Cream Cheese Brownies

These were so, so yummy! Can you tell they were part of our Valentine's Day meal? The original recipe calls them Red Velvet Brownies, but technically most red velvet use vinegar and/or buttermilk to make the red coloring. I don't count adding red food dye as qualifying for red velvet. So I'm calling them Cream Cheese Brownies. Regardless, they are a tasty concoction, a moist brownie right in the middle between being fudgy and cakey. Next time I'll leave out the red dye--even with using the gel, it took quite a bit to get them red, and I could really taste it. But they sure were pretty!

Printable Recipe

 Cream Cheese Brownies

from Jamie Cooks It Up

Prep. Time: 20 mins.   Bake Time: 45-55 mins.

Brownie Layer:
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red food coloring gel (optional)
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks, and they were divine!)

Cream Cheese Layer:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla 


BROWNIE LAYER

Place 1 cup melted butter, 2 cups sugar and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl. Mix it until well combined, about 2 minutes. 

Crack one egg and add it to the batter. Mix until the egg is incorporated. Repeat with the three remaining eggs, mixing them into the batter one at a time.  

Add two teaspoons vanilla to the batter and mix it in. 

Put 1-1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to combine the two. Add these dry ingredients to your batter and mix until they are well combined.

(If you want to make them red, add 1 teaspoon red food coloring gel to the batter and mix until the batter is a nice color.)

Toss in 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and mix until combined. 

Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper, parchment paper or tin foil and spray it with cooking spray. This will help you lift the brownies out of the pan when they have cooled and are ready to cut. 

Spread the batter out evenly in the pan.


CREAM CHEESE LAYER

Place 1 package softened cream cheese into your stand mixer or medium sized mixing bowl. Beat it until nice and smooth.  

Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are well combined. 

Drop the cream cheese mixture onto the brownie layer in spoonfuls. 

Drag a knife through both layers to create a marbling effect.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Let the brownies cool on a wire rack, then lift them out of the pan, cut and serve.