Sparkly Red Velvet Brownie Bites

Seeing as how my sister and I both  love red velvet, when I came across this recipe,  I knew it would be the perfect addition to our Christmas desserts.

Not only are these brownies beautiful, with the contrast of the rich red velvet and the snowy white cream cheese frosting, they are absolutely divine.

The brownies are dense and rich, although not overpoweringly sweet. The perfect companion for a nice thick layer of cream cheese frosting (my favorite) and a delicate sprinkling of  sparkly white edible glitter.

Not only does their miniature size make them adorable, they're  perfect for holiday platter or parties when you want to sample a little of everything but not go home on sugar overload !

I have a feeling these babies could be making a repeat appearance right around Feb. 14th!!


*Because I was traveling, and like everyone else around the holidays was super busy and making a gazillion other things, I decided to go for it and make these ahead of time and freeze them. I baked them as directed, let them cool completely and then wrapped them in layers of plastic wrap, aluminum foil and a couple of freezer bags. (Can you tell I was a little worried?) The day of I let them defrost and then finished them off with the frosting and glitter. *


Sparkly Red Velvet Brownie Bites
Picture and Recipe from A Farm Girl's Dabbles

INGREDIENTS

for the red velvet brownies:
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 oz. liquid red food coloring
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

for the sparkly cream cheese frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 T. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
white sparkles edible glitter, optional


PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 325°. Fold a 16″ long piece of foil to a 9″x16″ strip and place in 9″x9″ metal baking pan, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil the same size in the opposite direction, lining pan completely. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Stir butter and chocolate in heavy large saucepan over very low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, then eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla, salt, and food coloring. Sift flour and baking powder over mixture and stir to blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.

Prepare the frosting by first beating together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix a bit to incorporate. Then add the sifted powdered sugar and beat to combine.

Using the foil as an aid, lift brownies from pan and place on cutting board. Peel foil down away from the sides of brownies. Spread cream cheese frosting evenly over brownies. Sprinkle with edible glitter, if desired. Cut into bites 1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″. To achieve clean cuts, wipe the knife after each slice.

Yield: 50 brownie bites

Posted by: Sallie