Red Velvet Brownies with Cheesecake Ghosts

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar (Divided between the brownie batter and cheesecake filling)
• 0.5 cup brown sugar
• 0.25 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (For the brownie batter)
• 0.25 cup buttermilk (Room temperature)
• 3 eggs (Room temperature; for the brownie batter)
• red food coloring (To your liking)
• 8 oz cream cheese (Room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (For the cheesecake filling)
• 1 egg (For the cheesecake filling)
• black food coloring (A little, for the ghost eyes and mouths)

Steps

1. 1

   Make the brownie batter. In a bowl, combine the 3 room-temperature eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whip for a few minutes, until the mixture is glue-like, then set it aside.

2. 2

   In a separate bowl, whisk the brown butter and Dutch-processed cocoa powder together thoroughly, then set aside.

3. 3

   Combine the whipped egg-and-sugar mixture with the brown-butter mixture in the larger bowl, and mix well.

4. 4

   Add the brownie batter’s vanilla, room-temperature buttermilk, and red food coloring to your liking. Mix until combined.

5. 5

   Add the all-purpose flour and mix carefully just until incorporated; do not overmix. Set the brownie batter aside.

6. 6

   Make the cheesecake mixture. Place the room-temperature cream cheese and the cheesecake portion of the granulated sugar in a bowl, and whip for about 30 seconds.

7. 7

   Add the cheesecake vanilla and egg, then mix well until the filling is combined.

8. 8

   Scoop 1 tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture into a tiny bowl. Add a little black food coloring and mix to create the dark mixture for the ghost faces.

9. 9

   Pour half of the red velvet brownie batter into a pan.

10. 10

    Add half of the uncolored cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter.

11. 11

    Pour the remaining red velvet brownie batter on top of the cheesecake layer.

12. 12

    Create the ghosts by placing scoops of the remaining uncolored cheesecake mixture on top. Use a butter knife to carefully drag each scoop downward into a ghost shape.

13. 13

    Dip a butter knife into the black cheesecake mixture and carefully add eyes and a mouth to each ghost.

14. 14

    Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The cheesecake may brown slightly in the oven.

15. 15

    Allow the brownies to cool sufficiently to portion and serve. The source notes that the browned cheesecake is still delicious.

Notes

The creator suggests doubling the cheesecake mixture for a stronger cheesecake flavor; if doing so, bake a little longer. The source does not specify a pan size or cooling time.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• brownies
• baked
• red velvet
• cheesecake
• Halloween
• spooky season
• vegetarian