Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Big news #1: We are having another baby!!!!!!!!!

Yes, little man will be having a new sibling in February. In case your brain is melting from trying to do the math (or is that just me?), I will save you some trouble. They will be 16 months apart. At the same time that this is slightly intimidating for me to think about, I am SOOOO excited. My older sister and I were less than 14 months apart and we were best friends growing up so I'm hoping these two will be the same. I can't lie, I'm hoping it's a boy for little man's sake, but would also be super excited to have a girl. We will find out soon, but don't get excited, we will be keeping it a secret until the baby is born (sorry, I know it's evil, but Samuel insists).

Big news #2: We are moving to Wyoming!!!

Now that Samuel has finally conceded that Michigan is, in fact, the most beautiful state, my work here is done and we are ready for the next adventure.

And for slightly more practical reasons, Samuel's internship here is coming to an end and he has accepted a job in Laramie, helping this growing company to expand. So, here goes our first brave step into the food industry. Wish us luck!

The third big news item is THESE BROWNIES. I made them to lure in my sister and her boyfriend to come over and help us pack. I asked my sister what she wanted and she requested cherry cheesecake brownies, so here they are.

I actually just used the recipe for these Cheesecake Swirl Brownies I made a while back (one of my most popular posts ever), but used gluten free flour because... well. I needed them. The baby made me do it (oh yes, my old tricks haven't changed).

Samuel wouldn't touch them because he has an aversion to canned cherry pie filling apparently, but I, on the other hand, have a nostalgic love for canned cherry pie filling on cheesecake. The only thing that can improve it is when you add a big, fat, fudgy brownie to the mix.

• Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
• For the Brownies:
• 2 sticks of butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups of sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I actually used this gluten free mix)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I use these)
• For the cherry cheesecake :
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
• Grease a 9x13 in. pan. and preheat the panggangan to 350º.
• Melt the butter with the sugar in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until bubbly, whisking occasionally. Allow to cool for at least ten minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and flour and mix well to combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan.
• In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and egg.
• Make about 5 long trenches (long ways) in the batter with the end of a wooden spoon (or with your finger). Pour the cream cheese mixture over the trenches (it will overflow). Spoon the cherry pie filling between each strip of cheesecake.
• Take a knife and cut rows all the way through the batter the opposite direction of the trenches (or swirl however you think best).
• Bake for about 40 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve