Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Such a cute treat idea for Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
¾ cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature
¼ cup white sugar
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.

For the red velvet brownies: Whisk 1 cup sugar and melted butter in a large mixing bowl; stir in cocoa, red food coloring, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, vinegar, and salt, one at a time, mixing well after each addition to avoid lumps. Mix in 2 eggs until thoroughly combined.

Stir flour into cocoa mixture just until combined; set aside 1/4 cup batter. Pour remaining batter into the prepared baking dish.

For the cheesecake filling: Beat cream cheese in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; continue to beat until well blended and only small lumps remain, 3 to 4 minutes.

Spoon cream cheese mixture in dollops over the batter in pan; gently smooth tops of dollops even with batter using a knife or offset spatula. Do not overmix. Drizzle reserved 1/4 cup of batter over the dollops of cream cheese mixture. Drag a knife or skewer through the batter and cream cheese mixture to create swirls.

Bake in the preheated oven until top is dry and edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars; store covered in refrigerator.

Emma Dunn