Today we revisit, in a light version, so to speak, a classic of American pastry, namely brownies, soft and delicious chocolate finger food treats that literally melt in your mouth thanks to a considerable amount of butter. In my brownies, the butter is instead replaced with cream cheese like Philadelphia (even light works just fine). The result is amazing, delicious, irresistible. Not only are these treats very easy and quick to make, but they retain their fundamental characteristic of melting in the mouth. The height of the brownies depends on the pan used; mine is rectangular and measures 12 x 8.7 inches. Moreover, the brownies do not contain any leavening agents. If we have leftover chocolate from previous projects or Easter eggs, we can use it up by making these wonderful butterless 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
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3 Whole eggs
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 10.6 oz Cream cheese (also lactose-free)
- 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- as needed Orange zest
- as needed Vanilla
Preparation
1) Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof steel or glass bowl (in which we can then work all the other ingredients that need to be perfectly incorporated into the mixture) and melt it in a double boiler.
2) As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler, 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 has been absorbed, incorporate the cream cheese, drained of any excess whey. It won’t be necessary to add a pinch of salt, as is usually done for sweets, since cream cheeses are already slightly salty.
5) Add the slightly beaten eggs, sifted unsweetened cocoa, and mix; finally, add the sifted flour, incorporating it with a spatula, as the mixture will become a bit denser. In the end, we should have a smooth, lump-free mixture.
7) Line the pan with parchment paper (wet the bottom of the pan with water to keep the paper in place). Pour the mixture and level it with the back of a spoon. Bake the brownies on 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 remove the cake and let it cool for a few hours to prevent it from breaking when cut into the classic small square shape. The interior will be moist and compact; I recommend allowing the cake to rest and cool completely before enjoying it.
