Cheesecake Topped Brownies

Wow - this might be the best brownie recipe I have ever tried; served at a party, and everyone ate them right up, including an otherwise vegan, so that was really telling :) A few notes: 1) Other reviewers who suggested lining the pan with greased foil had a *great tip*: when it comes time to cut the brownies, it is so easy, with nothing broken or stuck in the pan. 2) Substitutions/changes: a) Used a dark chocolate brownie mix, and added 1/2 Tbsp Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) to batter; echoed in the cream cheese layer by adding 1 tsp there; b) Doubled the cheesecake layer - in a 9x13 pan, this allows the brownie and cheesecake layers to be about equal; c) for cheescake, used light neufchatel cheese and fat-free sweetended condensed milk - believe me, the end product is still rich and tasty, you won't notice that it's lighter; d) skipped the frosting; these are so tasty and satisfying that it didn't seem necessary. 3)In my oven, 45 minutes would have been too long - baked for 37, until lightly golden, and look for center of cheesecake to still be slightly jiggly; after cooling, allow to get cold in fridge before cutting - makes it so much easier, with no mess. Thanks for a great recipe!

These are really great brownies! Since some of the other reviews said there was too much chocolate, I melted half a bag of milk choc. chips and spread on top. Not only was the choc. not overwelming but since you have to store these in the frig if you reheat one you don't have to worry about the icing melting all over the place. Also I did nnot have a problem with the layers seperating, I used pilsbury fudge brownie mix and fat free(yes!)cream cheese. Not only are these tasty but they look very nice and professional. My VERY picky 4 yr old ate 2 of these. I am very impressed with this recipe and I will make these brownies many, many more time. Thank you Nancy!

Boy, is my husband's staff ever in for a treat tomorrow! These are just awesome, decadent good. I don't care for "prepared frosting" so I improvised a little for the topping. While the brownies were still warm, I sprinkled them with toasted chopped pecans and poured enough carmamel sauce over to cover. I stuck the pan in the fridge and when the caramel had set I drizzled the whole thing with a type of ganache - one cup of milk chocolate chips, about a tablespoon of butter, and a good splash of half and half (would have used heavy cream but I didn't have any). When cutting these, run your knife under hot water and dry before each cut for the neatest, "clean cut" brownies. Pretty to look at and even better to eat!

Excellent recipe! Instead of frosting, I topped this with: 6oz chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter- melt over low heat, then pour over brownies and refrigerate. This topping is much easier to cut then frosting and very tasty! Excellent brownies- I will be making these again!

VERY GOOD, but very sweet and rich! try omitting the frosting and cut the cheesecake topping into the brownie with a knife before cooking to give it a swirled effect. Or try adding chocolate chips to the cheesecake mixture instead of frosting

Fantastic dessert! I used No Pudge Brownie mix (fat free) and reduced fat cream cheese without any trouble. After reading about problems cutting squares, I lined my pan with foil and sprayed it with oil. After it baked and cooled, I lifted out the brownies and iced them. Then I replaced them in the pan and refrigerated them until the icing set. I took them out on foil again and cut the squares with a pizza cutter. Worked like a charm!

FIVE STARS IS NOT ENOUGH! You must try this recipe. I did not have any problems at all with this. I used a Fudge brownie mix from Duncan Hines, followed the cheesecake recipe exactly, except added 1 tsp lemon juice for some tang (oh yes, and low fat cr. cheese) and made my own fudge frosting with 2/3 C unsweetened cocoa pwdr, 3 C pwdr sugar 1 tsp vanilla and enough milk (anout 1/3 C) to make it easy to spread. Got ABSOLUTE rave reviews. I would not double the cheesecake, it is roughly the same amt as the brownie. Oh yes, and I would recommend less cooking time, mine only took about 30 minutes. You'll love this one!

YUM! I made these for my Girl Scout troop and their families for a get-together. They were gobbled up and I was asked for the recipe immediately. I chose to put the brownie mixture into muffin cups and then swirled the cheesecake layer with the brownie layer before baking. They were delicious and moist. They were SO good, I took another batch with me to my Bunko group 4 days later and again received lots of compliments. Thanks Nancy!

I've made this recipe a couple of times so far and I'm about to make it again today...it's great. So easy, so good. Some things I'd like to mention--I never had the layers separate like some others have posted, but that may be due to chilling them before eating them. I love them cold, especially with the frosting. Also, I agree that using the dark and fudgy brownie mix keeps it together better, and tastes better. Ms. Gervasi, if you made up this recipe all by yourself, you're one smart cookie. P.S.--of course it's "not a cheesecake, not a brownie"...it's both! That's the point..;)

Don't try to make them thicker or they will never cook in the middle :) When using the correct pan, they are wonderful!