Cheesecake Brownie Bites for Two

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a mini muffin tin that holds 12 mini muffins with oil very well. In a medium bowl, add the butter and chopped chocolate. Melt in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval. Once the chocolate is sufficiently melted into the butter, add 5 tablespoons of the sugar, ½ teaspoon of the vanilla and the instant espresso powder. Stir well, then set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the egg to the chocolate mixture and whisk very well. Add the flour mixture and stir gently to combine. Divide the mixture into the mini muffin tin. Next, whisk together the creamy cheese, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, heavy cream, and the last ¼ teaspoon of vanilla.

Dollop a bit of the cream cheese mixture over each mini brownie bite. Using a toothpick, swirl the cheesecake mixture into the brownie batter. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin. Run a knife around the edge of each brownie bite, then carefully move the bites to a wire rack to allow them to cool.