Tag Archives: red velvet

Red Velvet Blondies

February 11, 2016 Keep It Sweet 1 Comment

Chewy red velvet blondies with white chocolate chips are a perfect Valentine’s Day treat! They are chewy, fudgy and delicious.

*This post is sponsored by T-Sugars. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Chewy, gooey, red velvety perfection. If you are looking for an easy but ultra delicious recipe to celebrate Valentine’s Day, this is for you. Thanks to being spiked with cocoa powder and red food coloring, I’ve turned your traditional blonde hued dessert into a festive holiday treat.

You might argue that this is no longer a blondie based on its shade, but I beg to differ. That important base of butter and brown sugar is intact. In fact, I used T-Sugars’ Belgium Cassonade Sugar in this recipe and thanks to its ultra soft texture and caramelized flavor, the blondie feel and flavor is not only there, but actually prominent in a very good way. Chewy but crackly, Sweet but flavorful. And while there is cocoa powder in the recipe, the hint of chocolate is like a treat to the palate, not an overbearing forethought.

The blondies have been filled with white chocolate chips which add a nice texture and sweetness to the mix. And that powdered sugar dusting? It’s a special touch for appearance made easy with the Icing Sugar Mill I received in my T-Sugars package. Gourmet finely powdered sugar without the massive mess? Yes!

Wondering what’s so special about T-Sugars? The company specializes in gourmet high-quality sugars and while traditional brown sugar can be used in this recipe, I found that the T-Sugars’ Belgian Cassonade Sugar resulted in a stronger caramel flavor and better chewy texture in this blondie. It wasn’t even a contest.

Red Velvet Blondies

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Chewy red velvet blondies with white chocolate chips are a perfect Valentine’s Day treat! They are chewy, fudgy and delicious.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

350 grams (~1½ cups firmly packed) T-Sugars' Cassonade Sugar (gourmet brown sugar)
113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
130g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
20g (¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
21/2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder
110 grams (2 large) whole eggs
5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) red food coloring
170 grams (1 cup) white chocolate chips
T-Sugars' Icing Sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper; set aside
In a medium saucepan, heat Cassonade Sugar and butter over medium heat and stir constantly until melted into a thick golden brown mixture; set aside
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside
In a large bowl, whisk eggs vanilla, and red food coloring until combined
Whisk in brown sugar butter mixture
Slowly whisk in flour mixture just until combined
Stir in chips
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-34 minutes or until top begins to crack and a knife or toothpick comes out clean
Allow to cool; sprinkle with Icing Sugar before serving

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You might also like:

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Buttercream

Blog, Recipes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

June 23, 2013 Keep It Sweet 22 Comments

I blame this on the cupcake wrappers.

I’m actually not kidding. It has been way too long since I shared a recipe on the blog and I thought that since 4th of July is right around the corner, it was about time I used the cute little American Flag cupcake wrappers that have been in my drawer for over a year.

Given my current obsession with blueberries (they are a required part of my daily breakfast), I wanted to incorporate them into the dessert somehow. For inspiration, I started to flip through my United Cakes of America cookbook and immediately stopped on the red velvet cupcake page. I’ve actually made this recipe before and loved it so I was happy to have an excuse to make it again. And every real red velvet cake lover knows that cream cheese icing is absolutely necessary. So, why not infuse the blueberries into the frosting for a full-on patriotic cupcake?

Looking for more delicious ways to incorporate blueberries into desserts? Here are some of my other favorites:

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Frozen Yogurt

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

Blueberry Pretzel Clusters

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread {Gluten-Free}

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

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Fluffy red velvet cupcakes topped with a fantastic blueberry cream cheese icing!

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

10 ounces (2¼ cups) cake flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (low fat is fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
8 ounces (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
12 ounces (1½ cups) granulated sugar
2 x-large eggs at room temperature
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) red food dye

Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

6 ounces regular cream cheese at room temperature
3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup blueberry puree (made from ½ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

Pre-heat oven to 335 degrees; grease and flour two regular sized cupcake tins OR fill them with cupcake liners; set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt) and set aside
in a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (buttermilk, vanilla and vinegar) and set aside
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy
Scrape sides of the bowl; add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed between each one; mix in red food dye until combined
Scrape sides of bowl again and then with mixer on low speed, add remaining ingredients- add one third of dry ingredients, then one half of wet ingredients and repeat until everything is added; stop mixer immediately to avoid overmixing
If some ingredients are not well mixed, lightly fold into batter with a spatula
Pour batter evenly into cupcake tins (about ⅔ the way full for each cupcake); I like to use a large cookie dough scoop or small ladle
Bake 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of cupcake
Allow cupcakes to cool and make the icing

Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing:

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and shortening on high speed for several minutes until light and creamy; make sure there are no clumps from the cream cheese
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add one cup of powdered sugar; beat on high speed until combined; repeat with three additional cups of powdered sugar (make sure to mix between each cup)
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add blueberry puree, vanilla and salt; mix on medium speed for one minute
Add remaining powdered sugar, again one cup at a time; after last cup is added, beat on high speed for at least five minutes and until frosting is light and creamy; if it appears to thick, continue to beat for another couple of minutes or until it reaches desired consistency
Pipe as desired onto cooled cupcakes
Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature up to three days

Notes

Cupcake recipe from United Cakes of America
Frosting adapted from this recipe (unsure of original origin)

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Blog, Recipes

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

December 15, 2011 Keep It Sweet 46 Comments

A few months ago, I was offered the chance to review a cupcake magazine. Yes, a cupcake magazine! How could I say no to that?

