Cream Cheese Banana Brownies

[pepperhead212]

Here's that recipe in the brownie forum, as you suggested, @GotGarlic :

Today is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day! I normally don't make things like that, unless I'm taking it somewhere - otherwise, I eat them all in a short amount of time! But I decided to make some for myself, with my BD coming up, plus, I had two 8 oz full fat cream cheese left from something I didn't make to go somewhere, because someone got sick. Plus, I had (as usual) 4 ultra ripe bananas, so I made up a recipe, as I went along. I've made enough brownies, through the years, that I got the dry goods, and other proportions right, adding only 6 oz of dark brown sugar - the bananas was most of the sweetness. Here's the recipe I made up, as I went along. Haven't tasted them yet, but oooooohhh they smell good baking!

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, and 2 oz butter, melted together (most fat in this is in the cream cheese)

4 super ripe bananas
6 oz dark brown sugar
16 oz full fat cream cheese, softened
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp sal

I first puréed the bananas in the food processor, then added the sugar, and after that liquefied, added the cream cheese, and mixed that in, followed by the eggs, one by one, and the vanilla and salt. After scraping the FP a couple times, and mixing it all in, I set that aside, while getting everything else ready.

I lined a 9x13 pan with some NS foil, then got the dry ingredients together.

Sift together:
3/4 c WW flour
1/2 c whole rye flour
3 tb Dutch cocoa

I then whisked the warm chocolate and butter together, then gradually added the banana/cream cheese mix in. Then I folded the dry ingredients in, along with about 1¼ c chopped walnuts. I spread it into the pan, then baked in a 300° convection oven (would have done 350° in my regular oven) for 40 minutes - toothpick came out clean - then took out to cool on a rack. I'll stick it on my back porch - not quite as cold as refrigerator, but about 45°, which should cool it enough to cut. It will be one of those gooey, fudgy types - not the cake brownie, that has more flour in it.
Cream cheese added to the banana purée, before mixing with the sugar and eggs. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chocolate, melted with the small amount of butter, before mixing with the purée. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The whole grain flours, sifted with a little Dutch cocoa, before folding in, with the walnuts. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cream cheese brownies, ready to go into the oven. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cream cheese brownies, just out of the oven. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I cut the brownies the next day, and the bananas were definitely more noticeable in the flavor than cream cheese, but this didn't surprise me - I've made a number of different cream cheese brownie recipes, but the chocolate would cover the cheese flavor, unless the chocolate amount was fairly low, which I don't usually do in brownies (or anything!). I made this up just to use that cheese and those bananas.

I froze 20 of them - 4 packs in foil - and kept a dozen out. I might have some help eating a few.
Cut banana cream cheese brownies, showing the edge of one, like fudge. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And no, I didn't finish off all of those brownies on 2-13, despite it being Fat Tuesday!

 

[taxlady]

I notice there is no leavening, other than possibly the eggs. Is that part of making them the fudgy type?

Another question, you wrote "whole rye flour". Are they selling rye flour that is not whole grain? I have the impression that you can get spelt flour in Denmark that is not whole grain.

 

[pepperhead212]

TL, I never put leavening to brownies, which is why they are always gooey and fudgy, at least the ones I bake! Most of them have to be refrigerated, before cutting, or they stick to the knife!

As for the whole rye, I was just using that, and the whole wheat, so I wouldn't be using white flour, not that it is really that nutritious, just from that! And sometimes, with things like this, I put some rye in, just to reduce the gluten, when stirring. If you can even find rye flour around here, medium rye has had a lot removed from it, and is much lighter in color, dark rye is better, but still has part of those berries removed. Whole rye - sometimes termed pumpernickel, but this term is often misused - has the whlole, hulled berry ground. I know similar things are done with so called "whole" wheat flour, where it is 80%, or different percentages of whole wheat (I think more germ and/or bran is removed) - these are things for commercial bakers, not something we find in supermarkets! I'm sure similar things are done with spelt. I do see things in Indian markets, however, where "atta flour", which is their WW durum flour, has things on it stating the % that is "whole wheat" - usually 80%, meaning they must dilute it, or something!

 

[taxlady]

Around here, the term "whole grain" is used a lot. I guess I better check. I had assumed that "whole grain" meant exactly that. I read a long time ago that "whole wheat" doesn't necessarily mean "whole grain wheat". I remember reading (a long time ago) that in the US, that whole wheat didn't have to have the germ, but it did have to have the bran. It's much easier nowadays to make something marketable that has the bran, but not the germ. High speed mills heat up the germ too much and it goes rancid more quickly. So, it was an attempt to make something somewhat more nutritious than white flour, without the hassles of the high speed mills / rancid wheat germ issue more appealing to the general public. Well, at least that was how I understood it.

 

[pepperhead212]

I found out early on that WW flour can go rancid, which is why I keep half (of a 5 lb bag) in the freezer, and don't buy a lot at a time (in the winter, I buy a couple bags, as I can keep it on my back porch). I have never had rye go rancid, or oats, but I had rolled barley go rancid the first year I used it - took quite a while, after I used it for the Christmas cookies, so now, I just put the leftovers in the freezer. Any whole wheat berries last forever, but any type of cracked wheat I keep some in a qt mason jar, and the rest in the freezer.

 

[taxlady]

Pepper, you mentioned rolled barley. Do you ever use barley flour?

 

[pepperhead212]

TL, Yes I have used barley flour, and it has a delicious flavor, but I don't remember seeing it anywhere. That's one of those many flours I make in the Vitamix, when I'm just making smaller amounts. The rye and wheat I do in the grain mill, when I want larger amounts.

 

[pepperhead212]

@taxlady I just bought some barley flour at the Indian market today! Just a pound of it, but I thought of this post, when I saw it. I was in that section of the store to get some sorghum flour - a.k.a. Jowar. I had never really looked for the barley flour, but this Indian mega-store has just about every flour they use anywhere in India, as well as every legume and grain they use. I saw something I had never seen before, but then, I wasn't looking for it - cracked barley. Not sure what it's used in, but the price was considerably more than whole, so I didn't get any to experiment with. There were a few things the local Indian market doesn't have, which is why I went up there today - only about 10 miles, so not too far, plus another Asian market is right down the street a couple of miles, that is another huge store, with foods from Chinese, SE Asian, Philippine, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. If you don't know what you are looking for in these places, you can be there all day!

 

[taxlady]

It never occurred to me to look in an Indian market. There's a new one less than 2 km from me that I need to check out.

 

[pepperhead212]

It is incredible all the things you'll find at Indian markets! And not only things you can't find elsewhere, but many things, like spices, and all those flours and grains, are so much fresher, because of the rapid turnover. Not to mention, much lower prices.

 

[caseydog]

It is incredible all the things you'll find at Indian markets! And not only things you can't find elsewhere, but many things, like spices, and all those flours and grains, are so much fresher, because of the rapid turnover. Not to mention, much lower prices.

There is an Indian grocery store a half mile from me, and I went there once. I was the only non-Indian in the store, and I felt very unwelcome. Customers gave me dirty looks and employees would not respond to me when I tried to get assistance.

I have some minor difficulty at the Asian supermarket in town, but it is more of a language barrier thing than an attitude. The employees and I can usually find a way to communicate well enough to find what I'm looking for. Same with the serious Mexican supermercados. I make an effort, and they make an effort, and everything works out. Basically, it can be a little awkward, but cooperative.

This Indian market near me sent out a vibe of, "get out of our store, you don't belong here." I did NOT see that coming when I walked in the door.

Has anyone else encountered that? I hope this store is not the norm.

 

[dragnlaw]

I would say that that is DEFINITELY NOT the norm. I've been in several and have always had super service! From both employees and other customers.
So sad you had that experience.

 

[pepperhead212]

That is definitely not what this Indian market is like. One elderly fellow asked me if I was finding everything OK, when he saw me looking back and forth through an area, and I probably had a "lost look" on my face, and I told him I was just trying to remember if I needed any of those things, even though I hadn't put them on my list. He saw the list I had, and said to me if I couldn't find something, "let somebody know", and we can help. And in every aisle there was someone stocking something on the shelves. As I said, there is really fast turnover.

 

[taxlady]

I saw something I had never seen before, but then, I wasn't looking for it - cracked barley. Not sure what it's used in, but the price was considerably more than whole, so I didn't get any to experiment with.

I wonder if it's already parcooked, like bulgur, which is sometimes called cracked wheat.