Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

This dessert is fast, and really easy.

Chocolate and cherry is probably my favorite sweet combination - and this brownie does it wonderfully.

Step 1: Ingredients

For the Brownie:

- Brownie Mix, just for speed and laziness (but you can absolutely make your favorite brownies)

- Whatever your brownie mix requires

- 16oz jar of Maraschino Cherries - chopped into pieces (I just cut them in fourths)

** It's probably best to avoid mixes where you add fudge packets, or caramel, or anything soft and liquidy if you're planning on cutting these into shapes

**Also, in place of the water or milk in the mix, we're going to add juice from the cherries, so the more water your mix needs, the more cherry taste you can add.

For the Cheesecake:

- 8oz Cream Cheese, softened

- 1 egg

- 1/2c. White Sugar

- The other part of the Cherries from the brownies

*optional* - a drop or two of red food dye to make it cherry pink

For Decorating:

This is pretty much whatever you want or have on hand.

I used some chocolate coating, pink chocolate wafers, gel icings, red sprinkles, candy hearts, etc.

Step 2: Mixing, Mixing, Mixing...

Mix your brownie mix according to the instructions on the back EXCEPT substitute cherry juice from your maraschino cherries for any milk or water.

Add in about half of your cherries (without juice!)

For the cheesecake, combine your cream cheese and sugar. Then add the egg. Mix in the rest of your cherries, and enough red food coloring to make it pink.

Step 3: Assemble!

Preheat your oven (according to box), and oil your brownie pan.

Pour your brownie mixture in first, and try to smooth it somewhat evenly.

For the cheesecake mixture, you can add it one of two ways.

- - - First is adding blobs of the mixture to the to of the brownies, then swirling it with a knife.

- - - Second is making a full layer of the cheesecake. If you do this, make sure to smooth the cheesecake as you add it - otherwise it sinks into the brownie mixture, and you end up with swirls anyway.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. So far, I haven't found that the cheesecake adds more than a couple minutes to the baking time listed on the brownie box.

Step 4: Cool, Cut, Coat

Cool completely. If you're going to be cutting them into shapes, put them in the fridge to get them nice and cold.

Cut out your shapes and set them on parchment paper. If your brownies are thicker than your cookie cutters, you can press in the cookie cutter a little, then take it away and use a thin knife to trace the imprint left.

**If you're dipping these, put them back in the fridge for a few minutes. Otherwise, the warm chocolate makes them break and crumble.

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Coat I like to dip half into white chocolate - let set - then dip the other half into dark chocolate. Not only is dipping half at a time WAY easier than trying to neatly dip an entire brownie, it looks cool!

After these are coated in chocolate, you can decorate them however you want!