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The lovely members of my Facebook Keto Group "Mama Julie Cooks Keto" asked for a brownie recipe. The first thing that came to my mind was the brownies I used to eat with a cheesecake swirl in them!!! I was thinking, how I wished they had more cheesecake in them. I asked my group which would you rather have, a cheesecake with brownie swirl or a brownie with cheesecake swirl? Normally, when I ask these questions there is a clear winner but for the first time ever we had ourselves a tie. So I would like to show you how to do both.
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
16 oz. cream cheese - 2 standard size blocks
2 eggs
2 egg yolks ( save the whites for an omelette or whatever you want )
2 tsp. vanilla stevia or vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cake batter extract
1 cup Lakanto Monkfruit - confectioners variety
Everyone likes different degrees of sweetness. You may also find that the longer you reduce your carbs the less sweet you will like things. You might want to combine all the ingredients except the eggs and monk fruit, then slowly add in the monk fruit until you reach the desired sweetness. After your satisfied with the degree of sweetness, then add in your eggs. I don't want you to sample raw eggs. Set this mixture aside and next we can make the brownie mixture.
FOR THE BROWNIE MIXTURE:
2 2/3 cup super fine almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 - 11/2 cup Lakanto Monkfruit ( confectioners )
2 sticks of butter melted
1/3 cup coconut butter
2 tsp salt
8 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3.5 oz sugar free low carb dark chocolate ( I will show you the brand I use down below )
The above brownie mixture recipe is what I used when I wanted to make brownies with cheesecake swirl. If you want to make more of a cheesecake with a little brownie swirl in it, you will want to cut the above recipe in half, as you will not need nearly as much brownie mixture.
Above is one of the low carb chocolates, that I use most often. I get the best deal at Walmart. I like it because as far as low carb chocolates go it has one of the lowest carb counts of any I have found ( 5 carbs per 30 g and there are 3.5 servings in the entire bar ) and it has very little bitterness like some other chocolates. If you have one that you like please feel free to let me know.
I did so many experiments with this recipe. I did every variation that I could think of. Regardless of which variation I made, I baked them at 350 F. The times will vary depending on what size dish or ramekin you use. I have to say I really enjoyed making the smaller ones because they were in nice portion sizes that I could stash in the fridge for my family for the upcoming week and they only took 30-40 minutes to cook.
TIPS AND TRICKS AND MISC. MAMA JULIE NOTES:
I wouldn't make these too thick or deep. I think 2-3 inches would be the max. Why? Well, if you put your batter in a dish that is too tall or deep, thus making your batter really thick the center will not have time to cook before the top turns brown and over cooks.
If your going to do a version that is predominantly cheesecake with a little brownie swirl ( my favorite ), you might want to apply what is called the water bath technique or the Bain-Marie method. This is where you place your ramekins in a deep enough pan that you can add an inch or so of water to the main pan and then place your ramekins in. Alternately, if its easier for you, you can place your ramekins in the pan and then pour the water in the main pan. Either way what this does is promote a moist environment and an environment where things will cook more evenly and this will help prevent cracking in cheesecakes. Now if you do not care about a cracked cheesecake then skip this step!
When filling your ramekin, remember to leave plenty of head space or space at the top of the dish. These will puff up and spill over the top if you over fill them.
This is the brand of keto sweetener I use. For this recipe however, I recommend you get the confectioners versions not the classic. I tried both and the classic did not give as creamy of a texture. Some of it seemed to remain in tact even after cooking and gave a more gritty texture.
