K’s Kitchen: Winning Kahlua brownies

By Kathryn Reed

Eating well and eating healthfully are two completely different things.

My tennis team eats well. We bring an array of edibles to each home match to share with our opponents.

On Sunday I chose to bring the sweet treat. I had made the brownies the night before, but had not sampled them until the morning of the match. A brownie is probably not the usual breakfast of champions, but it worked on this particular day. I’m thinking I might have to make this a ritual since I won and this was the team’s first win of the season.

And these are no ordinary brownies. They don’t come from a box and they involve liquor. I tend to put more Kahlua in than what is called for.

They take longer to bake at higher elevations.

Kahlua Brownies

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

½ C, plus 2 T butter

1 pound cream cheese, softened

½ C sifted powdered sugar

6 eggs

1 C, plus 2 T all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C granulated sugar

½ C brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

3 T Kahlua (give or take, mostly give)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Melt chocolate and 6 T butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Cream remaining butter and cream cheese in a medium bow. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 eggs, 2 T flour and vanilla. Set aside.

Beat 4 eggs until light. Gradually add sugars, beating until well combined and thickened. Combine 1 C flour, baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture, beating well. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture and Kahlua.

In prepared pan, spread two-thirds of the chocolate batter. Spoon cream cheese over chocolate, then top with remaining chocolate batter.

Swirl batter with a knife to marble.

Bake 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.