Red Velvet Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Now that Lana has become a crazy teenager, cooking and baking are a battle if I'm home alone with her. She's constantly trying to swipe things off the counter, running where I can't see her and peeing, or crying to go outside every 10 minutes. Tonight I decided to start these brownies when she finally fell asleep. The second she heard the dishwasher open, she was awake and in the kitchen next to me. She then distracted herself with her bouncy ball, so I took the opportunity to load up the dishwasher. I noticed she was a little quiet so when I looked around the corner to living room I found her tearing the stuffing out of our couch cushion. Therefore, no more baking when Dan isn't home to watch her. Once he got home I was able to make the frosting without worrying about what destruction may be going on in the living room.

And go figure, when I had Dan to keep her occupied, she decided to nap.

*Sigh


Anyways, these brownies are rich in every sense of the word. They're dense, and the red velvet flavor is insane. That's also because instead of using the red food coloring, I used a red velvet emulsion in place of it. So I had the making of a red velvet batter, plus some red velvet flavoring. It was a double dose of red velvet. Then, it's topped off with a frosting that I will probably use on any chocolate cake I may make in the future. It's creamy, smooth, and insanely rich. Not something I tend to like, but if you're gonna go for chocolate frosting - go all out. Basically, don't make these if you're dieting, because they are the anti-diet brownies. So if you're not dieting, or cheating on your diet, or just throwing caution to the wind, try making these.

Red Velvet Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
from Deliciously Yum

Brownies:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 tbsp. red velvet emulsion or liquid red food coloring
1.5 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 large eggs

Frosting:
8 oz. milk chocolate chips
2.5 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla


1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave and stir until smooth. Mix into the flour mixture using a rubber spatula.
4. Add the sugar into the mix and mix until combined.
5. Add the emulsion or food coloring, vanilla and cider and mix until combined before adding the eggs. Add the eggs and mix until the eggs are just combined.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Let cool.
7. For the frosting, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and set aside.
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, cocoa powder and salt.
9. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and stir one minute to combine. Add the melted chocolate and stir one more minute until combined and smooth.
10. Spread on the brownies and then try not to eat them all!

The first brownie removed from a pan never comes out clean and pretty. Then again, I was using a paper party plate, so I can't exactly say I was going for the prettiest picture out there. But, you get the idea from this picture what you're in for.