Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Cheesecake swirled brownies on a wooden tray with a red and white striped towel in the background.

These decadent Red Velvet Brownies are fudgy and chewy with a brilliant red hue and creamy dollops of sweetened cream cheese swirled into every bite. If you love old-fashioned red velvet cake, put these fudgy brownies on your must-make list. They have that chocolaty flavor you know and love, but are a portable, picture-perfect dessert for Valentine's Day or any special occasion!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert and Pastries

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 201kcal

Author: Tristin - Home Cooked Harvest

Ingredients

1 full stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
3/4 teaspoon red food coloring gel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Cheesecake Swirl

8 ounce block cream cheese
1 large egg room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x8-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, set aside.
In a medium-sized microwave bowl, melt butter. Whisk with granulated sugar until combined. Add in the egg and whisk until foamy about 2 more minutes.
Next, whisk in the red food coloring and vanilla until well mixed.
Add in the salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Stir just until the streaks of flour disappear (don’t over mix).
Pull out ¼ cup of batter and set to the side to later swirl with the cream cheese batter. Pour the rest of the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and even out.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla.
Drop dollops of the cream cheese batter onto the brownie batter. Add on spoonfuls of the brownie batter and drag a knife through the top layer to swirl the cream cheese with the brownie batter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center is cooked through. Lift brownies out of pan and set on cooling rack. Cut into 9 or 16 squares once brownies have completely cooled.

Notes

Dollop strategically. If you drop little circles of cream cheese in the batter, you can run a knife partway through the center to make little hearts. So cute for Valentine's Day!

Use dark chocolate. For an even richer flavor profile, use dark cocoa powder instead of regular unsweetened cocoa powder. It works really nicely with the cream cheese and the extra bitterness balances out the sweetness.

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Nutrition