the brownies at night are big and bright

It's been super cold in our house lately due to the incoming fall weather. And being the cheap college students that we are, we just put on our heat today...after living in a multitude of layers for two days straight. And downing steaming hot tea. All I can say is thank God for heating...

Anyway, I've been having a lull in my classes lately, which is totally amazing. So I've been taking full advantage of the lull by getting ahead with studying, of course, and.......by baking! :) I dug up some leftover cream cheese in my fridge, and thought it would taste delicious swirled up into a chocolate brownie. Oh, and swirl in some raspberry preserves in there, too, while you're at it.
So props to Anita for giving me this adorable baking pan!!! She spent the summer in Texas as an intern. Basically, she brought a lot of Texas back with her, in both gift and cooking-form. Anita's always making Texas-inspired foods...like breakfast tacos and fish tacos for dinner. And they always smell crazy-delicious, and she makes me want to eat some. But anyway, I thought these impromptu brownies would look adorable baked into star-form. Oh, and P.S. This picture above...it's for you, Leah. ;)

Ohhh...look at that swirlage going on there.

And there... So these ended up coming out decently good, but next time, I'd add more flour to the brownie part, since I had to recook them since they weren't done even after 50 minutes. Eeep. However, these were delicious, just the same.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
6 tbsp. butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Prepare cream cheese mixture: cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in milk. Place dollops of cream cheese mixture and raspberry preserves over batter and swirl into pretty pattern with butter knife.

Bake about 50-60 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs...do not overbake! Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares and chow down.