Rustic Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
You get the best of both worlds! Moist cake with a chewy brownie and rich frostingWhat you’ll need:
For the brownies-
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder1 oz. red food coloring
2 t. pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
For the frosting- 1/4 t. salt
1 block cream cheese – at room temperature
1 stick butter – at room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.
In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes. Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.
Frosting:
In a large bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. 