I’ve been craving for something chocolate for some time now. And when I say something chocolate, I mean something with rich chocolate frosting, filling or anything that is super rich in chocolate. I knew what I want from the start, but I keep on buying something with chocolate trying to convince myself that they could satisfy my craving… or let’s just say that’s an excuse (which is very obvious) so I can try something else before I finally admit that what I really crave is brownies.
But still, I want something else with brownies. Think! Think! Think! Then there’s my cousin:
Cousin: Hey, aren’t you going to eat your gingersnaps? The texture might be bad now, you know.
Me: Uh, I am gonna use that for something else (trying to sound convincing, though I really don’t know what else to do with gingersnaps-turned-soft cookies).
Cousin: What are you going to do?
Me: Something. (I want to tell my cousin to trust me, but I realized I cannot even trust my words. Ha!)
Then I thought of using the gingersnaps with the brownies. Maybe mix with the batter? Hmm, nope! A crust would be perfect so I wouldn’t call this “find the gingersnap brownies” And a naughty frosting would be amazing! 😀 You get the idea? Fudgy brownies with gingersnap crust and cream cheese frosting! I used a chocolate with 70% cocoa so this would not come super sweet. I also placed the brownies inside the fridge before eating them – they came out absolutely fantastic!
I hope you’ll enjoy these delicious bars as I bring them to this week’s Fiesta Friday #154. And I will be off to fill my head with some leafy greens and pineapple for the challenge. Don’t forget that the link for FF #154 is different from the Fiesta Friday Healthy Recipe Challenge – don’t be confused adding your link to the challenge when it’s meant to be for FF # 154.
And now, for the recipe:
Cream Cheese Frosted Gingersnap Brownies
Ingredients
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 200 g cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- gingersnap crumbs optional
For the gingersnap crust:
- 1 1/2 cup gingersnap crumbs
- 1/4 cup butter melted
For the brownies:
- 2 tbsp of warm water
- 1 tsp of instant espresso powder
- 140 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 200 g 70% cocoa chocolate melted
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
For the cream cheese frosting:
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Mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. You can use less sugar then do a taste test and adjust accordingly. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
For the gingersnap crust and brownies:
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 8x8 baking pan and place parchment paper or aluminum foil with hanging on the sides so it can be removed/lifted easier later on.
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In a bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and melted butter. Pour it evenly on the prepared pan and gently press them to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes while making your brownie batter.
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Mix the warm water and espresso powder in a small bowl and set aside.
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In a large bowl and using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and water-espresso mixture. Beat until all combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix again.
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Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl: cocoa powder, all-purpose flour and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
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Pour the batter evenly over the baked gingersnap crust and bake for about 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs, but not wet batter. (Check your brownies at 35 minutes of baking)
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Let it stay in the pan for about 20 minutes. Lift the foil/parchment paper and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
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Cut the brownies into bars.
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Frost the brownies with cream cheese and top with more gingersnap crumbs.
Recipe Notes
To make gingersnap crumbs, place them in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed.
Ovens differ from each other, so see what works on you. It takes about 15 minutes for my oven to reach 350 F (depending on how much heat it has). I used an oven with the fire from the bottom only so I always rotate the pan in the middle of baking.
These are best eaten after storing in the fridge.
I am using the UK measuring cups.
Have a sweet day, people! Always smile! 😉
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