I know red velvet isn’t very holiday-ish but it’s red! And red & green mean holidays!
I’m not a huge red velvet fan but I couldn’t resist this recipe. It’s pretty much a red velvet brownie with a cheesecake layer on top. Yeah, it’s good. My husband came home while they were baking, peeked in the oven, and said – and I quote – “Eww, what is that?” But guess what!
We got down to the last brownie and he asked if I wanted to split it. When I said no, he said “Good, I wanted it all to myself!”
They’re rich and delicious and you can definitely tell that they are red velvet and not just a regular brownie. The cheesecake layer is what makes them, though. It’s sweet but not overly sweet like a frosting. The two go perfectly together!
Two years ago: Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Doggy Treats
- ½ cup 1 stick butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring gel or powder
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup flour
- For the cream cheese:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
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Heat oven to 350F. Line an 8—8 baking pan with parchment paper (or butter it generously).
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Melt the butter; add sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, red food coloring, and vinegar - stir to combine everything. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs; add eggs to the butter mixture slowly, whisking constantly.
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Fold the flour into the mixture, being careful not to overmix. Reserve ¼ cup of batter for the top and set aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared baking pan.
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For the cream cheese:
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Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese until soft. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat until combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in baking pan.
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Dollop remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Drag a toothpick or knife through the batter to create swirls.
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Bake brownies for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is set. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting.
Love the swirls!
no.you.didn’t.
too pretty to eat (almost)
gorgeous, and I want those!
guhhhhhhhh, i love red velvet anything that just looks so good to me right now..i haven’t eaten breakfast yet and i WILL eat those for breakfast..if only i had some here with me. do you deliver? haha..i love the design you made on them!
I’ve been looking for a red velvet brownie to make for months, and the addition of cheesecake makes this one even more appealing! I need more hours in the day to bake :)
sounds delicious! think I’ll give these a try!
Look at the intense RED on these bad boys!! They look dee-lish.
Sinful! I bet they are delicious. I do think red velvet recipes are Christmasey too!
I adore the look of these! Yum!
What’s not holiday-y about red velvet? Add a little green and it’s a Christmas party!
I know I’ve already gushed about these on Twitter and they’re on my list of must-try recipes, but I’ve also been inspired to feature this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup. If you have any objections, please let me know. Have a wonderful holiday and keep amazing food coming!
What is the vinegar for? can that be omitted
The vinegar reacts with the cocoa powder to give it that red velvet look and taste. You can admit it but it will just taste like regular brownies. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
OH great.. one more question I made these in the past and I used dark choco melted and it really didn’t have a good chocolate taste, is it ok to use the powder as well as the melted baking bar? or just more coco powder?
they look so good btw
I’m sure it would be fine but if you’re using a lot of melted chocolate, you might have to compensate with extra flour to make sure the batter isn’t too wet.
I made these at Christmas time in the suggested size pan. Has anyone made individual brownies like in muffin tins? My hubs requested them but I don’t have the pan anymore! :(