress, the prospect of mindless housework, whatever. Luckily, I had a Costco-size box of my favorite brownie mix tucked into my baking cupboard for just such emergencies. Even better, I had cream cheese and extra Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, so I could make the now required CHEESECAKE BROWNIES!
What’s the problem, you ask? I had the horrifying realization that I used all my eggs making fried rice for my family last night. Every single one! Fried rice I didn’t even eat! Earlier in the day, I almost went to the store and bought some more eggs, but I just didn’t feel like it. I knew that if I ran in for “just two things,” I wasn’t coming out with “just two things.” So I didn’t go. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. But it was. I was in the middle of a brownie crisis with no eggs in my house, and it was too late to bug my neighbors for them.
Brownies just aren’t the same without eggs, and I wasn’t going to mess with an egg substitute. Yes, I have applesauce, and chia seed, and probably a few other things that can replace eggs, but when I want a brownie, I want a BROWNIE: full of eggs, fat, and all the yummy stuff that will probably kill me. I used to have powdered eggs in my pantry for just such an emergency, and I have two cans on order with Thrive (Thanks Jenny!), but they aren’t here yet. Then… almost as if a light bulb flicked on over my head, I remembered that I had one more can of powdered eggs in my food storage “closet under the stairs.” HALLELUJAH! I was SAVED! Saved from an overwhelming brownie craving which would follow me for days if I didn’t get it under control now. THIS IS WHY I HAVE FOOD STORAGE: FOR BROWNIE EMERGENCIES.
I crawled into my “closet under the stairs” (no, I still haven’t straightened it), dug my way back to the back of my closet, found my box labeled “whole egg powder” and pulled out my last precious can of powdered eggs. Weird, you say? Not when used in baking. You cannot tell one lick of difference between the powdered and the real stuff in baking, and they’re shelf stable saving precious refrigerator space! It’s great for those who don’t eat a lot of eggs and hate having them go bad in their fridge. They are fantastic. A “must have” in my kitchen.
So… Brownies. Cheesecake Brownies. Here’s how I made ’em with my powdered eggs and all.
Cheesecake Brownies with Powdered Eggs
Adapted from the Betty Crocker Website. Recipe here.
Favorite Brownie Mix (prepared as directed)
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs (or in my case, powdered egg and water to equal 2 eggs)
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips (add more or less, if you prefer)
Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the directions, and pour batter in a greased pan. Mix the softened cream cheese with the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Pour cream cheese mixture on top of the prepared brownie mix. Swirl together slightly with a knife. Top with chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55minutes or until done. Let cool for several hours, then cut into 16 pieces and serve. Each brownie contains 338 calories.
Sounds good, huh? That most difficult part is waiting for them to cool with the house smelling all chocolately, cheesecakey good. But they are totally worth the wait. Watch how I made these delicious, most favorite of all treats, treats.
March 25, 2014 at 1:57 pm
Cheesecake brownie.. wow now I’ve definitely seen it all! 🙂 yummers!
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March 25, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Ahhhh…that’s why you have food storage…it’s all clear now. 😉
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March 25, 2014 at 2:07 pm
Of course! I cannot imagine how horrible the world would be without brownies! 😉 It’s truly terrifying.
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March 25, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Me neither, or chocolate really. Let’s just hope we never have to find out…..
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March 25, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Agreed!
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March 25, 2014 at 2:06 pm
oh my!… *faints*
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March 25, 2014 at 2:23 pm
I once tried to make brownies, sigh. Yours looks better than regular brownies.. and better than awesome!
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March 25, 2014 at 3:19 pm
As brownies are one of my most favorite things ever, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time practicing making them. 🙂
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March 25, 2014 at 2:40 pm
Why?!??!?!?!!?!?!!? =throws herself into a puddle of chocolate= that looks soo delicious!!!
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March 25, 2014 at 3:02 pm
wow! i have to make these!!
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March 25, 2014 at 3:14 pm
I will be making this asap! Thanks!
