Marbled Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies (as featured on The Stir)

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, the Binge Besties of The Stir Podcast are dishing about their top romantic movies, guaranteed to make you swoon and your heart skip a beat!

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Relive the romance with Bogey and Bergman in “Casablanca,” Johnny and Baby in “Dirty Dancing,” Harry and Sally in the movie with that scene in the deli, and many more. Plus, enjoy plenty of behind-the-scenes trivia!

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Love is also in the air with this week’s sweet treat: Marbled Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies! Heart-shaped and homemade, this delightful dessert, courtesy of The Novice Chef, is perfect for sharing with that special someone.

MARBLED RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons milk, divided
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with butter or spray with Baker’s Joy.
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring and white vinegar.
3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients; mix well. The batter will be a thick, almost moldable texture, which is what you want.
4. Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk (into the 3/4 cup of batter you just took out). Set aside the 3/4 cup batter.
5. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.
6. In stand mixer or with hand-held mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps.
7. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.
8. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter (that you mixed with milk) onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.
9. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through, or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles.
10. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Use a medium-sized heart cookie cutter for heart-shaped pieces, if desired.

 This recipe was modified from The Novice Chef

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