Irish Cream Cheese Brownies

March holds St. Patrick's Day and Mrs. Awesome's Irish roots demand some recognition of her heritage. Hanging out with friends followed by an off-roading adventure meant some sweet treat, enter Irish Cream Cheese Brownies. These decadent treats combine the dulcet notes of Bailey's Irish Cream, the tang of cream cheese, and the rich gooeyness of brownies. Mrs. Awesome was pressed for time, so the brownie base is brownie mix. This recipe is good for a party, so you can easily halve it for a smaller crowd. 

Ingredients:

For the brownies:
2 boxes of brownie mix (yep, I'm cheating)
4 eggs
4 oz or 1/2 c. applesauce (I'm trying to limit the caloric damage, you can also just double the amount of oil and omit this)
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. Irish cream

For the Irish cream cheese:
2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese
3/4 c. Irish cream
2 eggs
1/4 c. Flour
3/4 c. Sugar

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature, then mix the Irish Cream Cheese ingredients together using a stand or hand mixer. 

Mix the brownies in a separate bowl. 

Generously grease two 9x9 pans. 

Pour 1/4 of the brownie mix into the bottom of the greased pans, spread out. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in pan. Top with the remaining brownie batter. Swirl layers together with a butter knife. 

Bake in a 350 oven for an hour or until the top cracks (This is a very moist brownie, so we never had a toothpick come out clean). 

Allow to cool to room temperature and enjoy.