Cream Cheese Frosting

Original recipe found here.

This was a very each cream cheese frosting recipe.  The downside to it, which is good for the red velvet cupcakes, is that the cream cheese flavor really stood out.  I like my frosting to have more a vanilla taste, but overall the pairing of the two turned out.  The red velvet cupcake recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I wanted to find a different brownie recipe and started looking.  I came across this recipe on another blog and decided to give it a try.  I made thicker brownies in an 8 x 8" pan.  I would definitely suggest the 9 x 13" for thinner brownies. Mine ended up tasting more like fudge.  After they sat out for a day, they tasted a lot better and not as thick.  These brownies are VERY moist.  The cream cheese frosting recipe can be found here.

1 can dark red kidney beans
1 1lb. 2.3oz. box Brownie Mix
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 1oz. bottle red food dye
water

Preheat oven to 350'. Spray bottom only of a 9x13" pan. Rinse and drain beans well. Rinse can. Return rinsed beans to can, fill can with water to within 1/2 inch of top of can. Pour into blender and blend WELL, and then blend again, really well! You shouldn't see any grains or skins. Blend dye in with bean mixture. Poor brownie mix and cocoa into large bowl and add bean and dye mixture and mix well.  Your kidney beans are replacing the water, eggs, etc called for on the box. Poor into baking pan and bake on bottom rack of oven for 24-26 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then flip onto a cutting board and freeze for about an hour. They will be flat, but shouldn't be dry.

*karisa*

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the recipe that I used on the red velvet brownies.  It is extremely easy and makes enough to spread on the brownies in the 9 x 13" pan.

1/2 cup cream cheese, whipped

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup powder sugar

Whip the cream cheese and then add the rest of the ingredients in the order shown.  Sift powder sugar to avoid lumps.

*karisa*