Chunky Cheesecake Chocolate Brownies (flourless-Gluten free)

Dark, fudgy, brownie, with soft gooey chocolate bits dotted throughout a delightfully creamy cheesecake centre-could there be a more moorish brownie recipe out there? This incredibly effortless and elegant gluten free, flourless brownie is sure to woo guests for morning tea, afternoon tea or dessert alike.With its two toned, creamy swirled design on the top, and lines of fudge chocolate brownie pulled through the cheesecake centre, this is simply an irresistible dessert. Best of all, it's also gluten free for those who are intolerant, and also freezes well for the times that you are too busy to bake. It's a new favourite, and has guests clamoring for more. Ooh la la!

FLOURLESS CHUNKY CHEESECAKE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (Adapted from All Recipes)

12oz (1.5 packet) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 175C (350F). Grease a 9in pan, and line with baking paper.
Combine the softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup of the white sugar. an one egg in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, then stir through 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a microwave proof bowl, place the remaining cup of chocolate chips with the butter. Heat or 20 second intervals on high, stirring in between, until smooth and glossy. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, and baking powder and salt.
Spread half of this mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth so that it covers the bottom. Then spread the whole cream cheese mixture over the top of this chocolate layer. Top with the remaining chocolate mixture (This does not have to completely cover the cream cheese.) Using a knife, swirl the top layer of chocolate into the cream cheese to create a marbled pattern. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the sides are firm and the top crinkled. The centre will remain softer than the outer and will firm up on  refrigeration once cool. Cut into squares after chilling, and serve.

NOTES: These brownies also freeze well.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Biscuits

Okay this post comes with a little warning. I'm about to get a bit ooey gooey about my husband.
Besides being able to cook, he's a fabulous cook. That's a quality I always wanted when I thought of a husband, before I was married to this gem. I'm a firm believer of men cooking, especially when there's a wife and family to look after. It's wonderful to not "have" to cook, and my husband is more than happy to get in there--in fact, he loves it!
So all my boys as well as the girls will be able to cook, at least the basics. How to fry and boil an egg, cook pasta, bake a cake, cook a roast, you name it, they will be capable when they move out of home. I'm going to make great catches out of my kids--they can thank me when they're happily married. (Besides, who is going to make my birthday cake and Mother's Day cake every year?)
Anyway, my son Ben is almost two years old now, and has already shown an interest in cooking. Mind you, he cooks up army men stew, a cake made of dinosaurs and toy cars. He stirs it with a spoon from the kitchen and then goes around asking the other members of the house to "taste".
He often asks to "cook".
So this morning Ben and I took a large glass bowl and put it on the kitchen floor, and got cooking. It was the perfect recipe to make with him because he has such a short attention span, and it was quick and easy. You should have seen the pride on his face when he saw the tray come out of the oven with biscuits on it! This is what we made.

SUPER EASY FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER BISCUITS (from cooks.com)

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1  tsp honey (optional, but recommended if your dough it too dry)

Set the oven at 180C. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well incorporated. Place spoonfuls on a greased and lined baking try, and gently press with a fork. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12-16, depending how much dough the kids eat!

NOTES: this recipe can turn out a little differently depending on the peanut better brand and type used. If you find your mixture is dry, add a spoonful of honey and stir through to give a little life and some extra flavour.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Cherryripe

First of all, I would like to announce, we have a winner of our great cookbook give away! Frances from WA has won herself a lovely cookbook that will be posted out to her within the week. Congratulations Frances!
Now for the sticky business of the kitchen.
I've always wanted to make one of those super moist flourless chocolate cakes everyone raves about. I was a bit nervous to be baking without flour, and to be honest it reminded me (with a certain sinking dread) of making souffles. Yes, the cake did sink like my souffles, but didn't affect the taste or the look of the cake (I think it just cooled down too quickly).
Well, I can assure you, I thought this recipe ticked all the right boxes. As expected, it was deliciously fudgy and the rich and utterly satisfying chocolate smell lingered in the house until the cake was "removed" and ingested. One word: delicious.
I can no longer possibly feel sorry for gluten intolerant souls. The question is, does chocolate contain gluten? Someone will have to fill me in there. Meanwhile, enjoy a piece of this heavenly flourless chocolate cake topped with cherry ripe and chocolate sauce!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHERRY RIPE (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine Oct 2011)

250g butter, chopped
400g dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal
100g cherry ripe bar, crumbled
extra cocoa powder and melted chocolate to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C, and line and grease a 8cm x 22cm springform cake tin.
Melt the butter and the chocolate  either in the microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring to ensure it is well combined and melted thoroughly.
Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, out the yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl and beat until thick. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture, then stir in the almond meal.
Beat the egg whites in a separate large, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until well incorporated. Add a large spoonful of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture and fold to combine. Carefully fold in the remaining mixture until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Place the tin on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes. Then loosely cover the cake with aluminium foil and bake for a further 35-40 minutes until a skewer, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out with moist crumbs attached. Set aside to cool before removing from the pan. Liberally dust with the extra cocoa powder and cut into 8-10 pieces. Decorate each piece with crumbled cherry ripe bar and a drizzling of melted chocolate.