[1] Make these red velvet cheesecake brownies anytime you want to express your love (photos #1, #2 and recipe © Thomas John | Purecane).

[2] Purecane replaces sugar in a 1:1 ratio. It’s that easy!

[3] That irresistible red color! Here’s the recipe from McCormick (photo © McCormick).

[4] Red velvet is such a popular flavor that Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur created a version. Here’s more about it (photo © Diageo).

[5] You can even make red velvet pancakes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

[6] Red velvet donuts. Here’s the recipe from Farmgirl Gourmet (photo © Farmgirl Gourmet).

[7] How about a red velvet ice cream sandwich (photo © Melt Bakery | New York)!

With home baking exploding during the pandemic, more of us will be motivated to bake something special for Mother’s Day. This delicious recipe was made with Purecane zero calorie sweetener, but you can substitute table sugar on a 1:1 basis. It’s that easy, and the brownies freeze well, too.

If you don’t have a heart-shape cookie cutter, just slice rectangles like conventional brownies.

Thanks to Thomas John and Purecane for the recipe.
 
 
SUGAR-FREE RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIE HEARTS

 
Ingredients For The Red Velvet Brownie Base

 
Ingredients For The Cream Cheese Layer

 
 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10″x15″ cookie sheet with butter, or line with parchment paper.

2. WHISK together in a large bowl the dry brownie ingredients: flour, Purecane, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

3. WHISK together in a medium bowl the wet brownie ingredients: eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, red food coloring and white vinegar.

4. MIX together the dry and wet ingredients, until completely combined. The batter will be a really thick, moldable texture.

5. REMOVE 3/4 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk (into the 3/4 cup of batter you just took out). Set aside the 3/4 cup batter.

6. POUR the remaining batter into the prepared cookie sheet. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.

7. BEAT the cream cheese and 3/4 cup Purecane in a stand mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps.

8. POUR the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth the mixture until it touches all the edges. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter (that you mixed with milk) onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.

9. BAKE for 20 minutes*, rotating halfway through, or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

10. USE a medium sized heart cookie cutter to create the perfect Valentine’s Day treat! Tip: Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to cutting, and make sure the cookie cutter is wiped clean between each cut.
 

THE HISTORY OF RED VELVET CAKE

“The history of red velvet is not black and white,” says Deborah Harroun, author of the recently published Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook.

Stories detail its discovery in the 1870s in Canada and in the 1950s in Pennsylvania. Some give credit to the Deep South, where red velvet cake is topped with cream cheese frosting.

Originally made from beets or beet juice and cocoa (and the best recipes still are), the cake yields a reddish brown color with a mild chocolate flavor.

Today’s recipes made with red food coloring can be a florid red. A thick white frosting is traditional (we vote for cream cheese!).

Today, many recipes use red food color instead of beets, which leaves a rosy red and arresting color but a more bland flavor and texture. A light-textured chocolate layer-type cake with a deep reddish brown color.
 
 
SHOULD RED VELVET HAVE CHOCOLATE FLAVOR?

Our first experience with red velvet cake, long before the craze of the last decade, was a type of chocolate cake with red food coloring. Our mom baked a recipe called Red Devil’s Food Cake from the 1950s.

But think again, says Deborah Harroun: “The cocoa taste actually appears as just a hint when done correctly. I say that a red velvet cake or cupcakes taste like butter cake with just a hint of cocoa. It may be a hard flavor to describe, but once you’ve had it, you probably won’t forget it!”

And while many committed bakers deride red velvet for its use of “fake” red food coloring, there are natural ingredients that can be used to achieve the same red hue: cranberries, other red berries, pomegranates.

Mom used beets in her Red Devil’s Food Cake. And what a great cake it was!
 
 
MORE RED VELVET RECIPES

 
 
> CAKE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKES

> THE HISTORY OF CHEESECAKE

*The shorter baking time, says Thomas John, is “because it’s a mix of brownie and cheesecake batter. The recipe we modified originally stated 30 minutes, however, some recipes bake slightly different with Purecane. When we baked these, the center set at 20 minutes and you don’t want to overbake them since they continue to bake a little after you pull it out of the oven. I recommend keeping an eye on it.”

Looking for recipes for Cinco de Mayo?

Most people we know whip up guacamole and Tex-Mex favorites: burritos, quesadillas, tacos, tortillas.

We love these “classics.”

But of you’d like something new, here are more options for Cinco de Mayo breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and desserts.
 
 
CINCO DE MAYO RECIPES

 
Desserts

 
Drinks

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CINCO DE MAYO

[1] Beyond stuffed peppers, try Mexican meatloaf (photo © Pampered Chef).

[2] It’s the season for a blood orange Margarita (photo © Betty Crocker).

[3] For dessert: baked churros with chocolate sauce. Ice cream is optional (photo © The Baker Chick).

[4] Feeling flush? Have lobster guacamole (photo © RA Sushi).

Swerve is an erythritol-based sugar substitute that checks all the boxes for anyone seeking a noncaloric sugar substitute.

 
Plus:

Unlike other sugar alcohols, it causes little or no digestive disruption†.

It’s used 1:1 as a replacement for sugar.

Unlike other natural non-caloric sweeteners such as monkfruit and stevia, it caramelizes (for cooking) and holds its shape (for baking).

What else could one ask for?

How about good taste?

We’re not partial to the aftertastes in monkfruit and stevia, but erythritol is as natural-tasting—if not more so—than Splenda (which is an artificial sweetener with a flavor we far prefer to monkfruit and stevia—see more below).

Plus, Swerve is available in every format one might desire:

 
There are also favorite mixes, including:

 
Swerve checks all the boxes, from a cup of coffee to an easy-to-make birthday cake.
 
