Today we revisit in a light version, so to speak, a classic of American pastry, the brownies, soft and delicious chocolate finger food treats that literally melt in your mouth due to a considerable amount of butter. In my brownies, however, the butter has been replaced with cream cheese like Philadelphia (even the light version works perfectly). The result is stunning, delicious, irresistible. Not only are these treats very easy and quick to make, but they also keep their fundamental characteristic of melting in your mouth. The height of the brownies depends on the pan used; mine is rectangular and measures 12 x 9 inches. Moreover, these brownies do not contain any leavening agents. If you have leftover chocolate from previous preparations or Easter eggs, you can use it to make these wonderful butter-free brownies for the happiness of the whole family.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 5.3 oz Dark Chocolate
- 3.5 oz Sugar
- 3 Whole Eggs
- 1.8 oz Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 10.6 oz Fresh Cream Cheese (lactose-free works too)
- 3.4 oz All-Purpose Flour
- to taste Orange Zest
- to taste Vanilla
Preparation
1) Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof steel or glass bowl (in which we will later work all the other ingredients to be perfectly incorporated into the mixture) and melt it in a bain-marie.
2) As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl from the bain-marie, immediately add the sugar, vanilla, and citrus zest to lower the temperature, and mix with a steel whisk.
3) Preheat the oven to 340°F.
4) Once the sugar is absorbed, incorporate the cream cheese, drained of any whey. There will be no need to add a pinch of salt, as is usually done for desserts, since cream cheeses are already slightly salty.
5) Add the lightly beaten eggs, sifted unsweetened cocoa, and mix it in; finally, add the sifted flour, incorporating it with the help of a spatula, as the mixture will become slightly denser. In the end, you should have a smooth and lump-free mixture.
7) Line the baking pan with parchment paper (wet the bottom of the pan with some water to keep the paper in place). Pour in the mixture and level it with the back of a spoon. Bake the brownies in the middle rack for about 35 minutes. Do the toothpick test, which should come out perfectly dry. In this case, turn off the oven, immediately take out the dessert, and let it cool for a few hours to prevent it from breaking while cutting it into the classic small square shape. The inside will be moist and compact; I recommend letting the dessert rest and cool completely before enjoying it.
