BROWNIE CHEESECAKE

HOW 'BOUT SOME BROWNIE WITH THAT CHEESECAKE?

My mother had a catering business for quite some time several years ago in which she kept all her "sacred" recipes in this little worn 4 by 6 red book that didn't leave her sight, ever.  This book is filled with unbelievable recipes, most of which she created,  that she has been using for years and is constantly adding to. When my love for baking began, my mother slowly, one by one, shared some of these recipes with me. Please note that she will not give me the book to follow the recipes; she will only photocopy the recipe for me because god forbid I lost or even stained the book she'd disown me.  

I knew I would be attending a few BBQ's this past weekend for Memorial Day and decided to make her Brownie Cheesecake recipe. When I scrolled down to the bottom and saw "serve frozen" I knew it would be the perfect treat for an outdoor BBQ in blazing heat. Well, it was just that...perfect! First, I made the brownie layer which ultimately becomes the foundation for this wondrous cube of greatness. Atop the brownie comes the cream cheese "filling" then capped off with chocolate ganache. Once cooled and ready to be cut up, I was totally floored when I saw how these came out. Before I put the pan in the oven, the brownie batter was pretty much equal to the cream cheese filling, however, once baked, the brownie layer became thin while the cream cheese layer expanded and set-making these bars 90% cheesecake 10% chocolate. These were so awesome! Serving them frozen was the absolute way to go and they were a hit at the BBQ! Unfortunately, I cannot reveal this recipe, as mentioned earlier, my mother will disown me. Enjoy the pictures!