Go Ahead Add Some Cheddar to Your Brownies
I love the brownie box mix . I think it is very difficult to make a brownie that tastes better than a Ghirardelli dark chocolate blend, especially when you consider the price and the amount of effort required. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like refining the mix – part of the fun with using mixes is that they give you complete riffing freedom. So when I saw these Food52 cheddar cakes , I knew I had to make them – or at least some version of them – my own.
As myself, I did not make cheddar cakes from scratch, but instead mixed aged bleached cheddar with Ghirardelli batter (replacing vegetable oil with olive oil and water for coffee, as is my custom).
It turns out that chocolate and cheese isn’t just the title of a very good Ween album, it’s a fantastic combination of flavors if you choose cheese carefully. As author and podcast host Katie Quinn explains, you want to use “mature cheddar because of its crystallized structure, which not only breaks into pieces more easily, but also takes on a caramel flavor when baked.” So skip crafting (and maybe tillamook to be honest) and grab something old and crumbly. Murray’s aged cheddar worked well for me, but I bet that aged gouda or Norwegian brown cheese will work as well.
I used a little less cheese than Katy suggests – about 5 ounces in batter and half an ounce on top – but only because the box of the mix gives less yield than her homemade recipe. I added the last half ounce in the middle of the bake to keep the brownies long enough to brown and crisp around the edges.
These cakes are new and interesting, but don’t be intimidated by that. The pieces of salty, hot cheddar inside the dough become soft and slightly chewy and, as promised, a little caramelized, almost like a salty cheese fudge; the cheese gets a little crunchy on top, offering a nice textured counterpoint. If you are a fan of cream cheese brownies, this is the next logical step in the evolution of your brownie. They are less creamy, more aromatic and sophisticated, and just as enjoyable. Try adding some cheddar to your next serving. If you’re a fan of chocolate, cheese, and a mix of salty and sweet, this could be your new favorite addition.