I am getting so excited for Valentine’s Day! How about you? Valentine’s Day was always one of my favorite holidays as a kid. I just love the pretty colors. I mean, how can you go wrong with red, white, pink, and purple?!?
And then, of course, there is all the yummy candy. Valentine’s Day is truly a chocolate lover’s dream right? My dad always bought my mom a big heart of Fannie May chocolates and my siblings and I knew that my mom would open up the box and offer us our pick!
And then there was the excitement of choosing which box of Valentine’s cards you would get to fill out for your friends at school. I loved the sparkly cards the best and always saved those for my best friends. Then we would all decorate a kleenex box to hold our treasured cards in at school.
I couldn’t wait to open all my pretty cards. I would take them home and look at them over and over again. Valentine’s Day just makes me nostalgic. So I love celebrating with my own kids.
We have been baking up a lot of yummy treats together lately. And this Red Velvet Valentine’s Brookie Cake is one of my favorites. I made it in a pretty Wilton heart shaped pan that I found at Target. You could, of course, make this in a regular square pan but the heart shape just makes it all the more perfect for the holiday don’t you think?
Red Velvet is one of my favorite flavors and since Valentine’s Day just lends itself so well for it, I just can’t seem to get enough Red Velvet lately!
This Brookie cake is so easy to make! I started with a box of Duncan Hine’s Red Velvet brownie mix for the base, topped it with a cookie layer, and then garnished it with pretty M+M’s and cream cheese glaze. The flavors turned out perfect and the look is just pure Valentine’s!
I hope that this year, Valentine’s Day brings up some wonderful childhood memories like it did for me. And I hope you have time to make this amazing Red Velvet Valentine’s Brookie Cake! Enjoy. 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 box of Duncan Hine's Red Velvet Brownies ( I found it at Target)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c. water
- 1/3 c. oil
- 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 c. plus 1 TBLS brown sugar
- 1/4 c. plus 1 TBLS granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 c. mini -chocolate chips
- 1/2 c. Valentine's M+M's
- glaze from the red velvet brownie mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a heart shaped pan or an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with baking spray. (If you use a 9x13 pan preheat the oven to 350 degrees)
- First make the brownies by mixing the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon till well blended. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Put the cream cheese glaze from the brownie box aside.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and two types of sugars, add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture in two additions and mix well, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Stir in the mini chocolate chips by hand.
- Using your hands, take out a handful of dough and flatten it on top of the brownie mixture, allowing the red edges of the brownie mixture to show.
- (With the heart shaped pan, or a square pan, I did not quite use all the cookie dough on top. If using a 9x13 pan, use all the dough. If you find you have extra dough, you can drop it by the Tablespoonful on a flat sheet and bake it in the oven for 10-11 minutes to make some cookies.)
- Press the M+M's onto the top of the cake.
- For a heart shaped pan or square pan, Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes at 325 degrees or until the cake no longer jiggles in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean.
- For a 9x13 pan, bake the cake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until it is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean.
- (If using a heart or square shaped pan, the brookie will turn out thick and more cake-like. If using a 9x13 pan, it will be thinner and more brownie-like.)
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooking rack. Once fully cooled, drizzle the reserved cream cheese packet over the top and serve.
Try these other Valentine’s Day ideas:
I love this giant heart shaped brookie! I have made a lot of brookies over the past year and they so awesome! Cookies and brownies and oh yum!!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting recently posted…Monthly Mixer January- Our Weekend at Northstar
Seriously Julianne!! It’s hard to pass on the combination of cookies and brownies!! Thank you! 🙂
Anything with red velvet is just perfect for Valentine’s. This cake looks so delicious and I definitely wouldn’t mind receiving a slice on Valentine’s day!
Thalia @ butter and brioche recently posted…Spiced Orange Palmiers
I love brookies — the best of both worlds! I adore red velvet brownies, and combined with chocolate chip cookies, this is one perfect Valentine’s treat!
marcie recently posted…Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookie Bars
This looks so pretty and festive! I bet it tastes amazing too 🙂
Kathleen @ Yummy Crumble recently posted…Star Wars Tusken Raider Cookies
This is absolutely adorable! Perfect for Valentines Day!
Kelley @ Chef Savvy recently posted…5 Minute Spicy Chili Almonds
Yum! I’m obsessed with all the valentine’s day goodness here! Plus what’s not to love about brownies and cookies in one 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…Extra Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies with (Vegan!) White Chocolate Chips
Valentine’s Day is so much fun to celebrate with everything being pink and red! This cake looks absolutely gorgeous, Renee! I love that it’s a brookie cake and in the shape of a heart. So fun and festive!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Baked Red Velvet Donuts & A Valentine’s Day Giveaway!
OMG this is so cute!! And I love all of the colors!! Totally getting me in the Valentine’s Day mood!
Melissa @ Treats With a Twist recently posted…Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles
So perfect for Valentine’s! Enjoyed reading your memories of Valentine’s Day from your childhood!
Annie @ ciaochowbambina recently posted…Caprese Couscous Salad
This looks so delicious, and I love the dual-layered effect! It’s so pretty with the red velvet poking through the bottom.
Rachel @ Bakerita recently posted…Mini Chocolate Strawberry Layer Cake + $300 Giveaway
This brookie cake is so pretty, Renee! I love that it’s heart-shaped and the double layers! So festive and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
These look great Renee!
These look fantastic and I’d give an arm and a leg for one right now! Pinned!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted…Healthier Chocolate Chip Cake
Mmmm love me some Red Velvet anything and tis the season! Plus I’ve never had a Brookie so I totally need to try this!
Julie @ Julie’s Eats & Treats recently posted…Valentine Caramel Kiss Peanut Butter Blossoms + Giveaway
such a pretty looking cake! perfect for Valentines Day Renee…also love how simple this recipe is! 🙂
Manali @ CookWithManali recently posted…Chocolate Macarons with Rose Filling
You know the way to my heart 🙂
Zainab recently posted…Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe
Thanks Zainab! Red velvet is the best right!! 🙂
Great idea! I’m always a fan of brookies, but add red velvet and wow!
Mir recently posted…Cappuccino Mousse
Thank you Mir!! 🙂
Would it be ok to use a roll of cookie dough instead of making the chocolate chip cookie dough? Wondering if anyone tried that and if it is same consistency/appearance.
I haven’t tried that personally Joline, but I am sure it would work fine. Cookie dough is cookie dough after all!! 🙂 It might be a bit of a different texture but I am sure it would work fine. Good luck!