Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake Bars

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with aluminum foil, and then grease the foil.

For the brownies, place the butter, cocoa powder, coffee granules and sugar in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave until the butter is completely melted, stopping every 20 seconds to give it a stir. The mixture will be fairly thick. Stir for about a minute to cool the batter slightly, then beat in the egg. Beat the mixture until it is smooth, shiny and glossy. Mix in the flour and salt.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is just set. (When you insert a toothpick into the center, it won’t come out clean; you want it to be thickly coated with moist crumbs.) Remove from oven. Turn off the oven.

Let the brownies cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. You’ll only need about a third of the pan for the brownie cubes. Set aside the other two thirds to enjoy on their own! Cut the remaining third into ½-inch cubes.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Make the cheesecake crust. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, salt, and half of the vanilla. Press the crumbs into a smooth layer on the bottom of a lightly greased 8×8 baking pan.

Make the cheesecake filling. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the remaining half of the vanilla extract and then the eggs, until just combined. Fold in the sour cream, followed by the brownie cubes.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is just set, but still slightly jiggly. Let cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Brownie batter adapted from Alice Medrich’s cocoa brownies.