Marbled Chocolate Brownies

Level: Easy

Yield: 9 brownies

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving (1 of 9 servings): Calories 721, Total Fat 41 g, Saturated Fat 24 g, Carbohydrates 88 g, Dietary Fiber 5 g, Sugar 66 g, Protein 11 g, Cholesterol 204 mg, Sodium 264 mg

Total time: 1 hr 30 min (including cooling time)

Active time: 25 min

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing the pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, at room temperature
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with the softened butter and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 2 sticks of butter and the bittersweet chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, salt, 1 cup of the flour, and 5 of the eggs. Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared baking dish.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, the remaining 1/4 cup flour, and the last egg; blend until combined. Spoon dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter and gently swirl with a butter knife or fork to create a marbled pattern.
Bake until the brownies begin to pull away slightly from the edges of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then cut into 9 squares and serve.

Cook's Note: To make confectioners' sugar at home, blend granulated sugar on high speed; from 1 cup granulated sugar you can make roughly 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar.