Apologies and "Baked" Brownies with a Peanut Butter Swirl

Hello again! I know it has been centuries since I have posted on the blog so I should probably explain my absence.Unfortunately to begin with,my laptop decided to call it a day and hasn't been replaced since.Without a laptop I am reduced to using the family computer which is difficult to get hold of at the best of times.This really put me off blogging for a while,however I still checked in on all my favourite food blogs almost daily,annoyed that I too couldn't blog about the delicious things I had baked.In the end,I decided that blogging-if even just occasionally- was better then not blogging at all.Hopefully, I won't be disappearing again any time soon and I will be able to keep you updated with all my baking adventures!
And so to my first recipe now that I'm back blogging - and what a recipe it is indeed!If you have any kind of a serious interest in baking and indeed food blogging,then you are sure to have heard of "The Baked" brownie.This recipe hails from the very popular "Baked:New Frontiers in Baking" and has been touted all over the web as one of if not the best brownie recipes around.As a chocoholic and brownie lover,naturally,I was interested to try this recipe.Truth be told,my expectations were high for this brownie with such acclaim.Now,I don't know about you but I always find it very hard to abide by that rule in brownie recipes which states to "let the brownies cool completely before cutting".That to me is pure torture and I usually can resist no longer than half an hour before the temptation becomes too much.However,as my hopes were set so high for this recipe,I decided to do everything by the book (even if that did mean leaving the house to busy myself while the brownies cooled).Imagine my utter joy then, when I finally sliced into the slab of brownies resting on the kitchen counter.The top had that characteristic papery crust, while beneath lay some of the most deliciously fudgy brownies which I have encountered,possibly ever(16 years is long enough to have tasted more than my fair share of brownies).Although I deviated slightly from the original recipe by adding a peanut butter swirl,which,if you're wondering was delicious,I think these brownies would be best left as pure,unadulterated chocolate.
Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle - or possibly a drowning - of chocolate sauce,these were the perfect dessert.These are definite contenders for my go to brownie recipe and I can't recommend them enough.If you want the recipe,then you can find it here.I just omitted the crushed mints and the mint extract,and added a swirl of peanut butter.Happy baking,oh and I hope everyone has a nice long weekend!

TGIF:Chocolate Peanut Butter Tobelerone Cheesecake

Friday,finally.Seriously my favourite day of the week.My usual Friday would go something like this:

Watch clock impatiently as the last few minutes of class go on forever.Bell rings.Bolt out of classroom and fight off the melee of students who crowd around lockers.Get home,fling schoolbag into a corner,bulging with books for a weekends homework.Roll up sleeves,and launch into my chosen recipe.

Nothing sounds better to me frankly than the above statement.This week I had my mind set on making a cheesecake.I toyed with many different flavours,vanilla,lemon,chocolate hazelnut,baileys but just couldn't find a recipe that really called out to me.So I decided to improvise and came up with my own combination for the filling,and boy am I glad I did!Scroll down for a luscious recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Tobelerone Cheesecake(unless of course your on a diet...in that case you should probably stop reading.Like now.)

I know when some of you read the combination it will sound overly sweet and chocolaty.But I found that that just wasn't the case.Yes the cheesecake filling itself had quite a rich chocolaty filling but the added peanut butter cut through the chocolate so that it wasn't tooth achingly sweet.The tobelerone was a delicious add in,the little chewy bits of nougat a pleasant surprise  in an otherwise mousse like filling.So if your looking to make a cheesecake with a difference this weekend,give this recipe a second thought before you make your final decision.I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed ;)

For The Base

100g Butter

200g Biscuits(Digestives,Rich Tea,feel free to play around)

For The Filling

300g chocolate

100g peanut butter

250g full fat cream cheese

250g mascarpone cheese

250ml double cream

250g tobelerone,chopped

1.Start by making the base.In a food processor or using a rolling pin,blitz or crush the biscuits until you have fine crumbs.Melt the butter in the microwave and then add this to the biscuits.Stir to distribute the butter thoroughly.Press the biscuit mixture into an 20cm(8") round springform tin.Place in the fridge to set while you make the filling.

2.Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.Melt the peanut butter in the microwave in 20 second bursts until runny.Allow both to cool.

3.While these are cooling,place the mascarpone,double cream and cream cheese and beat using a wooden spoon until creamy and combined.

4.Add the melted chocolate and about three quarters of the melted peanut butter,reserving some to create the swirled effect on the top.Stir to combine making sure the mixture is uniform and the one colour.Add the chopped tobelerone and fold through.

5.Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top off with a spatula.Pour the reserved peanut butter over the top in a swirled pattern.Place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

6.Once ready to serve,remove the cheesecake from the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to cut.