Red Velvet Fudge Bars

Happy Friday and Happy Dessert Day (if you are new to my blog, Friday is always dessert day at our house)!!!  I love love love red velvet!  I love it almost as much as the color pink!  John also loves red velvet, so when he called me yesterday sounding exhausted from working so much overtime, I knew I had to make him a special treat for when he got home.  I made these delightful bars, and he absolutely loved them...in fact he ate 8 of them!  I thought he was exaggerating when he said that he had 8.  But then I looked at the plate, and he was clearly not kidding!  So I know that they were a hit!  Since last night, I may have enjoyed one three bars myself!  

Here's the thing about these Red Velvet Fudge Bars!  They are a cross between a cookie bar and fudge.  They have a nice cookie texture around the edges, top, and bottom while maintaining this soft fudge-like middle!  Make them this weekend.  I promise you will not be disappointed!  I used a Red Velvet cake mix as the base for this recipe.  If I am making Red Velvet cake or cupcakes, I always make it from scratch using this fantastic recipe!  I do not think the mix tastes as good as homemade when you are trying to make a cake or cupcakes.  However, when you are making a treat like this, the mix is the perfect shortcut!  

Here's What You Need to Make the Red Velvet Fudge Bars:

• one box red velvet cake mix
• one stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Now Let's Make the Red Velvet Fudge Bars:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together cake mix, melted butter, and eggs until well combined 
3. Fold in the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips
4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan
5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes
6. Remove from oven (you will see that the mixture is cooked but "puffy").  Use the back of a spatula and press down the bars evenly - making them flatter and more dense
7. Put back into oven for 5 minutes
8. Remove from oven and press down with spatula one more time
9. Cool in pan completely
10. Cut into even squares and store at room temperature 

If you have read any of my other cookie bar or fudge bar recipes (like these chocolate caramel fudge bars) you will already know that I use this spatula method outlined in steps 6-8 often.  I just think it makes the bars perfect!  It creates a crisper outside and a softer inside!  In other words, it is what makes these bars perfect!  Try them and see for yourself!