These brownies can be plated as an elegant dessert with homemade chocolate and caramel sauce, or simply eaten with a cold glass of milk - either way, they are some of the most decadent brownies you will ever taste! My mom got the recipe for "Bodacious Brownies" from a magazine years ago and we've been making them for special occasions ever since - even won a baking contest with them. Enjoy!

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You will need:
For the Brownies:
4 (1-oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
4 (1-oz) squares semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup butter or margarine
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
6 large eggs, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (9 oz) semisweet chocolate morsels, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Optional: Vanilla Ice cream, caramel sauce and chocolate sauce (recipes follow), and grated chocolate for garnish

For the chocolate sauce:
1 cup whipping cream
8 (1-oz) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the caramel sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt

Step 2: Melt the Chocolate and Start the Oven

Microwave the first 3 ingredients (4 oz unsweetened chocolate, 4 oz semisweet chocolate, and 1/3 cup butter) in a 1-quart microwave safe bowl 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Batter

Beat the cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, then fold in 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 cup chocolate morsels. Set aside.

Step 4: Make the Chocolate Batter

Beat remaining 4 eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, mixing well. Add chocolate mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla and beat until blended.
Combine 1 cup of flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold this flour mixture into chocolate batter and stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate morsels.

Step 5: Layer the Batters

Set aside about 3 cups of the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter into a greased 13x9-inch pan. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate batter. Top with the reserved chocolate batter and swirl with a knife.

Step 6: Bake the Brownies

Bake the brownies at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook these brownies!

Step 7: Make the Caramel Sauce

It's easy to whip up a batch of this caramel sauce while the brownies are cooking! In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then add the sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Gradually add the cream, vanilla, and salt, while stirring. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Remove from heat. (This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce.)

Step 8: Make the Chocolate Sauce

Melting chocolate can be a bit tricky, but be careful to follow the instructions and this recipe should work out well for you!
Bring the cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted. (This recipe makes 1 3/4 cups of chocolate sauce.)

Step 9: Plate Your Masterpiece!

Of course there's no right or wrong way to plate this dessert - no matter what you do, it will taste amazing!

This is my favorite way to serve them:
Start by spooning a generous amount of the caramel sauce into the dish. Place a square brownie on top of the caramel sauce. Use a syringe or dropper or whatever you have lying around to make small chocolate dots around the brownie.

Next, run the tip of a toothpick through the center of all the dots, making a circle around the brownie. This will create beautiful heart shapes in the chocolate!

Finish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the brownie, and add some chocolate shavings on top (because you can never have too much chocolate)!