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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES: Valentine's Day!

Here's a great recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies. Perfect for Valentine's Day! Anything red and chocolate works for me! Who doesn't need another brownie recipe? This recipe is an adaptation of Sunny Anderson's from the Foodnetwork, and it's delicious. The recipe contains red food coloring, but there are some nice Wilton natural red colorings you can use. It's an easy recipe -- and delicious! 

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for pan
Parchment paper

Red Velvet Brownie Layer
8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup high grade cocoa powder
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp red food coloring (or Wilton natural red)
1 tsp vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Cream Cheese Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 8 by 8 inch baking pan.
Put long piece of parchment paper in bottom of pan, extending up two side--overhanging slightly on both ends (easy to remove brownies after baked)

Brownie layer: 
In saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Put butter in large bowl and add sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder (or melted chocolate), salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions.
Whisk eggs in small bowl and stir into cocoa mix. Fold in flour until lightly combined. Stir in walnuts and pour batter into prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of batter for the top.

Cream cheese layer: 
Blend together cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in medium bowl. Gently spread cream cheese layer on top of brownie batter in pan. Drop remaining brownie batter over cream cheese layer. Using skewer or tip of knife, drag tip through cream cheese mixture to create swirl pattern.
Bake brownies for 30 minutes.
Remove to cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.

Monday, February 10, 2025

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES: National Cream Cheese Brownie Day

Today is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day. Here's a great recipe for Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

Philadelphia Cream Cheese is usually my cream cheese of choice since I grew up in Philly, but I've been known to substitute local rich California Cream Cheese. The extra dark chocolate chips are a great addition to these Cream Cheese Brownies, and you can actually add more than 1/2 cup. I chop up high quality chocolate rather than chips, but either works! Celebrate! Make Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies today or make some for Valentine's Day. You can never have too many brownie recipes!

Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

Brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces 65-70% good quality chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Line 9 x 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan.
In stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a spoon. Stir in flour and salt and beat, until batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about a minute).
Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set aside.
Fold chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) into remainder of brownie batter and then pour batter evenly onto bottom of prepared pan.
Using mixer or food processor, whip cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, and egg and process just until smooth.
Spread cream cheese mix over brownie layer. Spoon small clumps of reserved brownie batter on top of cream cheese filling. Then with knife or wooden skewer, swirl two batters without mixing them.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from sides of pan and edges just begin to brown.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Refrigerate brownies until firm enough to cut into squares (at least two hours).
Once chilled, remove brownies from pan by lifting with ends of foil and transfer to cutting board.
Cut into squares.

Want to try some variations on Cream Cheese Brownies?
Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Heath Bars from Recipe Girl
Nibby Cream Cheese Brownie Cupcakes from The Spice Life
Bailey's Cream Cheese Brownies from Tasting Spoons

Sunday, February 9, 2025

EASY NUTELLA PIZZA: National Pizza Day!


I think of Nutella as goodness in a jar! I always have a jar in the pantry, but you can make your own. 

Nutella is more than just a “chocolaty hazelnut spread,” it is a way of life.

You're probably having a pizza today to celebrate National Pizza Day and the Super Bowl. Great! But why not add an easy and delicious "Nutella Pizza" for dessert. 

EASY NUTELLA PIZZA

Ingredients
Pizza Dough (I use Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup Nutella
1/3 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup grated (or chopped) white chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 425.
Spray baking sheet. Set aside.
Prepare dough.
Flatten dough on baking sheet. Make it thin. This is a 'thin crust' pizza. Bake dough for 10 minutes.
Spread NUTELLA over pizza dough.
Top with toasted chopped hazelnuts and grated chocolate (to look like cheese) or  chopped white chocolate (or both).
Put pizza back into the oven for 3-5 minutes, until chocolate just starts to melt.
Cool before cutting.

How easy is this? 

Saturday, February 8, 2025

SWEET STORY CAKE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY: Vintage Ad with Recipe

Here's a great 1948 Vintage Spry Ad for a "Sweet Story Cake" It's perfect for Valentine's Day! "Every Cake Rates a Kiss"   FYI: Spry was similar to Crisco.

SWEET STORY CAKE

Here's the original recipe on the Ad

Ingredients
  • For Cake:
  • 2½ cups sifted cake flour
  • 1½ cups of sugar
  • 3½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 4 egg whites, unbeaten
  • 18 maraschino cherries, well drained and finely chopped
  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

  • For Frosting: (I doubled this)
  • 2 Tablespoons shortening
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
  • 9 Tablespoons scalded cream
  • Red or pink food coloring
Directions

For Cake:
  1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Drop in shortening. Combine milk and maraschino cherry juice and add ¾ cup of this liquid. Add flavoring extracts and mix with mixer on low for 2 minutes (100 strokes by hand).
  2. Add remaining liquid and egg whites and beat for another 2 minutes. Fold in cherries and nuts. Bake in two 9-inch pans or two heart-shaped pans at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. (If you pour all the batter in one pan, bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes)
  3. When cool, cut layers with heart shaped pattern, if you didn't use a heart-shaped pan. Spread with frosting, and outline a short Valentine's message with a toothpick and fill in letters and outline of cake with sugar pearls. 
  4. For Frosting:
  5. Combine shortening, butter, flavorings and salt and blend well. Beat in ½ cup sugar. Add hot cream alternating with remaining sugar, beating well after each addition. Add only enough cream to make a nice spreading consistency. Add a few drops of red or pink food coloring to tint frosting a delicate pink before spreading on cake.