Lavender Blueberry Brownies

Lavender Blueberry Brownies

Yield: 12 brownies

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fresh lavender blossoms, finely chopped (or 1/6 cup dried lavender)
1 cup sugar
8 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese, softened
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup organic cocoa (Try Rapunzel brand, it’s amazing)
11/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Everyone who knows Jay knows he’s the a little brownie monster, and I am the ice cream addict. We normally bake brownies from a box, but they have so much added gunk (even though they taste yummy). Jay came across this recipe for homemade brownies with a blueberry cream cheese topping (it also includes lavender, but we didn’t have any and improvised.

They didn’t really resemble the ones in this picture (pics coming soon), but they were very tasty nonetheless!  We actually had no idea where to even find lavender…perhaps your local spa, online or a really expansive natural foods store? (any ideas, let us know!)  The lavender seems to be more about the aroma than the taste.

I started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and then placed my butter and cream cheese in the oven as it was heating up so they would both soften for easy spreading/mixing.

Next, I mixed the organic sugar, cream cheese, and fresh blueberries and let that warm and soften a bit more.  Then I began mixing everything else like the recipe calls for.  You have to use the good, natural maple syrup (no Aunt Jemima here) or else the brownies won’t be as good.  I added the dry ingredients to the mixed up wet ingredients and poured the mixture into the baking dish.  Now when I say poured I mean globbed and spread evenly with my hands as my fiancé laughed at me because the mix is more like a dough mix.  It’s more of a topping.

My blueberry cream cheese mix was nice and soft at this point and I was able to spread that easily over my brownies.  I used a 9X9 metal dish and it took 30 minutes.

Let them cool, cut into squares, get your milk, and enjoy!

Here’s the step by step if you have lavender!

1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter 9  x 12 glass baking pan.
2. Mix finely chopped lavender blossoms and 1/4 cup organic sugar into the softened Neufchatel (or cream) cheese, and gently fold in fresh blueberries.
3. Set mixture aside.
4. With electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar together.
5. Add maple syrup and egg, and mix well.
6. Mix dry ingredients together; gently stir into the butter mixture.
7. Spread mixture in buttered baking dish.
8. Place lavender cheese mixture on top of the brownie dough by the teaspoonful.
9. With a knife, gently swirl lavender cheese mixture into the brownie dough.
10. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until firm but not too browned on the edges. Let cool slightly.
11. Serve warm for best aromatic experience.