Santa Fe Brownies

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Get your 9x13x2 inch baking pan out, assemble your ingredients and get ready for one of the best brownies ever.

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Santa Fe Brownies

Servings: servings

Calories: 1111kcal

Author: Helen S. Fletcher

Equipment

1 9x13 inch pan

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Layer

12 ounces cream cheese room temperature (or 340 grams)
6 tablespoons butter softened (90 grams or 3 ounces)
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams or 5 ¼ ounces)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Brownie Layer

1 ½ cups all purpose flour (210 grams or 7 ounces)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (225 grams, 8 ounces or 2 sticks)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate (340 grams)
5 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed (300 grams or 10 ½ ounces)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (225 grams or 8 ounces)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (114 grams or 4 ounces)

Instructions

Cream Cheese Layer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch pan with parchment. Spray paper and sides of pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Layer Mixer Method:

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, and sugar and beat until smooth, scraping often. If the mixture is not completely smooth, it will be lumpy after you add the liquid.
Butter, cream cheese and sugar in mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, Butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape often. Cheesecake layer mixed. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Layer Processor Method:

Place the cream cheese, butter, and sugar in the processor bowl. Process until smooth. Add all the eggs and vanilla; processing until completely mixed, scraping down as necessary. Set aside.

Brownie Layer

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
Heat until the chocolate and butter have melted, stirring frequently. Alternately, microwave them at half power for several minutes until melted.
Whisk to smooth. Set aside. Cool to lukewarm if hot.
Place the eggs, both sugars and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed. Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix well.
Add the flour mixture, mix on low, (I put this photo in because I love it!) scraping often to make sure the flour is completely incorporated. Divide evenly between 2 bowls (750 grams each or 26 ⅓ ounces).
Stir the walnuts into one bowl and spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate-walnut base layer.
If the second bowl has stiffened, place it over a double boiler and heat over simmering water, stirring often until it can be poured but is not runny. Alternately, it can be microwaved. Pour the heated chocolate mixture over the cream cheese mixture around the edges only, leaving the center of the cream cheese layer exposed.
The chocolate layer should be thick enough to sit on top of the cream cheese mixture and not sink to the bottom. If you have doubts, try it in a small section. If it sinks, let it cool a bit to thicken.
With a spatula, lift the cheese layer up and over the chocolate to create a marbleized pattern.
After marbleizing in this manner, I usually run the spatula through the pattern in the opposite direction. Rap the pan once on the table.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, turning halfway through if necessary. The top will be lightly browned. Do not overbake. Cool to room temperature. Go around the edges of the pan with a spatula to loosen; turn out of the pan.
Remove parchment, turn right side up and chill for at least four hours or overnight. This will make it easier to cut into the desired number of pieces. We cut these 4 across the 9 inch side (2 ⅛ inches each) and 5 down the 13 inch side (2 ½ inches each) for 20 pieces. These freeze very well.

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