Recipe: Cheesecake-marbled Chocolate Brownies

These have to be the best dessert ever imaginable for the minimal effort and ingredient that goes into making them. A little melting here, a little mixing there... et voila. You have a brownie so deeply comforting and rich in its taste, you'd think they've taken hours of toil to make. Here goes:

Ingredients (for brownie batter)

4 oz unsalted butter
3 oz dark chocolate
1 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain flour

(for cheesecake mix)

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Plus

1/2 cup chocolate chips

To make them:


1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C and butter an 8 inch square baking tin.

2. Heat butter and chocolate in a saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted.

3. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined.

4. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

5. Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

6. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

7. Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.

8. Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with good-quality vanilla ice-cream.