Heather's Bytes

Much to my family’s appreciation, I’ve got a lot of brownie mix sitting in my pantry. However, if I know them they’re going to get pretty bored with the same brownies for dessert night week after week (well, I would too), so for tonight’s dessert night I’m using one of my favorite add-ins: cream cheese. Read More

I love the combination of sweet and tangy, especially when it comes to baking. When I saw this recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes making the rounds last summer, I immediately checked my cupboards to make sure I had the ingredients, thanked the universe that I did, and then made them.

They are very good, but I found that the cream cheese and chocolate seemed to fade into each other, without getting a kick of flavor out of either one. The next time I make these I’m going to play around a little bit and maybe add some sour cream to the cream cheese mix to see if that’ll bring it up a bit.

The cupcakes stayed moist in the fridge with plastic wrap and were devoured within two days. This particular version of the recipe comes from Worth Her Salt.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 c sugar
1/8 t salt
1 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c water
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 t vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

~ In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

~ In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.

~ Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

 Print this recipe!

I made this for the twins’ birthday breakfast this year and it was a huge hit. Cream cheese, cinnamon, pecans, gooey sauce, what could beat that?

Surprise Pull Apart Bread

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (1 stick) melted butter
1/3 c maple syrup
1 tube (14 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

Sprinkle pecans into a greased 10-inch bundt cake pan. In a small bowl, mix 2 Tb butter and maple syrup until well blended, pour over pecans in pan. Set aside.

Separate biscuits and cut in half (create a half circle). Then cut in half horizontally (slice through the center to get two half circles) – you should have about 32 pieces. Flatten each cut biscuits a bit with your fingers. Place remaining melted butter in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.

Cut cream cheese into 32 cubes and roll in sugar mixture. Place one cube in center of each piece of dough, and fold up dough around cream cheese to seal tightly. Dip one side of each biscuit in the butter, than in the sugar mixture. Place in bundt pan sugar-side up.

Pour remaining butter over top and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.

cream cheese surprise!