I have a recipe written in a spidery handwriting on a faded piece of torn notebook paper. It has intrigued me forever because it sounded so special – Waldorf Red Cake. This recipe was my grandmother’s and I am guessing it is from the late 1920s or early 1930s. Yep, you guessed it – it’s a fancy name for good old red velvet cake.
Food historians believe that red velvet cake got its color from a reaction between the acids in buttermilk and the alkalinity in the old type of cocoa. Someone noticed the red tint and began intensifying it with beets, red food coloring, etc. No one was really crazy about it until Steel Magnolias and the Groom’s cake which was red velvet and made to look like an armadillo. At that point there was no stopping it.
The flavor is nice but I am guessing it is the color that really attracts people. Especially this time of year.
The Restless Chipotle Channel
I wanted to create yet another red velvet dessert. After all, I have done cheesecake, cupcakes, cake… it was time for brownies. These red velvet brownies are perfect for those cookie trays and office Christmas parties. They have all of the rich chewiness of brownies but with the lighter red velvet taste – and the white chocolate chips are a good stand in for cream cheese frosting. They’d be great with red and green sprinkles as decoration or warmed up and placed underneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a holiday treat.
Nothing special about these except the amazing flavor. The recipe is easy. I think they would work well for Valentine’s Day, too.
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 oz red food coloring
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
-
Butter a 9 inch square pan.
-
Preheat oven to 350F.
-
Cream the sugar, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
-
Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each.
-
Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the butter mixture.
-
Spread in the pan and bake 25 – 30 minutes.
-
Take the brownies out of the oven when they are slightly underdone.
-
Cool completely before cutting.
Rachel says
I made these for a finger food party. Even though they SOMEONE in my family got into the white chocolate chips without my knowledge leaving me to put in semi-sweets instead, they turned out yummy. I have to admit that I was suspicious of that little pan making 24 servings, but the brownies were so rich you couldn’t eat but a little at a time. So all worked out well, except for the villain that ended stealing my white chocolate chips. He’s in trouble.
marye says
oooops. Yeah, I have to keep up with the chocolate chips around here OR they disappear.
Andrea says
Wow, what a waste. FYI…you’re missing half the directions. Thought I knew enough to muddle through t, but I guess not.
marye says
The only thing that is missing in the instructions is when to add the red food coloring (with the liquids) and when to add the white chocolate chips (at the end)…Sorry they didn’t work for you.
Andrea says
How do you keep the white chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan? I ended up with a mass of semi-melted chips at the bottom of the pan and a layer of brownie on top that separated from the chocolate chips when you picked them up, making them a huge mess to eat.
marye says
Mine didn’t do that and those that tested for me didn’t have that problem… It sounds like your batter may have had too much liquid in it or not enough flour?
Elaine says
You can coat them in flour to keep them from sticking