Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Marbled Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!  May your day be filled with love, whether it's from a spouse, significant other, kids, friend, parents, neighbors, whoever.  This is a day about showing your love to those around you.....it's not just for couples.  My mom used to always get us valentines.  It was usually some chocolates or a rose.  But it always made me feel loved.  Now I've continued that tradition and I always get my kids a little something.  This year they get some cute stuffed animals and candy.  My hubby, on the other hand, isn't satisfied with stuffed animals....except to use as target practice (mean, I know!).  So I usually like to bake him a sweet treat, along with the present I get him.  After all, the way to man's heart is through his stomach, right?

Marbled Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Red Velvet Layer

3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Cheesecake Layer:2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with butter or spray with non-stick spray.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and white vinegar.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until completely combined. The batter will be a really thick, almost moldable texture...but don't worry, that's what you want. Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk (into the 3/4 cup of batter you just took out). Set aside the 3/4 cup batter.

Pour the remaining batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.

Now, in your stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.

Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter onto the top of the cheesecake layer. 

Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.  If you want to get creative you can swirl heart shapes into it, but I figured since I'm cutting out the hearts that might be pointless, but if you are serving it whole, go for it =)

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating half way through, or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. 

Use a medium sized heart cookie cutter to create the perfect Valentine's Day treat!

If you don't want to use red, change up the colors =)  Or color the cheesecake and have a brown and whatever color you pick swirl.  If you don't want hearts, use your favorite cookie cutter shape. 

These are super yummy! They aren't overpoweringly sweet.  You can even get the kids to help cut out the shapes......and I'm sure they would love to help clean up the scraps. =)

Print Recipe

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