SAMANTHA'S CHERRY CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

As those of you who follow my blogs know, my 8-year-old granddaughter is a baker.  Baking is her passion and she really is good at it.  I give her free reign in my kitchen (with supervision from grandma!) to bake to her heart is content.  Yesterday she tried something new, she calls it her Cherry Cream Cheese Brownies.  She saw a picture of something similar and wanted to make it.  Fortunately I had a box of brownie mix, a brick of cream cheese, and a can of cherry pie filling on hand.  Here is a picture of her creation and the recipe for making it. This is a copy of an old post. Samantha is not 15 and still baking!

1 box family-sized brownie mix

1/2 cup canola oil

3 eggs, barely beaten

1/4 cup water

1 brick (8-oz) cream cheese, softened

5 tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp white 100% whole-wheat flour

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 can (21-oz) cherry pie filling

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the brownie mix with the canola oil, the 3 eggs, and water together in a large mixing bowl. Do not make the brownie mix using the ingredients on the back of the box.

Spray an 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick canola or olive oil. Spread the brownie batter into the pan; set aside.

In another large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat in.  Add the 2 eggs, flour, and vanilla extract and mix until blended.  Using a large spoon, drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter.  Use a butter knife to cut through the cream cheese mixture to make a marbled pattern.

Mix the almond extract into the cherry pie filling.  Drop by tablespoonfuls over the top of the mixtures.

Place into the preheated oven and bake 45 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Brownie will be getting browned around the edge, do not over bake.

Cool before cutting.