Nutella Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Pre heat oven to 350F.

Grease and line an 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray and parchment paper. The parchment paper makes it so much easier to get the brownies out of the pan so you can cut them.

Prepare cream cheese topping first: Using a hand held mixer or Kitchen Aide, cream together 2 Tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon flour. Add 4 ounces of cream cheese and mix/blend until smooth. Scrape bowl and add the egg and beat until the topping is nice and creamy. Scrape bowl and add Nutella, beat about one minute or until the Nutella is mixed into the cream cheese mixture completely.

Set topping aside and mix brownie batter.

For the brownie batter: Sift 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder into a medium sized bowl.

In a small bowl cream butter, eggs and 1 cup sugar, adding one egg at a time, beat well, then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Fold creamed mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Now let me warn you. You are going to think that there isn’t enough brownie batter. Don’t worry there is. I promise.

Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter into the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish. This is the size pan I used. You could also use a brownie pan which I think is about 8 or 9 x 11.

The brownie batter is very thick. Spray a spatula with cooking spray. It makes spreading the batter into the corners of the pan so much easier!

On top of the brownie batter spread 3/4 of the cream cheese topping.

Randomly dollop the remaining brownie batter and cream cheese topping over the layer of cream cheese topping. Swirl with a toothpick or the tip of a knife.

Bake at 350F for 40 to 50 minutes. If you like your brownies a bit gooey then bake them for 40 minutes. For a dense cake like center bake for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!