Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Blueberry and Chocolate is not typically a combination I crave. Peanut butter and banana? Most definitely. Tomatoes and mozzarella? Everyday. Bacon and waffles? Oh YES. 

Anyway, awhile back I tried a blueberry brownie from a local bakery. It was good, but I missed the pure fudgy flavor I was used to. I didn't think I'd return to the combination again. 

But then for some reason last week, I couldn't get it out of my head. Chocolate and blueberries...but with a little something extra to tie them together. Cheesecake. That was it. I knew I had to try to get those flavors together into one mega awesome craving satisfying dessert. 

Here's how it worked. I started with the best chocolate brownies ever. Then I added a blueberry cheesecake swirl, and out came a Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie Bar. It blew my mind a little bit. And made me think that maybe this combination needs to be explored further. Blueberry Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes anyone? 

Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Yield: 1 13 x 9 in pan

Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com

For the brownies:

3 oz semisweet chocolate
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

For the cheesecake:

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 Tablespoons orange juice

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

For the brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 13 x 9 in square baking pan.

2. Place chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl that is small enough to fit inside another larger heat proof bowl. Put water in the larger bowl and bring to a simmer. Place bowl of chocolate inside bowl of simmering water and melt chocolate, stirring occasionally. (Basically, you're making your own double boiler).
3. Once chocolate and butter mixture is smooth, remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.4. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Gently stir in the flour until just combined. This could take 1 or 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. 

...MEANWHILE

For the cheesecake:

1. In a small saucepan, cook sugar, cornstarch, blueberries, and orange juice over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Cream together cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and mix. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. 

3. After the brownies have baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and pour cream cheese mixture over top. Spoon cooked blueberry mixture over top of cheesecake layer and swirl with a knife. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until no longer jiggly.

4. Allow to cool then put in fridge overnight or for at least 1 hour.