Just in the nick of time I am here squeezing in a Valentine’s Day recipe.  Whether you are baking for someone else or just yourself, I think that these will be a real hit – the combination of cheescake and brownies is sure to please chocolate-lovers and the rest of us equally.

The good and bad news is that because these are cookie cutter bars, there is a fair amount of leftover scrap.  In other words, snacking temptation.  Next time I make these I am going to prepare ahead better and turn the “scrap” into a trifle – add some whipped cream, berries, and whatever else my imagination comes up with and have some extra individual trifles to enjoy.  But, since I didn’t realize this would be an option until I was done, I just have a tempting tupperware full of brownie/cheesecake goodness in my fridge.  Calling my name.  Whispering sweet nothings.  Begging me to love it.  And I do….

But, back to the recipe.  When I made these, I made 16 medium sized hearts.  Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, it could obviously be more or less.  As a Valentine’s Day gift to you, I am not even calculating calories on this one (ok that is acutally because I can’t figure out how to do so, but let’s consider it a gift anyway).

Enjoy, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Source: Novice Chef

Red Velvet Layer:
3 1/4 c flour
2 1/4 c sugar
3 T cocoa powder
1 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T vanilla extract
1 T red food coloring
2 t white vinegar
2 T milk

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a large 13×18 jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and white vinegar.
• Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients until smooth.  Set aside.
• Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl.  Whisk 2 tablespoons of milk into the divided 3/4 cup of batter. Set aside.
• Pour the remaining batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.
• In a stand mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer, again smoothing out the batter to reach all the edges.
• Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.
• Bake for 30 minutes or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Use a medium sized heart cookie cutter to create individual brownie cheesecake bars!