Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

I love anything with red velvet in the title. It's becoming a bit of a situation. Even in the terribly hot months of June and July, I still love baking a warm, red velvet brownie. Sometimes a girl just needs her sugar.



I made this a few days ago for some friends. After I posted it to instagram and twitter, a few of you wanted the recipe. So, here it is.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
(recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for pan

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

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

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan, and set aside.
Brownie layer: In a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Remove the 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. Stir in the walnuts and 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.