Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

I am in a velvet kind of mood.

I had a tough time deciding what to post tonight because I have been baking up a storm. I have a backlog of cupcake recipes that need to get posted, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with cupcakes. If you were wondering why I said "I am in a velvet kind of mood" it is because what I baked this weekend. First on Friday night I made Blue Velvet Cupcakes (if you follow Baked Perfection on facebook you saw a picture of them yesterday) and then last night I made the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies pictures above.

Yesterday I was watching Food Network, which is often on at our house, and on the TV was an episode of "Cooking for Real". Sunny was making Red Velvet Swirl brownies. I once watched her make them on "The Today Show" and even though I had stuff I needed to get finished around the house and I had seen her make these brownies before I sat and watched the entire episode just for these brownies. I had no intention of making them yesterday, but I knew I would make them eventually. Fast forward to last night and there I was in the kitchen making these brownies at 10:30! I had all the ingredients and they would not get out of my head. These brownies did not let me down one bit, they were fantastic! These are definitely a special brownie and I think they would be perfect for any special occasion.

Red Velvet Swirl Brownies

recipe adapted from Sunny Anderson, host "Cooking for Real"

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.