Well, I finally got around to making some cupcakes weeks and weeks later. Not sure why I waited so long. Maybe because I’m just so obsessed with cookies I can’t help myself but forget the cupcakes. It is a shame, too, because cupcakes have a place in my love of desserts.

Well my reason surely was not for a lack of inspiration. Cupcake Heaven is a colorful magazine full of over 100 recipes and photos to accompany every one. Other than a little bit of confusion over some baking terms (the magazine is based out of the UK), I enjoyed baking from it. There are a ton of bookmarked pages for me to try in the future, but the first recipe I had to try was their red velvet cupcake.

Given my love of red velvets it is actually shocking that I’ve never made my own before. This recipe worked out nicely and I made them into minis which is always more fun. Also, rather than topping them with traditional cream cheese frosting, I went with mascarpone to give them a little bit of a more sophisticated touch. We served these cupcakes at our housewarming party and they added such a nice color to the dessert display. When Matt took leftovers to work, these were the first of a variety of desserts to disappear.

Oh, and want to know an embarrassing secret? I used to not like cake. As in really dislike it so much that I’d request a brownie, cookie cake or ice cream pie for every birthday as a kid. My poor icing-loving mother would be forced to concede. And if you can believe it, not only did I dislike birthday cake, but I hated icing. Not sure when things turned around, but these days whenever I eat cake I feel the need to make up for those lost years and eat extra frosting. It is my way of apologizing to my former self for that self-deprivation.

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Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Makes 22-24 mini cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk (low fat is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring

To Prepare Cupcakes:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with paper cupcake liners

Sift together flour, baking soda and cocoa; set aside

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy

On low speed, beat in eggs and half of flour mixture

Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and food coloring

Stir in remaining flour mixture just until combined, do not overmix

Pour batter into prepared cupcake tin (I used a cookie dough scoop, one scoop per cup)

Bake cupcakes for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; set aside to cool

Frosting Ingredients:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese at room temperature

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup confectioners sugar

To Prepare Frosting:

Beat mascarpone and cream cheese together on high speed until light and creamy

Beat in sugar until mixture is smooth

Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve

Cupcake recipe from Cupcake Heaven Magazine

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Did you have any weird taste preferences as a kid?

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Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Filling

November 1, 2010 Keep It Sweet 37 Comments

Chewy and flavorful red velvet cookies with creamy white chocolate frosting.

This post was originally published November 2010. The photos were updated November 2015.

After I saw Jessica’s post of red velvet chocolate chip cookies, I knew I had to make them. As I’ve mentioned before, red velvet is currently my favorite kind of cake, so how could I not try the cookies? Jessica promised dense and chewy and she does not disappoint. I didn’t just make cookies, though, I made cookie sandwiches, Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches with White Chocolate Buttercream to be exact.

So far, for my upcoming dinner party, I’ve made Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Bars and Gooey Caramel Butter Bars. In the past I’ve made a mix of cakes, cookies, pies and other desserts, but this year I am going with pick-up desserts only. However, I still want to have a wow factor, so I have some big plans for upcoming desserts. These cookie sandwiches definitely fulfill the wow piece.

The cookie itself is dense and chewy as I mentioned above, but it also has a nice mild flavor that isn’t too sweet. A silky smooth white chocolate buttercream worked as the perfect complement.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Heaven

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Chewy and flavorful red velvet cookies with creamy white chocolate frosting.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 22 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients

Cookies:

3 cups all purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons red food coloring
1 cup white chocolate chips
Buttercream:
4 ounces baking white chocolate
½ cup heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup milk (any type is fine)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Make the Cookies:

Pre-heat oven to 375
Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt); set aside
Beat together butter and sugars until fluffy
Add eggs and vanilla and combine
Add red food coloring and beat until well mixed
Slowly add dry ingredients
Stir until well combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Drop even tablespoons of cookie dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart
Bake for ~8 minutes or until slightly firm
Set your cookies aside on a wire rack to cool

Make the Buttercream:

Combine the white chocolate and whipping cream in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat, stirring continuously
Remove from heat and stir in milk
Refrigerate for mixture for half hour
When white chocolate mixture is cool, finish making the buttercream
Beat the butter until creamy
Beat in confectioners’ sugar until butter and sugar are light and fluffy
Now beat in the cooled white chocolate mixture until buttercream is creamy and light
Build Sandwiches
Spread 1-2 tablespoons of buttercream on the bottom half of a cookie (more or less icing depending on your taste)
Place second cookie on top and lightly push together

Notes

I basically used Jessica’s recipe for the Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. Her recipe is easy and definitely worth a try!
The recipe for White Chocolate Buttercream makes twice as much frosting as you will need. Start thinking of other ways to eat it, you won’t want this deliciousness to go to waste (well, you could always freeze it too)
Cookies store well in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days, or in freezer for a few weeks
I don’t even like white chocolate and I love these cookies; the flavor in the icing is subtle enough and i made myself a sample cookie without chips:-)

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Do you have a favorite pick-up dessert?

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

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