 
GET YOUR SWERVE SWEETENER

Head to the Swerve website for recipes, tips, FAQs and to purchase.

It’s also available on Amazon at at retailers and other e-tailers.
 
 
________________

*Non-glycemic means it does not raise blood sugar.

†Aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet ‘n Low) and sucralose (Splenda) are considered artificial sweeteners.

‡These include bloating, gas and loose stools.
________________
 

THE HISTORY OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS & NATURAL NONCALORIC SWEETENERS

Saccharin (brand name Sweet ‘N Low launched in 1957), the first artificial sweetener, was discovered in 1879 when a chemist at Johns Hopkins, working on coal tar derivatives, inadvertently tasted sweetness on his hand. It is 300 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar by weight.

Sucralose (brand name Splenda) was discovered by British researchers in 1976. It is the only non-caloric sweetener made from sugar, but because of the process by which it is made, it is considered an artificial sweetener. It is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. The Splenda brand was launched in the U.S. in 1999.

[1] Ice pops and ice cream are just one category of sweets you can make with Swerve noncaloric sweetener (all photos © Swerve).

[2] Swerve’s granular sugar (table sugar) is packaged in packets and bulk bags.

[3] Bake your favorite cakes, cookies and pies with a 1:1 ration of Swerve to sugar.

[4] Swerve brown sugar is a real find for bakers and for cooks (in glazes marinades, sauces, and so much more).

Acesulfame potassium (called Ace K for short, brand names Sunett and Sweet One) was discovered accidentally in 1967 by a German chemist, it was approved for use in the U.S. in 1988. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar. In 1998, acesulfame K was approved by the FDA for use in beverages (and subsequently for all foods). It is mostly used as a blending sweetener, most prominently paired with aspartame in Coke Zero (Diet Coke uses aspartame only).

There are other artificial sweeteners, but these are the most familiar to American consumers.
 

NATURAL NONCALORIC SWEETENERS

Sugar alcohols were the first-available natural noncaloric sweeteners in Europe and the U.S. Also called polyols, sugar alcohols are organic compounds, derived from the sugars that naturally occur in common foods.

The first, sorbitol (derived from potatoes), was discovered by a French chemist in 1872. Subsequent discoveries include erythritol (from corn or wheat), glycerol (from soybean, coconut or palm oils), isomalt (from beets), lactitol (from whey/dairy), maltitol (from corn, tapioca or wheat), mannitol (from sugar), and xylitol (from birchwood), among others.

Monkfruit and stevia are also natural noncaloric sweeteners, that have been used for centuries, if not millennia, in Asia and South America, respectively.

They were brought to the U.S. over the last 20 years as part of the ongoing search for the ideal noncaloric sweetener for weight management.
 
 
> CHECK OUT OUR GLOSSARY OF NON-CALORIC SWEETENERS

[1] Chocolate covered pretzel gift box from Sugar Plum. Get it here (photo © Sugar Plum).

[2] Another sweet idea: Buy doughnuts and top them with crushed pretzels. Here’s the recipe from A Cozy Kitchen (photo © A Cozy Kitchen).

[3] Salted caramel pretzel brownies. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

[4] Top a sundae with chocolate-covered pretzels. Add some caramel or chocolate sauce (photo Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE).

April 26th is National Pretzel Day.

Is this box of chocolate-covered pretzels (photo #1) overkill?

Not if you have someone to share it with!

Sugar Plum’s Chocolate Pretzel Passion Gift Tray includes a twenty-two pieces of chocolate-dipped pretzels.

What happens, pray tell, when such a cornucopia enters your home?

How do you decide what to eat first? How do you stop yourself from eating half the box—on day one?

The Chocolate Pretzel Passion Gift Tray includes:

 
We’ve pretty much decided on starting with the dark chocolate and white chocolate pretzel logs.

After that, we may be generous if you happen to stop by.

Order your own box of chocolate-covered pretzels here.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PRETZELS

> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRETZELS
 

MORE PRETZEL: PRETZEL RECIPES

Sweet Recipes

 
Savory Recipes

 
 
PRETZEL HISTORY

Thanks to creative monks, man has enjoyed 15 centuries of pretzel snacks.

Here’s the history of pretzels.

[1] Cashew salsa (recipe below) adds protein to salsa (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © DeLallo).

[2] Fire-roasted diced tomatoes from DeLallo. Fire-roasting provides a slightly smoky flavor.

[3] Calabrian chiles (or chile peppers, if you will), from DeLallo.

[4] Roasted piquillo chiles from DeLallo.

Add some cashew protein to your salsa with this yummy recipe. For Cinco de Mayo or any other day, for a snack or a sauce.

With fire roasted tomatoes, Calabrian chiles and roasted piquillo chiles, it has just enough heat for pizzazz, without overwhelming your taste buds.
 
 
RECIPE: CASHEW SALSA

This recipe can be a snack with tortilla or pita chips, or a sauce for grilled chicken or fish.
 
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. DRAIN the tomatoes. You may wish to save the juice to toss into dressing, sautes, soups, stir-frys…or with a splash of gin or vodka.

2. HEAT the oven to 350°F. Arrange the cashews on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool.

3. ADD the chiles and garlic to a food processor or blender, and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the tomatoes, lime juice and salt. Process until combined.

4. ADD the cashews and pulse until roughly chopped.

5. PLACE the salsa in a bowl and serve with pita or tortilla chips.
 

MORE SALSA RECIPES

 
 
> More Recipes For Cinco De Mayo
 
 
PLUS:
 
 
> The History Of Salsa
 
 
> The History Of Chile Peppers
 
 
> The Different Types Of Chiles