Red Velvet Brownies

I have always said that boxed brownies are so good that no one could make a scratch one that was better enough to make it worth my time to make it... I was SO wrong.

My church had an auction in September 2011. I donated my services of baking a dessert a month for a year and our interim pastor Marti won the auction. Unfortunately an illness kept her from taking advantage of it right away. So, next week I am making these Red Velvet Brownies for her. I figured I would make them this week for 2 reasons.

OMG Freakin' YUM!

1.  I have a new mixer that I wanted to test. (Thank you, Bumbly. It is an awesome Christmas present.)
2. I like brownies

I got the recipe from Food.com. 

So first, my new, red Sunbeam mixer rocks! Okay, it is not a high end mixer but I am a chef, not a baker. So, I don't use mixers much. The biggest reason my Bumbly bought it for me was for the bread hooks. I have never made fresh bread but I am looking forward to trying that too.

Oh, and I am not a chef by trade, just by passion. I am a geek by day.

Anyway, back to the brownies. 

Ignore the mess in the background. I am a chef not a maid.

Cream room temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Okay, too much flash on this picture.

Better but that shadow there is the camera.

Much better. The batter will be dry and crumbly.

Add the eggs 

One at a time

Then the vanilla

Mix cocoa powder, red food color (a whole bottle a.k.a. 1 ounce) and vanilla.

Add it to the mixer. (Look at that great color!)

Add flour and salt

Mix until just combined

Spread in pan

Bake for about 25 minutes

Bake until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. (Important tip: don't use a red toothpick.)

Cool completely

Here is where things went badly.

Melt white chocolate and set it aside. Cream butter with mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla. SLOWLY (this is VERY important.) mix in powdered sugar (might even want to sift it first). Then mix in white chocolate. Add enough milk to reach desired consistency. Mine was very lumpy. Until my hubbie pressed it through a fine strainer.

Then it was perfect!

Ice the brownies once they are cool. (We couldn't wait so the icing got a little melty.)

And eat.

I will be making these again.