Dirty Chai Cheesecake Brownies

Name: Dirty Chai Cheesecake Brownies
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Excerpted with permission from Desi Bakes: 85 Recipes Bringing the Best of Indian Flavors to Western-Style Desserts by Hetal Vasavada published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, October 2024.

Photo: Hetal Vasavada

October 02, 2024

A classic chocolate dessert upgraded with chai spices, milky black tea, and coffee.

In Desi Bakes, author Hetal Vasavada imbues Western desserts with classic Indian flavors, like in her dirty chai cheesecake brownies. “The combination of chai spices, milky black tea, and bitter coffee is stellar,” she writes. And for those short on time, Vasavada gives her blessing to use a boxed brownie mix. “I promise I won’t judge!”

Ingredients

Coffee Cheesecake
8 oz. full-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
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Brownies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup finely chopped dark chocolate (about 72% cacao)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. Chai Masala
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Gold luster dust

Tools:medium bowl, whisk, small bowl, saucepan, stand mixer, 9x13-inch baking pan

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9 × 13 (23 × 33 cm) pan and line with parchment paper.

Coffee CheesecakeIn a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, instant coffee, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

BrowniesIn a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda and set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the dark chocolate until melted. Set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, chai masala, salt, and vanilla. Whisk on high speed for 6 minutes until thick and glossy. Slowly pour in the chocolate/butter mixture and mix until well combined. Sift in the flour mixture and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips until just combined.

Spoon half the batter into the baking pan and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Add dollops of each batter on top and use a knife to swirl the two batters. Tap the pan on the counter four or five times to get rid of any air bubbles and to level out the batter.

Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the brownies for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

To decorate, dip a fluffy brush, like a blush brush, into gold luster dust and tap the brush with your hand over the cooled brownies.

Make It EgglessFor the cheesecake batter, use 3 Tbsp. of heavy cream or whole milk whisked with 1/2 tsp. of cornstarch. Substitute 1/2 cup aquafaba and add an additional 1/2 tsp. of baking soda for the brownie batter.

Chai MasalaIn a bowl, whisk 3 Tbsp. of ground cardamom, 2 Tbsp. of ground ginger, 4 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. of ground cloves, 3/4 tsp. of ground anise seeds, 3/4 tsp. of ground fennel, and 1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg until well combined. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.