Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies and Good News

It's now Week 9 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. Hard to believe that it'll already be December next week. The time has gone by so quickly, but I've had an extremely fun time baking along with this group.

I've mentioned before that my mother loves red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Once, when I went home for Christmas break, I baked three red velvet cakes in three weeks (and yes, they all got eaten). So, when I saw this recipe on Moogie and Pap's site, I just knew I had to make them, especially since my mother would be spending Thanksgiving with me.


Their beautiful red color makes them perfect for the upcoming Christmas season, but they taste so good, you'll want to make them all year round.

As for the good news, I just found out last week that I passed the California Bar Exam!!! I was so thrilled that I let out a loud whoop when I saw my name on the computer screen (hope the neighbors didn't hear me). It's such a relief after all these months of waiting for the results (the exam was in July). It was definitely something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.


Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies (Moogie & Pap and Baked Perfection)

Red Velvet Layer:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan, and set aside.

Brownie layer: Add melted butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour until lightly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of the batter for the top.

Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting.

Note: I'd recommend chilling these bars. I think they become even better this way.

This recipe is linked to:
Prairie Story's Recipe Swap
Friday Potluck
Tasty Tuesdays

Week 9 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: