You know the expression, “beat a dead horse?” I’d say it’s probably time I moved on from the all-natural red velvet cake thing, but a lot of you keep asking for brownies, so read on, my friends, and I’ll give you my recipe.
But first, I want to turn your attention to the sidebar. Not too long ago, it read: “I’m Jaime, a single mom of three. I love the classics, French pastries, and British accents. Welcome to my blog.” Notice anything different?
I got married!!!!
Meet Matt, my wonderful new husband. Many people know him as Matthew J. Kirby.
I met him last July while I was at an event in Salt Lake City signing my cookbook. He came up after my presentation and wanted to know more about what I liked to cook. On my drive home, I thought, That guy’s gonna ask me out. Sure enough, the next day, I got an email from him, telling me who he was and asking me if he could take me out for lunch or coffee. When I googled him, I realized I had bought the first book he had written, The Clockwork Three, for my oldest son, three years earlier.
Our relationship started slowly at first, and then there was no stopping it. We are so happy. The children adore him, he adores them, and we are very, very, VERY much in love.
Enough of that mushy stuff. Now to the brownies . . .
all-natural red velvet brownies
For instructional photos on how to swirl make the brownies, you may find this old post helpful.
for the red part of the brownies:
1 large beet
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons natural cacao powder (like Hershey’s)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
for the cream cheese swirl:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1. To make red part of the brownies: Wrap beet in a layer of parchment eduessaytoday.com paper and a layer aluminum foil. Place in a 400ºF oven, and roast until tender to the point of a knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. When the beet has cooled, peel and chop into large chunks. Add it to a food processor with the lemon juice. Pulse until very smooth, 2-3 minutes. It should be the consistency of baby food.
2. Change the oven temperature to 325ºF (165 degrees Celsius). Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cacoa powder. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together for 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
3. With the mixer on low, add in the beet puree, followed by the flour mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. For the cream cheese swirl: With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla, and flour. Pour over chocolate mixture. Take a spoon and pull the red brownie mixture up from the bottom of the pan in about 4 or 5 different places and then, drag a spoon or knife through the two mixtures to create a swirled effect.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely in pan. (After about 45 minutes, I toss mine in the freezer for 30 minutes to help it along. This will also help solidify the chocolate chips, giving the brownies a nice crunch.)
6. Use parchment paper to lift from pan; peel off and discard. Cut into 16 squares.