Recipe: Mocha Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies are a tried-and-true classic and delicious on their own. But sometimes your sweet tooth seeks out something more than just chocolate. These brownies combine two tasty desserts into one, and they are very easy to prepare. The longest step in the process was letting the brownies cool off before putting the topping on.

This dessert may look very sugary, but most of the sweetness comes from the brownie itself. The cheesecake layer is rich and offers more flavor to elevate the dessert. There are many ways to customize this dessert as well – different flavored puddings can be swapped in if you’re looking for a particular flavor, and the cream cheese or Cool Whip could easily be colored to fit in with a festive celebration. //

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 3.4 oz box vanilla pudding
• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 16 oz container Cool Whip, thawed
• ½ cup hot water
• Cocoa powder

Directions

1.  Bake brownies according to the package directions and let cool completely.
2. Dissolve instant coffee in warm milk, then whisk in pudding mix.
3. Beat the cream cheese in another bowl until it is creamy, then add sour cream and beat the mixture on low speed.
4. Gently fold in half the Cold Whip.
5. Spread the pudding mixture on top of the brownies, then top with the remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate until it is time to serve, and dust with cocoas powder before serving.