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March 25, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Please let me know how they turn out for you. 🙂
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March 25, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Wow! That just make me want some too! Looks so yummy!
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March 25, 2014 at 3:58 pm
On Friday, I realized that I don’t have a “go to” brownie recipe. It became increasingly apparent that I needed one pretty soon! The more I thought about it, the more pressing it became. I even went to the store and bought the Ghirardelli 60% because I knew that when I found my “go to” recipe, it would call for 60% Ghirardelli chips. You are the answer to my prayers. Thank you!
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March 25, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Now I am having a brownie craving!!
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March 25, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Oh yes I have had that type of emergency craving. Good that you had those trusty powdered eggs. Your brownies look so good, now I crave one.
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March 25, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Food Storage to the Rescue. Again! Those brownies look sooooo yuummmy. I must say, I’m impressed with your control. A craving like that and I would have just gone straight for the chocolate chips – handfuls at a time.
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March 25, 2014 at 4:51 pm
I may have had a few. 🙂
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March 25, 2014 at 5:15 pm
If I could make a suggestion- I try to make as many things from scratch as I can cause good lord only knows what’s in the mixes. When I was a wee girl of 20, a friend shared Katherine Hepburn’s Brownie recipe with me. It’s so danged easy I was able to make it successfully when (I was rather an enfant terrible in my youth) extraordinarily drunk after coming home from the bar with friends who couldn’t drive themselves, without a recipe.
Melt a stick of butter with two squares of unsweetened chocolate.
Stir in a cup of sugar, 2 beaten eggs and half a tsp of vanilla extract and beat well.
Note: you can go crazy here and add orange zest or mint extract or whatever the heck you feel like. I was fond of orange zest, myself.
Then you add anywhere from a half cup to a cup of flour- more flour=a cakier brownie, less=a fudgier brownie. You play with it til you get the proportions right for you, mixed with a quarter teaspoon of salt and that’s it. Stir in chopped walnuts if you really feel like going nuts. Bake in a greased pan at 325 for 40 minutes and voila.
I’m not a dessert person either, normally, so this is one of the few recipes I could practically make in my sleep for when guests come over.
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March 25, 2014 at 8:40 pm
This would be wonderful with homemade brownies! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
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March 25, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Now you’ve done it. Just as I’m thinking it’s time to make a real dinner you have me wanting brownies. I’m a chocoholic and you’ve dangled these in front of me. AND I DON’T HAVE EGGS OR A SUBSTITUTE. So it will have to be chicken pot pie, even though I want brownies. Or even better, molten brownies. Or just the chocolate. I have to get off this computer right now.
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March 25, 2014 at 5:47 pm
Bananas or applesauce can do in a pinch. Sorry, I know I’m just being an enabler!
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March 25, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Your cheese cake brownies are a first for me and I am a brownie lover. I tell you I have to try this recipe…and I know I will be hooked. Love, love, love your blog! Have a wonderful day!
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March 25, 2014 at 5:33 pm
Wow- that looks super yummy!!
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March 25, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Oh no you didn’t! Now I must try that!
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March 25, 2014 at 5:53 pm
that looks so good! awesome post!
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March 25, 2014 at 6:20 pm
This isn’t going to help my diet. 😉 Well Done!
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March 25, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Glad that I’m not the only one who’s having chocolate emergency. Your brownie looks good. 🙂
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March 25, 2014 at 9:24 pm
Brownies are always my go-to treat when the gals are getting together to scrapbook…I usually end up adding something (such as half a bag of chocolate chips) to whatever Betty Crocker mix I have on hand, but I have never made cheesecake ones. I will now! – Fawn
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March 25, 2014 at 9:26 pm
They are really good! Please let me know how they work out for you. 🙂 Thank you so much for reading my blog.
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March 26, 2014 at 2:55 am
I have a feeling I’ll be craving this tonight. Real bad. Must stock up some brownies! But those brownies you baked? My gosh looks devilish good!
