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Red velvet brownies, close up, with white chocolate cream cheese bark

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Bark

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Ingredients

Cream Cheese White Chocolate Bark

  • ¾ cup cream cheese 165 grams
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 4 oz bar white chocolate 113 grams

Red Velvet Brownies

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter 170 grams
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 113 grams, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 2/3 cup dark brown sugar 142 grams
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoons red gel food coloring
  • ½ cup natural cocoa powder 42 grams
  • ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder 42 grams
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 126 grams
  • ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

Instructions

Cream Cheese White Chocolate Bark

  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate until smooth, then set it aside to cool slightly.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the room-temperature cream cheese with a pinch of salt until mostly smooth. You do not want to whip air into the cream cheese; just mix until there are no large lumps remaining.
  • Fold in the melted white chocolate until fully combined. The mixture should be fairly smooth and thick.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin, even layer.
  • Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm and solid enough to handle.
  • Remove the bark from the freezer and chop it into small pieces to use in the brownies. It won’t snap like chocolate bark. It should feel like firm fudge.

Red Velvet Brownies

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on two sides to lift the brownies from the pan once cooled.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and semisweet chocolate. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well between each with a nonstick spatula, until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • In a large bowl, using a whisk or handheld electric mixer, beat the sugars and eggs on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is lighter in color and the sugar is mostly dissolved.
  • Pour the warm melted butter and chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red food coloring, then mix until smooth and evenly combined.
  • If either cocoa powder is clumpy, sift it through a fine-mesh sieve before adding it to the batter. Add the natural cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa powder, flour, and salt, and fold just until no dry streaks remain.
  • Fold in the chopped cream cheese bark and spread batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick comes out coated in wet batter, continue baking for a few more minutes. For fudgier brownies, remove them when a few moist crumbs still cling to the toothpick rather than waiting for it to come out completely clean.
  • Let the brownies cool in the pan before using the parchment overhang to lift them out and slice.