V-Day Treats: Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I clearly remember the first time I had a red velvet dessert because it was life changing. I mean, come on, chocolate and cream cheese are a match made in heaven! I've never attempted to bake anything red velvet before but when I stumbled upon THIS recipe, I knew I had to give it a try. The brownies turned out amazing and I'm already looking forward to baking my next batch!

Ingredients:

RED VELVET BROWNIES

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup (32g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon liquid or gel red food coloring

3/4 teaspoon white vinegar

3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour

CHEESECAKE SWIRL

8 ounces (224g) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) degrees. Spray 8x8 baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside. Going along with the Valentine theme, I went ahead and used a heart shaped cake mold instead.

2) Make the brownie layer first. In a small bowl, beat the 2 eggs together and set aside. Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar. Mix each of those ingredients into the batter in that order. Whisk in the eggs, then fold in the flour until completely incorporated. Do not over-mix. Pour the brownie batter into prepared baking pan, leaving about 3-4 tablespoons for the top.

3) Make the cheesecake swirl. With a hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla in a medium bowl until completely smooth - about 1 minute. Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top of the prepared brownie batter. Cover with the last few tablespoons of brownie batter. Glide a knife through the layers, creating a swirl pattern.

4) Bake the brownies for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Since I used a cake mold, it took about an hour. Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares. Cover brownies and store at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Brownies will freeze well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Makes about 16 brownies.

*Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction*

Good luck!

Kisses,

S