Gluten-free Cheesecake Brownies

Gluten-free Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
* 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (if bars, chopped; if discs, as is)
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 extra-large eggs
* 2/3 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
* 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
* 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 12 ounces cream cheese (one and one-half packages), softened
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 extra-large egg
* 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening or unsalted butter, then line with crisscrossed strips of parchment paper, allowing them to overhang the sides slightly (to make it easier to remove the bars after baking). Set the baking dish aside.
2. In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate for 30 seconds at a time on high power, stirring in between intervals, until smooth and shiny. Add the 1 cup sugar to the chocolate and the 3 eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder, and mix to combine.
3. Pour the brownie batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, and shake to evenly distribute the batter. Place in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 15 minutes, until shiny and nearly set. It is better to underbake the brownies than to overbake them, since they will go back in the oven.
4. While the brownies are baking, in a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until well-combined. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix just until blended.
5. Once the brownie layer has come out of the oven, cool slightly and pour the cheesecake mixture over the top and shake to evenly distribute the batter. Return the pan to the center of the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is almost set. Again, better to underbake rather than overbake.
6. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the sides, and allow to cool in the pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to overnight.
7. Remove the pan from the refrigerator, slice into squares with a wet, serrated knife and serve chilled.

Notes

If you don’t have extra-large eggs, just select the largest ‘large’ eggs in the bunch.
I have not tested this recipe with nondairy substitutes for the cheesecake ingredients. Proceed at your own risk – and then tell us how it went in the comments!
Remember – bean flour blends, despite the fact that they may call themselves “all-purpose,” are NOT, in fact, all-purpose flour blends. They will NOT behave the same as true all-purpose gluten-free flour blends.