Red Velvet Brownies

With Valentine's Day right around the corner I thought these lovely (and absolutely delicious) red velvet brownies seemed appropriate. And, boy, were they good! The recipe is originally from that skinny chick can bake but I did a lot of adapting and used my own frosting recipe because I think cream cheese frosting is a must with red velvet. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! 

Recipe:

Brownies:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons red food coloring

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and grease the foil.

In small bowl mix cocoa powder, red food coloring and 1 tsp. vanilla to form a paste. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often. Then beat in the red cocoa paste. Add the flour and salt and mix just until barely combined. 

Spread batter into greased pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

For frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments, scraping the sides of the bowl between additions. When frosting is completely smooth and tastes the way you like, frost the cooled brownies.