Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

Valentine’s Day in Mystic Water is a red-and-pink paper hearts, cupid-shooting-arrows, and overload-on-chocolate kind of day. People leave anonymous valentines pinned beneath windshield wipers, kids shove suckers and conversation hearts into handmade Valentine’s Day shoeboxes, and townsfolk rush into the bakery for chocolates and sweets of all kinds.

Anna’s red velvet cream cheese brownies will soften the heart of anyone, even those who loathe Valentine’s Day. So spread love and a lighthearted feeling all day—buy a dozen and share them with your friends. No one will turn these down, and smiles will abound.

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

Serves: 24

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

Red Velvet Layer:
3 ¼ c flour
2 ¼ c granulated sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
1 c vegetable oil
½ c milk, divided
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp red food coloring
2 tsp white vinegar

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
¾ c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
3. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and white vinegar.
5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until completely mixed. The batter will be thick. Remove ¾ cup of the batter, and place it in a medium bowl.
6. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.
7. In your stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
8. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined.
9. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer, and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.
10. Whisk in the remaining 4–6 tablespoons of milk into the batter you set aside earlier until it has a creamy consistency.
11. Drop spoonfuls of this red velvet batter onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.
12. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Store cut brownies in the refrigerator.

 

The Baker's Man can be purchased in paperback or for the Kindle from Amazon and for the NOOK through Barnes & Noble.

Adapted from The Novice Chef.