Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

I should have posted this recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies on Valentine's Day! Anything red and chocolate works for me! Who doesn't need another brownie recipe? This isn't my recipe, but it's an adaptation of Sunny Anderson's on 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 oh so yummy! I use chopped chocolate rather than cocoa, but either will work in this recipe.

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

Ingredients
1 tablespoon sweet butter, for pan
Parchment paper

Red Velvet Brownie Layer
8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) sweet butter (I use KerryGold Irish butter)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1/4 cup high grade cocoa powder  (or 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted)
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp red food coloring
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 Madagascar 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 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 tcream 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.