Orange Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

September 24, 2013 12 Comments

Orange Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

I LOVE brownies and I LOVE cheesecake…putting the two together is absolute heaven.  These little gems are SO tasty and fairly easy to make.  I have made them with both regular sugar and Swerve (erythritol) and they have turned out great both ways.  They also work nicely in a mini-muffin cup for an even smaller bite-sized treat.  I have not tried them in anything but the silicone liners though so I’m not sure how they’d do in a paper liner…I think they have enough fat in them that they would slip right out but I can’t say for sure.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Ingredients

Orange Cheesecake Layer:
  • 1 Tbsp. orange zest
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or your favorite sweetener (or powdered sugar 1:1 swap)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. orange flavor extract
Brownie Layer:
  • 8 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener or your favorite sweetener (or granulated sugar 1:1 swap)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and set 16 silicone muffin cups on a large baking sheet.
  2. For the cheesecake layer, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered erythritol (or sugar) until smooth. Beat in egg until well combined.  Add orange zest and orange flavor extract and beat until smooth and well mixed. Set aside.
  3. For the brownie layer, in a medium sauce pan, melt butter and coconut oil over low heat, add cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Stir in erythritol (or sugar) and vanilla extract. Let cool 10 minutes.
  4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
  5. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of brownie batter into the bottom of each muffin cup.
  6. Spoon 1 Tbsp. cheesecake mixture over top and use a toothpick to swirl layers together, bringing some of the brownie mixture to the surface.
  7. Bake 20 minutes, or until sides are set and the middle is just barely jiggling. Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Orange Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes 2

This recipe is an adapted from All Day I Dream About Food’s Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.

Shared at:

Gluten Free Tuesday, 5 Ingredient Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Wednesday Extravaganza

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Almond Butter Brownie Bites

July 9, 2012 8 Comments

I love chocolate.  My dad loves chocolate.  We both admittedly have a little problem with chocolate portion control…so we love any recipe for a treat that is small and bite-sized (and therefore “naturally” portion controlled) but still packs a satisfying punch!

This year for Father’s Day I made a variation of this recipe from All Day I Dream About Food and it was a huge hit.  It’s rich and chocolatey and one (ok, maybe two) will satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth.  We have had an unusual few weeks here in Colorado Springs with the Waldo Canyon Fire and my parents have been staying with me due to the evacuations…we decided we needed a sweet treat and these babies fit the bill perfectly…we could enjoy without over-indulging!

Now, when I say “naturally” portion-controlled…that statement can only be true if you don’t eat all of them in one sitting…I’m proud to say that I made these on June 30th and we still have four in the fridge!

Almond Butter Brownie Bites (makes 16)

Brownies:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup almond butter

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 tsp. liquid stevia

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 Tbsp. coconut palm sugar

2 Tbsp. cacao powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk

Frosting:

1 oz cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. almond butter

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

2 packets stevia (or 2 Tbsp. maple syrup or coconut sugar)

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cakes, preheat the oven to 280F and grease 16 cups of a mini-muffin pan.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, almond butter and chocolate together over low heat and stir until smooth. Add stevia and vanilla extracts and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together coconut flour, coconut palm sugar and cocoa, breaking up clumps with the back of a fork. Add the chocolate mixture and stir to combine (will be very thick). Stir in eggs, one at a time, and then coconut milk until mixture thins out somewhat and becomes a smooth batter.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Because the batter is quite thick, you will need to press the batter into the cups using the back of a spoon. Smooth the tops.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are just set and the middle is firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tins.

For the frosting, beat cream cheese, almond butter and cream together until smooth. Stir in vanilla and stevia. Pipe or spread onto brownie bites.

Bet you can’t eat just one…

This recipe is shared at:

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fight Back Friday, Fat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,
%d bloggers like this: