Red Velvet Brownies

I have a friend who is obsessed with red velvet anything. Anytime there is a reason for celebration at work, whether it’s a birthday or a wedding shower, she will make sure to pick up a red velvet cake.

When I told her that I was going to make these brownies, I got a text message responding asking if I was trying to kill her as she almost fell out of her chair with excitement! I have dedicated this post to her.

I have always been curious as to how much red food colouring actually goes into a red velvet recipe. And now I know that basically a whole bottle goes in! hahaha. Ok ok, it’s just 2 tablespoons, but seriously it was my whole bottle, maybe it was smaller than normal? Guess I’ll be going to the store soon and getting a bigger one just in case.

Speaking of red velvet cake…I also have some friends getting married this summer where the groom wants a red velvet cake. His fiancée put the axe to that idea as the main colour of the wedding is blue not red. I suggested maybe a compromise and do a blue velvet cake. I have yet to hear who will win that battle, but we can safely assume, not him, unfortunately.

The next time I do this recipe I may omit the white chocolate icing (as it was a bit sweet for my liking  but my friend loved it!) or change I might change it to a cream cheese frosting, like the original cake version.

Prep time: 5 minutes     Cook time: 25-30 minutes     Cool time: Delicious warm!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons red food colouring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8-inch square baking pan and cover with a strip of parchment, extending it up two sides to help lift brownies once baked. Butter the parchment.

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, red food colouring and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. This will create a paste which will be added in later.

In a medium size bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. When combined, add the rest of the vanilla and cocoa powder mixture.

Once incorporated and the batter is completely red, mix in the flour and salt. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Once cooled, feel free to add an icing or enjoy as is!

{Original recipe found on the How Sweet It Is website}