Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Tags

brownie, cheesecake, chocolate, cream cheese, red velvet

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Like I previously said, I’m not a huge fan of this holiday. Though my husband did get me some nice gifts, so I guess I can’t complain! 🙂 But I will take any excuse to bake something! Due to my lack of planning, I needed a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day that was fast and easy, and that I already had all the ingredients for. Red velvet is so traditional, and though I’m not a big fan of it, I decided to give it another try. I’m determined to like red velvet!! It’s so pretty and everyone else loves it… I just want to fit in! Hehe.These red velvet brownies are amazing. Red velvet fan or not, I love these. The dark chocolate adds a delicious hint of chocolate flavor, and the cheesecake layer is the perfect compliment to the red velvet brownie. Who knows, maybe I’m becoming a red velvet fan after all! If you need a quick and easy last minute treat for Valentine’s Day, give these a try! Your loved ones will surely love them, and love you for making them, too!Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Yield: 9 to 16 brownies

Red velvet layer:
½ cup butter
2 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons red food coloring
⅔ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
⅓ cup sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving a little overhanging on each side to create a sling; coat foil with cooking spray.

To make the red velvet layer: In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and smooth; set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add flour and salt; with a rubber spatula, stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

To make the cheesecake layer: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Gently swirl with a knife.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set; the edges will be lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature in pan on a cooling rack then transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely. Use the foil to remove the brownies then slice into squares.

Source: Sweet Pea’s Kitchen, via Baking Bites

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Mini Halloween Cheesecakes

Tags

cheesecake, cream cheese, Halloween, oreo, sour cream

I love Halloween! It’s one of my favorite holidays! I know it’s almost too late to be posting Halloween stuff, but I still have time! These are quick and easy. They’re also supposed to be a brighter orange… so don’t be like me and think that the color will darken up when they bake 🙂 Or I guess you could pretend they’re mini pumpkin cheesecakes! Those would be awesome, too, but that’s not what these are unfortunately. Hehe. But I still wanted to post something festive, and I love my cupcake liners! I bought these black trick-or-treat ones and also some orange ones with black bats. Now I just need to get baking so I can actually use them before it’s too late… But anyways, just imagine these in a nice, bright orange and they’re totally festive! So Happy Halloween, a little early!! Is anyone dressing up?

Mini Halloween Cheesecakes
Yield: 15 mini cheesecakes

21 Halloween Oreo cookies, divided
1 pound cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
orange gel food coloring

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Take 15 Oreos and put 1 in each cupcake liner. Place the other 6 in a food processor and grind them up until they are crumbs. Alternatively, put them in a plastic bag and crush them. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add in the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add in the lightly beaten eggs and mix until just combined; do not over mix.

Add in a small amount of orange gel food coloring and stir with a spatula until desired color is achieved and the entire cheesecake batter is colored. Stir in the Oreo crumbs.

Using an ice cream scooper, fill each cupcake liner with the cheesecake batter, almost to the top.

Bake for 22 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, rotate the pan. Once the cheesecakes are done baking, chill them in the cupcake pan in the refrigerator overnight.

Source: Slightly adapted from Gingerbread Bagels