Red Velvet Marbled Brownies

Let me give you a prime example of an incredible FAIL:

Two really good friends, living in the same city, living less than an hour apart...meeting up and not being able to recall the last time they had seen each other.

Maybe this is a testament to us early twenty-somethings getting too old, too soon, but we can never meet up as often as we'd like. In fact, we text each other about being total fails....while rescheduling our dinner plans or Skype chats.

This. Is. So. Sad.

I feel like it's about time I talk about my friend Adithi on this blog. 

She's the sweetest soul, a true-blue friend, and one of the most huggable people on the planet. You just have to take my word for it. We met our freshman year while dancing in the same Bhangra/Hip-Hop dance troupe, where I got both the most spine-crawling, mortifying ten minutes of my life AND a good friend out of the experience. I'm very grateful for both. Yes, very.

Anyway...We finally met up for dinner, during the course of which I (semi-intentionally in an unintended way) vented for a good half-hour and afterwards apologized profusely for it. Then we took some silly and hilarious selfies on the parking lot by my car. Fast-forward to four hours later I was sick to my stomach, heaving and throwing up everything I had eaten earlier. Uhhh... surprise, Adithi!

(I'm really sorry you had to find out this way. Oh, and I don't think I can eat spinach pasta anytime soon. Just making it clear.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, no matter what, my friend is super awesome. And that she totally deserved these red velvet brownies.  

These red velvet brownies are a yummy twist to one of my favorite brownies recipes. I added a bit of red food coloring and cinnamon to the chocolate batter, and voila! Here we are. 

Is it just me, or do the words "red velvet" make a dessert all fancy and the like??

Not that I have anything against THE brownies I love so much. And I will never, ever get tired of marbling the batter. Never. 

Hey, Adithi! Are you by any chance reading this post to the end? 'Cause you know that old Spanish textbook you gave me, the one I begged you for? I have yet to read a single page. And another thing: my church is by where you live, so every time I come back from service I think about you and wonder how you're doing. Then I make a mental note to text or call, but...like I said, I'm a fail.

THANK YOU for loving me regardless.

Red Velvet Marbled Brownies

*makes one 9x13 inch pan*

Ingredients:

For the brownie batter:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring (or more, if you'd prefer)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

For the cream cheese mixture:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
• 1 large egg white

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

2) Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, cinnamon, and vanilla till smooth. 

3) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth. Add in the food coloring.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips. That way the chips won't melt before going in the oven.

6) Meanwhile, make the cream cheese mixture: in a bowl, combine cream cheese, flour, sugar, and egg white. Make sure there are no lumps visible. 

7) Spoon the brownie batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

8) Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Using a knife, gently swirl through the cream cheese mixture to make the marble designs.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour