Jan’s Famous Cream Cheese Brownies

1. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Blend in egg. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

3. Melt butter over low heat or in a microwave. Scrape into a medium bowl. Add cocoa powder and stir until well blended. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition. Stir in vanilla, then flour and salt. Stir until just blended. Do not overmix! Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

4. Turn into prepared pan, leveling surface.

5. Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over the top of the batter. Lightly cut through batter with knife first in vertical lines and then in horizontal lines for marbled effect. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cream cheese topping just begins to brown around the edges.

7. Cool in pan. Cut into 24 or 32 bars.
   
   

Brownie recipe variation*

1. Omit the chocolate chips from the brownie batter.

2. For the cream cheese topping, use two 8 oz. bars of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 2 eggs.

3. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter, covering the brownie batter completely.

4. Heat 1/3 cup of seedless raspberry jam in the microwave until smooth. Let cool slightly and stir. Then drop dollops of jam all over the cream cheese layer.

5. Using a knife, make vertical lines and then horizontal lines through the jam and cream cheese mixture, creating a marbled effect.

6. Dot the top with about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

7. Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes, until the cream cheese layer starts to turn light golden brown and a toothpick inserted through the brownie layer comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.