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March 26, 2014 at 3:41 am
Soon as I saw it, I wanted one. Then I saw the calories and no longer wanted it. It’s like a $50 price tag on an amazing top that makes you turn around and not want it as badly anymore.
There are times where I give in to cravings. Now that I am BFing, I try to have better willpower because nursing takes a lot of energy! Kind bars are my current “craving” because of all the almonds. I cannot get enough. However, the protein helps a ton and almonds boost milk production, so I see it as a win. 🙂
Those brownies will be PMS food once that decides to turn up again, not that I miss it or anything. :p
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March 26, 2014 at 9:11 am
Yes, the calories are a drawback. Of course, if I want a brownie, that is the one I want. If I have one, I feel satisfied and am less likely to eat something else to satisfy the craving (and end up eating more calories overall than if I just ate the brownie in the first place). 🙂
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March 26, 2014 at 4:46 am
I do so love cheesecake brownies! Or peanut butter cheesecake brownies…don’t get me craving them now!
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March 26, 2014 at 9:09 am
Mmm! Peanut butter cheesecake brownies? I have to try those!
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March 26, 2014 at 6:43 am
Laurie, if you’d like to make the brownie part from scratch, I have a great fudge-y brownie recipe: http://dawnoffood.com/2014/02/02/brownies/
I LOVE cheesecake brownies!! Yours look awesome!
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March 26, 2014 at 9:07 am
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’ll try it out. I have a couple of “from scratch” recipes, but the Ghirardelli mix is really quite good. Good enough that I usually forgo the homemade, from scratch brownies.
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March 26, 2014 at 7:13 am
These look awesome, and I wish I could say that I only got sweet cravings every once in a while! Lucky me to have fresh eggs from my backyard flock. I will be trying these soon!
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March 26, 2014 at 9:06 am
I truly wish I lived in an area where I could have chickens. 😉
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March 26, 2014 at 8:25 am
Powdered eggs…how very interesting. I shall have to add that to my list of “Post-Zombie Apocalypse Supplies.”
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March 26, 2014 at 9:05 am
They are also quite useful “pre-zombie apocalypse.” 🙂
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March 26, 2014 at 9:57 am
I love that you are sharing recipes. I think it is important for people to move from “prepper” phase to “sru-thrivor” phase. I don’t plan to just eat, come what may. I am going to eat well. Looks like you will, too! I am going to have to make these, soon. The urgency comes through in the photos…
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March 26, 2014 at 6:51 pm
That is one serious brownie, Laurie!
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Pingback: Cheesecake brownie | Jessica's Cakes
March 27, 2014 at 5:11 pm
I think I died and went to heaven…
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March 29, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Ooh yes…now craving:)
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May 29, 2014 at 7:58 pm
Reblogged this on My Foray Into Food Storage and commented:
One of my favorite posts!
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May 29, 2014 at 8:35 pm
YUM! It looks great. They look so moist with the cheesecake recipe!
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May 29, 2014 at 8:48 pm
WOW! Looks so amazing! Must try soon.
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May 29, 2014 at 9:11 pm
I completely understand brownie emergencies! I’m so glad you found the powdered eggs. I didn’t even know they existed. I will have to get some in case of a brownie emergency of my own!:)
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May 30, 2014 at 12:15 am
That cheesecake brownie recipe sounds so yummy. Great post.
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May 30, 2014 at 12:19 am
Reblogged this on New Author -Carole Parkes and commented:
Really yummy cheescake brownies.
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May 30, 2014 at 12:55 pm
Even though we are mostly paleo (except for when I see recipes like this LOL), I will be going out and getting the ingredients to make these tonight! I can’t promise that I’ll be able to let them cool before eating them though…that’s just crazy talk! 😀
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May 31, 2014 at 1:10 am
Oh my gosh, that looks incredible!!
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May 31, 2014 at 10:08 am
I love how you persevered to get your brownie done! I can have bad cravings for chocolate. Which if I don’t have I can buy fairly easy but no cravings that mean a lot of work. Funny that…
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August 14, 2014 at 4:44 am
Oh man. I have to try this!!!
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