Red Velvet Brownies

This blog is sponsored by City Avenue Market

Love is in the air and so is the smell of the freshly baked red velvet brownies!!

With cream cheese icing!

Complete with sprinkles!

Here’s some fun facts about Valentine’s 

• Did you know…. Valentine’s Day didn’t become a romantic holiday until the 14th century.  

• Did you know…. Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy.

• Did you know…. Valentine is the patron saint of engaged couples + happy marriages.

• Did you know…. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented Valentine’s Day.  His poem “Parliament of Foules” refers to February 14 as the day birds (and humans too) come together to find a mate

• Did you know…. February 14th is a popular wedding day in the Philippines.

• Did you know…. Cupid started as the Greek god Eros, the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and procreation. 

• Did you know…. Cupid shoots two types of arrows, one to make people fall in love + one to make them hate each other. 

• Did you know…. Valentine’s Day can be whatever you want it to be? True story!

I didn’t know about cupid and the two arrows. Did you know that Valentine was the patron saint of beekeepers? Both very cool though. Also, very cool is the idea of Valentine’s Day (any day actually) can be whatever you want it to be, with whomever you want to be with. Love is Love <3

Are you ready to make some lovely moist and chewy red velvet brownies?

You can whip these babies up, get them into the oven and on to the cooling rack within an hour.

Red Velvet Brownies

Ingredients

¾ C Baking Chips (I used dark chocolate)

¾ C Butter

2 C Sugar

4 Eggs

1 ½ C Flour

1 tube Colour gel, approx 1 oz

1 ½ tsp Baking Powder

1  tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 9 x 9 pan.

Melt your chocolate baking chips and your butter together.  Either in the microwave (check it often so it doesn’t burn) or on the stove top method.  

Add in the sugar and mix until well combined.

Add in the eggs, one at a time and combine well.

Add in flour, red food gel, baking powder and vanilla.

Stir until well combined.

Pour your batter into the greased 9×9 pan and bake for 40 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, its ready to come out of the oven.

Cool on a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 brick Cream Cheese

¼ C Butter

2 C Icing sugar

2 tsps Vanilla bean paste

Cream the cream cheese and butter in your mixer.  Add in icing sugar + vanilla bean paste.  Whip it good!

Additionally 

Bring your ingredients to room temperature before blending

Don’t forget to use a heat proof dish if using the stove top method for melting chocolate.

Use vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean paste.

Let the brownies completely cool before icing them.

BIG LOVE!!

All ingredients for this recipe you can find at all @cityavenuemarket – New Westminster, Port Coquitlam + Commercial Drive.