Gianduja Brownie Cheesecakes

B loves nuts. I love baking. Therefore anything I bake for him needs to be filled with nuts... or meat (of course). So to celebrate our one year anniversary I decided to make these wonderful brownie cheesecake concoctions. I've had this Gianduja Brownie recipe from Bake or Break bookmarked for a while, so I decided to dust it off and bring it to life, with my own spin of course!

To make them even more delicious, I decided to add a layer of cheesecake to the top. All I can say is... wow! The brownie portion was super moist and the cheesecake was tangy and delicious. The only problem was that they came out kind of ugly and browned. But I quickly fixed that with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of melted chocolate!

Gianduja Brownie Cheesecakes

Yields: 12 Mini Cheesecakes

Slightly adapted from Bake or Break

For the brownie:

1 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped and lightly toasted

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 oz. milk chocolate

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

1/4 cup Nutella

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

For the cheesecake:

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup of sugar

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners (you could also use a mini cheesecake pan), set aside. Heat the butter and chocolates over medium high heat in a saucepan, whisking constantly until completely melted. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine the Nutella, sugar, eggs, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Slowly add the hot chocolate mixture in small batches until well incorporated. Next, whisk in the baking powder, flour, and chopped hazelnuts until well combined. Fill the cupcake liners 1/3 full with the brownie mixture, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients needed for the cheesecake and whisk until smooth. Layer on top of the brownie batter until the cups are 2/3 full. Tap against the counter to make sure it is well settled in the pan. Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is set, about 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Enjoy!