Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Tomorrow is Valentine's day, are you ready? Do you have all your valentines signed and sealed, with the little chocolates taped to each one? Do you have your reservations made and that perfect outfit picked out? Have you planned out dessert?



My valentine tomorrow will be my sister, who I'm meeting up with after work for dinner at Girl and Goat. Yum! And while I'm no longer in grade school and little paper valentines are no longer a requirement, I've decided to bring some treats to share at work.



This is the third time in just few weeks that I've made these. Once for my sister's surprise birthday party, once for a potluck party at my friend's house, and now again for V-day. They're so pretty, amazingly delicious, come together pretty quickly. Plus, I'm not sick of them yet. Swirling the topping is my favorite part and so far everyone I'd shared them with loved them. Grab a bowl and whip some up for your valentine(s) :D



Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Recipe adapted slightly from The Novice Chef

Red Velvet Layer:
3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
8 Tbsp milk, divided
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp red food coloring
2 tsp white vinegar

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with a little melted butter or spray with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder (sift it right into the bowl to get rid of any lumps), salt, and baking powder. Make a little well in the middle and pour in the eggs, vegetable oil, 4 Tbsp milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and white vinegar. Carefully whisk the liquids in the middle and then incorporate the surrounding dry ingredients until you get an even mixture, which will be quite thick.
- Pour the batter into the pan, reserving about 3/4 cup of it in the bowl. Smooth the batter in the pan using a spatula or the back of a spoon, making sure it's even and and reaches all the edges.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of milk to your reserved batter (and maybe an extra squirt of red food coloring if you want the color deeper) and whisk to form a looser batter. Set aside.
- In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps. Remember to stop, clean the beaters and beat again about halfway through. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.
- Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife or a toothpick through just the top cheesecake layer to create swirls.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating half way through, or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. You'll have just a tiny bit of color around the edges, but don't let it get too dark...unless you like crispy brownie edges, in which case rock on.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Either cut into squares as usual, or use cookie cutters for extra cuteness.